Graduate Student Transportation Grant
The Graduate Student Transportation Grant supports graduate students who travel to and present their research at academic conferences and professional society meetings.
Eligibility
You are eligible if:
- You are a graduate student in a residential program administrated by The Graduate School.
- You are a fully-enrolled, degree-seeking, student in good standing with your program. Enrollment is not required in the summer.
- You have not received a Graduate Student Transportation Grant in the past. You may only receive the Graduate Student Transportation Grant once.
Criteria
- You must be presenting your dissertation or thesis research at a regional, national, or international academic conference or professional society meeting. You must include an official communication or program announcement verifying your presentation.
- *Students in the arts: an invited performance is professional development and is eligible. You must provide proof of your invited performance.
- Consistent with UNC System guidance, Carolina is prohibiting University-affiliated international travel. Graduate students must receive an exception to receive the Transportation Grant.
- You must submit your application within 30 days of your travel dates.
- You must submit receipts to The Graduate School that show actual travel costs.
Maximum Award Amounts for 2024-2025
| Travel Destination | College of Arts & Sciences Graduate Students* | All Other Graduate Students |
|---|---|---|
| Domestic U.S. | $1,400 (transportation costs, registration, lodging) | $400 (transportation costs only) |
| International (including Hawaii) | $3,000 (transportation costs, registration, lodging) | $1,000 (transportation costs only) |
*For travel with a departure date up to and including June 30, 2025, The Graduate School is partnering with the College of Arts & Sciences to provide additional support for conference expenses (including registration, lodging, and remaining airfare or ground transportation costs).
Maximum Award Amounts for 2025-2026*
| Travel Destination | All Graduate Students |
|---|---|
| Domestic U.S. | $400 (transportation costs only) |
| International (including Hawaii) | $1,000 (transportation costs only) |
* For travel with a departure date of July 1, 2025 or later, all graduate students are eligible for the same maximum award amount.
- The Transportation Grant provides support for actual transportation costs only. Hotel, meal, and other travel costs are not permissible.
- Eligible transportation costs include:
- Airfare
- Train fare
- Bus fare
- Personal car use (based on mileage)
- Taxi
- Shuttle bus (to/from your final travel destination on your travel dates only
- Ineligible costs include:
- Rental cars
- Parking
- Travel insurance
- Seat upgrades
- Baggage fees
- Personal travel
- The award amount depends on the fund availability at the time of application. All expenses must be reasonable and justified. Review the University’s Policy on Travel Expenses before submitting your application.
- Partial awards may be made.
- Funds are limited. We urge you to seek other sources of travel funds whenever possible.
How to Apply
- The Graduate School considers applications on a rolling basis, according to fund availability.
- You may request pre-approval for a Transportation Grant before you travel. We will consider pre-approval requests for trips that end before June 15th. You must submit documentation of expected travel costs (online quotes; mileage maps; etc.). All transportation grants are based on actual costs. You must provide receipts before to the award is disbursed.
- You must submit your materials to The Graduate School Award Online Application System. With your application, you must submit the following:
- Proof of presentation at conference (invitation to present/copy of presentation schedule)
- Proof of cost: quotes/estimates for planned travel or receipts for completed travel
- Approved travel exception form (international travel only)
- We will notify you and your program of the decision and next steps via email
Payment
Transportation Grant awards are a form of financial aid. We will report awards to the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid, and payment is coordinated with other aid you receive. Use the Cost of Attendance & Aid Calculator to see how the Transportation Grant impacts your financial aid eligibility. You can request a review of your personal cost of attendance by submitting a Graduate Financial Aid Budget Increase Request Form.
Contact Us
Graduate School Transportation Grants
GradTransportation@unc.edu