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Undergraduate Travel Fund

Academic Year: 2025-2026
Deadline: Open

Statement of Purpose

Ohio University is committed to providing undergraduates opportunities for research, and scholarly and creative works and activities. As part of this effort, the Office of the Vice President for Research and Creative Activity sponsors a program of travel assistance for undergraduate students presenting their work to the scholarly community. The Undergraduate Travel Fund provides up to $500 toward travel to conferences or other venues for presentation of research results or creative works and activities.

Eligibility

All undergraduate students currently enrolled at Ohio University are eligible for the awards.

Students may only receive one award per year.

Note, due to limited funding, we will only fund up to four applicants per conference or venue.

Review/Selection Criteria

Proposals will be reviewed by a designee of the Vice President for Research and Creative Activity. Preference will be given to students attending national and international conferences or events or those attending their first meeting. In most cases, we anticipate that faculty advisors will be attending the event, but this is not a requirement.

Proposals

The proposal should be concise and to the point, but must include:

  • The project title, authors and abstract (or equivalent submission materials) as submitted to the conference.
  • The name, locations and dates of the conference or event.
  • A statement detailing how the student expects this opportunity will enhance their career (no
    more than ½ page).
  • A statement from the student’s mentor indicating that the materials being presented and the venue are appropriate (a few sentences is acceptable).
  • A budget and justification for the travel expenses to be incurred (including transportation, lodging, and registration). Professional membership in a society is not covered even if required for attendance.

The proposal should be submitted as a single Word or PDF document.

Note:

  1. It is imperative that applicants ensure that all travel complies with all current restrictions and
    that the travel can feasibly be concluded within a 12-month period.
  2. Applicants can use funds for registration for virtual conferences, performances and exhibits to disseminate their research and creative works.

Students who are traveling beyond 100 miles of their Ohio University campus or to another state must register with the Office of Global Opportunities: Travel Registration.

For more support on domestic and international travel, risk ratings for destinations and planning an international experience, students are encouraged to contact the Office of Global Opportunities.

Travel Booking/Payments

As per University policy, 41.121, all recipients must work with their respective department and faculty mentor to access funds. Funds will not be dispersed directly to recipients.

Additional Requirements

All students receiving travel awards are expected to complete a brief Qualtrics survey upon their return. Students are encouraged to include an image related to their travel in their survey response.

Proposal Submission

Email the completed proposal to Carma West; it is also required that the student’s mentor be carbon copied (cc) on the submission email.