Graduate Student Travel Fund

BEGINNING SUMMER 2026 - To make the application process less cumbersome and to ensure that we are being fiscally responsible, the eligibility and application requirements have been updated. Please read the information below carefully and review the scoring rubric.

Description

The Graduate Student Travel Fund (GSTF) is a competitive award that provides financial support to SDSU graduate students traveling within the United States (this funding excludes international travel) to either:

1. Present their own research or scholarship or showing their own creative work(s) at a professional meeting/conference (a copy of the conference acceptance must be attached to the application at the time of submission); or
2. Gather research towards the culminating experience (e.g., thesis, dissertation, project)
   • This does not include traveling to attend a conference to gather research.

The GSTF is funded by Associated Students and managed by the College of Graduate Studies (CGS). 

The GSTF award is a reimbursement of actual costs and the maximum award (amount reimbursed) is $1,000. Awardees will be reimbursed for only the following costs:

• Transportation 
• Lodging
• Conference registration

The GSTF has three application cycles each academic year:

Read This Before Applying

By design, this award is a reimbursement award. In most instances, students will not know they are awarded until travel is completed, which means students will be responsible for costs up front. Please plan accordingly.

The competitive review process results in many qualified applicants not being selected for funding. This is because Associated Students only has a set amount of funding for this award program.

Due to the volume of applications, feedback will not be given to applicants after decisions are announced.

2026-2027 Cycles

For the 2026-2027 academic year, approximately $90,000 is available to support graduate student travel during the three award cycles. The maximum award (amount reimbursed) is $1,000 and must be used within each cycle's designated travel dates (see table above). 

The travel dates for the summer 2026 cycle are July 1 - August 31, 2026, and the Google Form application will open on Tuesday, July 7, 2026 and close on Friday, August 7, 2026, at 11:59 pm Pacific Time.

• If a student is graduating in the summer term, SDSU policy dictates that enrollment is expected at SDSU Main Campus or SDSU Global Campus. For graduate students not graduating in the summer term when a summer application for travel funding is filed, it is expected that they will have already enrolled in their upcoming fall courses. Please read the Eligibility Requirements below.

It is the student's responsibility to complete the submission of their application before the deadline. Applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for the GSTF award, you must:

• Be an SDSU graduate student enrolled in units at SDSU Main Campus or SDSU Global Campus and have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0.
  • SDSU Main Campus students pay tuition and fees and Associated Students, which funds the GSTF, is supported by Mandatory Fees.
  • SDSU Global Campus students pay a $19 per unit fee to Associated Students.
  • Continuous enrollment (fall/spring) must be met, however, if the travel is occurring in the summer, summer enrollment is not required for this award, though please check your program’s requirements. Of course, if a student is graduating in that summer term, SDSU policy dictates that enrollment is expected at SDSU Main Campus or SDSU Global Campus.
  • For graduate students not graduating in the summer term when a summer application for travel funding is filed, it is expected that they will have already enrolled in their upcoming fall courses.
• Be presenting at a conference (e.g., poster, paper, or oral presentation)
  • Simply attending a conference is insufficient to qualify for the GSTF funding, or 
• Be traveling to gather research towards the culminating experience (e.g., thesis, dissertation, project)
  • Traveling to a conference to gather research is insufficient to qualify for GSTF funding. 
• Have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0.
• Be in compliance with the Student Code of Conduct and/or their program’s Graduate Professional Standards (see below).

Restrictions

GSTF funding may not be used for:

• International travel. This award is for domestic travel (i.e., within the United States) only. Please visit this website to learn about funding from Associated Students for international travel.
• Travel for SDSU coursework, coursework at other institutions, or attendance at training conferences/programs.
• Travel for simply attending a conference or attending a conference only for research (i.e., not presenting).

If a student has been awarded the GSTF scholarship in the past year (fall 2025, or spring 2026 cycles), they are restricted from applying for the summer 2026 cycle of the GSTF.

Criteria for Review

The primary criteria used to evaluate applications are:

1. Elementary evidence of academic merit (Graduate Cumulative GPA).
2. Is dependent on the reason for travel:
   • If travel is for a conference: Level of student's participation.
   • If travel is for research: Student's statement how GSTF would enhance their education and advance their long-term goals.
3. Strength of faculty letter of support
   • See Review Process below for details about the faculty letter of support.
4. If the application submission followed the instructions/guidelines outlined on this website.

The link to the summer 2026 GSTF scoring rubric is below under How to Apply.

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.

*Note*: Beginning with the summer 2026 cycle, a letter of support from the student’s faculty mentor/PI or graduate program advisor/director is required as part of the application form. (A list of graduate program advisors/directors can be found here.)

The faculty letter of support should be no more than 500 words and should address the following:

• The faculty's relationship to the student (e.g., faculty advisor, dissertation chair, research mentor) and how long you have worked with them.
• The significance of the student's research, creative work, or scholarly activity and its current stage of development.
• The value of the proposed travel to the student's academic, professional, or research goals (e.g., presenting at a conference, conducting research, participating in professional development).
• The student's preparedness to benefit from the travel and the expected impact on their progress toward their degree and future career.
• If applicable, comment on the significance or competitiveness of the conference, research opportunity, or event.
• Any additional information that would help the review committee assess the merit of the application.

The letter’s focus should be on the student's accomplishments, preparedness, and the anticipated impact of the proposed travel. Reviewers are most interested in concrete examples and evidence rather than general praise.

For Student Awardees Only 

If a student is selected for a GSTF award, it is their responsibility to ensure that all travel paperwork is on file with their home department, the university, and other campus partners, if necessary. 

CGS will also contact each awardee’s PI/faculty mentor and/or graduate program advisor/director to confirm whether or not the awardee received any other funding for the travel to ensure compliance and that duplicate reimbursements are not provided.  

Awardees will also:

1. Need to sign a form either accepting or declining the award and its terms and conditions. If this form is not received within 7 calendar days of receiving the award notice, the award will be rescinded. 
2. 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). Awardees will only be reimbursed for allowable travel expenses associated with transportation, lodging, and conference registration. Please refer to the CSU Travel Policy and SDSU Travel Policy for allowable travel expenses.  
3. Submit a post-travel report via this form within 7 calendar days of receiving the award notice or after their date of return, whichever is sooner. If this report is not received within this timeframe, the award will be rescinded. 
   • 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.
   • The report also requires the awardee's final travel receipts showing the items have been paid for.
   •  CGS must be in receipt of the post-travel report and final travel receipts before the award funds are disbursed to awardees.

CGS may ask permission to use all or parts of the report to be profiled on its website.

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 GSTF summer 2026 Google Form application will open on July 7, 2026 and will close on August 7, 2026 at 11:59 pm Pacific Time. Feedback will not be given to applicants after decisions are announced.

• Link to GSTF Summer 2026 Google Form Application (forthcoming)
• Pdf of GSTF Summer 2026 Google Form Application (for reference only)
• *NEW* (use this one) - pdf of GSTF Summer 2026 Application Rubric
• Historical (do not use) -  Pdf of GSTF Spring 2026 Application Rubric (for reference only)

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