Students actively pursuing a degree at Oakland University are invited to apply for travel grants. These awards are limited to a maximum of $400 each. Student travel grant awards are intended to be used by students to attend conferences or research briefing sessions or to present papers at conferences. Other kinds of travel may be considered if the goal of the travel is to enhance a student’s ability to perform or disseminate research or equivalent professional practice. Refer to URC Guidelines Award Timetable for application submission due dates.

• Generally, students must be enrolled at the time of the travel, but recently graduated students may be funded to present a paper at a conference up to six months after graduation.
• Applications are submitted online on RAM 3.0.
• All supporting documents must be attached to the online application, including a mentor form and the most recent transcript. An advising copy of the transcript obtained from SAIL is acceptable. 

Each travel grant proposal must include all applicable items from the following list. Incomplete applications or proposals that exceed the page limits or do not include the required items listed below will not be considered for funding.  Applicants are encouraged to talk to any member of the URC about the proposal preparation process.

 1. Proposal- Travel grant proposals and any supplementary documentation should be uploaded to RAM as a single file (preferably in pdf format) and should include the following elements:

• A project narrative that is strictly limited to the equivalent of two 8.5″ x 11″ pages with one-inch margins on all sides, single-spaced, in Arial 11 point font or larger. The project narrative should state the objective of the proposed travel, including the significance/goals of the research or conference involved. Include a brief description of the educational background and experience of the applicant as it relates to the proposed presentation and explain the personal significance of the program to the applicant.  If a travel grant is being sought to attend or present at a meeting or conference, please provide the following information: a description of the meeting or conference (sponsoring organization, topic, date, location); type of presentation (oral or poster); if applicable, title of the paper/poster to be presented by the student and the names of all authors on the paper/poster. Also, please indicate whether the paper or abstract has been officially accepted by the conference.
• If a travel grant is being sought to present a paper or a poster at a conference, please include a copy of the paper or abstract that was submitted to the conference organizers, as well as a copy of any email notification received or documentation indicating that said paper or abstract has been accepted for presentation at the conference.
• Budget and Budget Justification: The proposal file should include a budget for the proposed travel, including a breakdown of proposed expenditures.
• Transcript:  Student applicants must include a current transcript. An advising copy of the transcript obtained from SAIL is acceptable.

2. A Mentor Endorsement Form must be completed by a full-time member of the Oakland University faculty and submitted via email within one week of the submission of the application. The student application is not considered complete until the Mentor Endorsement Form is provided. By completing the form, the faculty member indicates a willingness to serve as an expert consultant on the proposed project for a period that could span up to twelve months.

Award recipients are notified by e-mail that an account has been established for expenses related to their projects or programs. After one year, the account will be closed and the remaining funds will revert back to the URC. 

The URC does not support requests for travel to professional meetings and conferences unless these expenses are line items in the budget of a more comprehensive proposal. However, if travel is an integral part of a research project or program, then funding will be considered. Requirements regarding accountability for travel expenses are explained in the Oakland University Policies and Procedures Manual.