Undergraduate Research Travel Grants: Presenting Your Work

Travel grants of up to $1,000 will be awarded to undergraduate students planning to travel related to their research, design, or creative activity. 

Dates: For the Spring 2026 award, travel to a conference or other event must take place between February 1, 2026 and June 30, 2026. (The Fall 2025 call for applications applied to conferences/events held September 2025 – January 2026.)

The student must complete an application that includes a budget (template provided within application). If you do not submit a budget in Excel (for example, you submit an Apple Numbers file instead), your application will be considered incomplete. 

The student’s mentor must complete a form to indicate their support for the student’s application (template provided within application). 

• Please note: The student's mentor can also provide guidance on putting together this Travel Grant application, including reading the student's application before they submit it, and suggesting edits to strengthen the application or budget. The student's success reflects positively on the mentor, so do not be afraid to ask for this type of assistance and communicate with your mentor about deadlines and timelines so both of you are happy with the experience.  

The URSD business team will work with the student awardee to process the funding as either a travel reimbursement or as a scholarship awarded to their bursar’s account - we will reach out to you if you are awarded.

• All successful applicants must communicate with the Undergraduate Research and Scholar Development (URSD) office about how to best disburse the award, complete all U of A required paperwork, including a Travel Authorization form, and submit a questionnaire and photo(s) after travel describing their conference/event experience.

• Any undergraduate student involved in research, design, or creative activity in any academic field may apply for funding to attend a local, national, or international conference or event where they will present their work and/or complete other valuable professional development activities, such as networking or interviewing.
• Students who were awarded an Undergraduate Research Travel Grant in Fall 2025 are not eligible to apply for Spring 2026.
• Students will be asked whether they have an abstract accepted for presentation at the conference/event, but to open this opportunity widely to students, up to 20% of awards in each round may be given to non-presenters.

• Undergraduate students can apply for up to $1,000 for travel expenses associated with attending a conference or other professional development event, as approved by the mentor who will complete a small form submitted alongside your application.
• We reserve the right to award in increments of $500. This allows for local event attendance to be supported with a smaller travel grant.
• We reserve the right to rescind an award if the travel is cancelled or does not take place.
• Funds can be spent immediately upon being awarded (as early as February 2026) and must be spent by June 30, 2026. Conference/event attendance must happen between February 1, 2026 and June 30, 2026. Depending on the timing of the conference/event, funds may used to pay for items in advance or reimburse expenses already incurred.

• Travel grant funds may be used for:

  • Transportation to-from the event including airfare, train, bus, or car mileage reimbursement
  • Transportation at the time of the event, including taxi, ridesharing, or public transit
  • Lodging
  • Food
  • Conference or event registration
  • Poster or handout printing

   

Yes! 

You may download the Undergraduate Research Travel Grant Application Preview document to see the questions in advance and know what you will need to submit.