Graduate Student Travel Fund

Please read the information below carefully.

Description

The Graduate Student Travel Fund (GSTF) supports travel associated with SDSU graduate students' scholarly research and creative activities (RSCA). It is funded by Associated Students and managed by the College of Graduate Studies (CGS).

For the 2025-2026 academic year, approximately $60,000 is available to support graduate student travel during three cycles:

  1. Summer (travel dates July 1 - August 31),
  2. Fall (travel dates September 1 - December 31), and
  3. Spring (travel dates January 1 - June 30).

The maximum award is $1,000 and must be used within each cycle's designated travel months.

Importantly, if a student is selected for this award they will need to sign a form accepting the terms and conditions of the award and understand that the award funds are a reimbursement for travel expenses (as opposed to an advance) after travel has completed and the post-travel report is submitted (see below). It is the student's responsibility to ensure that all travel paperwork is on file with their home department, the university, and other campus partners, if necessary. It can take several weeks for award funds to appear in student awardees' my.SDSU accounts after all requirements have been fulfilled.

The GSTF summer 2025 cycle will open on June 30, 2025 with applications accepted through August 3, 2025. The travel dates for this cycle are July 1 - August 31, 2025. It is the student's responsibility to complete the submission of their application before the deadline.

Given that CGS receives a set amount of funding from Associated Students for this award program, the competitive review process results in many qualified applicants not being selected for funding. Due to the volume of applications, feedback will not be given to applicants after decisions are announced.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for the GSTF award, you must:

  • Be a degree-seeking SDSU graduate student enrolled in units at SDSU Main Campus or SDSU Global Campus at the time of application and travel.
    • SDSU Main Campus students pay tuition and fees. Associated Students, which funds the GSTF is supported by Mandatory Fees.
    • SDSU Global Campus students pay a $19 per unit fee to Associated Students.
  • Have been invited to present at a conference (e.g., poster, paper, or oral presentation), or be traveling to gather research towards the culminating experience (e.g., thesis, dissertation, project). 
  • Have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0.
  • Be in compliance with the Student Code of Conduct and/or their program’s Graduate Professional Standards (see below).

Restrictions

If any of the below restrictions apply to you, your application is not eligible and will not be considered:

  • Submit the application after the respective cycle's deadline.
  • Your travel dates are outside the designated travel dates for the current application cycle (see above).
  • Have been awarded the GSTF scholarship in the past year (summer 2024, fall 2024, or spring 2025 cycles).
  • Are simply attending a conference (i.e., not presenting).
  • Are traveling as part of a group.
  • Are traveling for SDSU coursework, coursework at other institutions, or training conferences.
  • Are traveling to Oaxaca (a separate funding mechanism is in place for this). Please reach out to Associated Students Executive Director Christina Brown ([email protected]).

Criteria for Review

The primary criteria used to evaluate applications are:
  1. Evidence of academic merit (GPA).
  2. How relevant the travel is to a student's research/scholarship in their designated major field of study.
  3. Appropriateness of budget and supporting documentation.

See below for the link to the GSTF scoring rubric.

Review Process

Applications that meet all eligibility criteria above are reviewed and scored in accordance with the GSTF rubric. An advisory committee then meets with the Graduate Dean to review the top-scored applications and determine each cycle's awardees.

Post-Travel Report

Student awardees will be required to submit a post-travel report via this form upon completion of the activity supported by the GSTF. The post-travel report includes a brief write-up (200-300 words) that summarizes the student’s accomplishments and how their travel contributed to the advancement of their research or scholarship, along with any photo(s) taken during their travel. CGS may ask permission to use all or parts of the report to be profiled on its webpage.

CGS must be in receipt of the post-travel report before the award funds are disbursed to awardees.

Important Reminders

The Center for Student Rights and Responsibilities and the student’s home college will be consulted to ensure that potential awardees are in compliance with the Student Code of Conduct and/or their program’s Graduate Professional Standards.

  • Award nominees and current awardees: A nomination or award is subject to being deemed ineligible if (a) it is determined by CSRR that the student is in violation of the Student Code of Conduct and/or (b) if the program notifies CGS that the student has violated their program’s Graduate Professional Standards.

How to Apply

The Google Form application for the GSTF summer 2025 cycle will open on June 30, 2025 and close on August 3, 2025, at 11:59 pm Pacific Time. CGS's goal is to send award announcements mid-August 2025. Feedback will not be given to applicants after decisions are announced.

Please reach out to [email protected] if you have any questions. 

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