Travel support for undergraduate scholars has been discontinued until further notice as a result of budgetary constraints.
The MU Office of Undergraduate Research offers travel grants for MU undergraduate students presenting their research at professional meetings and conferences. Students will be awarded funding only once during the course of their academic career at MU. Participation in professional meetings and conferences provides an important opportunity for you to communicate your research to others in your field, network with your peers, and expand your understanding of the scope and nature of research.
To be eligible for funding,
- The research or creative activity must have occurred while the applicant is a degree-seeking undergraduate student at MU.
- The research or creative activity is mentored by an MU faculty or staff member.
- The undergraduate student must present or display their work at the conference, with their name appearing on the abstract or in the program.
- The undergraduate student must present or display their work at the Spring Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievements Forum held in April.
Applications can be downloaded (as a fillable PDF) and must be returned to the Office of Undergraduate Research, 150 Bond Life Sciences Center, either in person on via e-mail, ugr@missouri.edu.
If 3 or more undergraduate students will be seeking travel awards to attend the same meeting/conference, then the mentor should complete the Group Travel Award Application instead (found on the Faculty Resources page.)
Submit the following no later than four weeks before the conference:
- UGR Travel Award Application
- A letter outlining why you wish to attend this meeting, including what you expect to get from attending and how attending will affect your future plans;
- A letter of support from your faculty mentor explaining the nature of the meeting and why it is appropriate for you to attend this meeting;
- An itemized budget of what the money will be used for, and who will pay for each item (and then reimbursed);
- A list of individuals accompanying you on the trip, including other members of your research group who are participating in the conference or event; and
- A copy of your abstract, including the title and authors (with you listed as first author).
If you have not received confirmation of a travel award within two weeks of your travel date, please contact the office. It is possible that funding is not available.
Travel grants will be dispersed after travel with appropriate documentation. Award amounts vary.
Allowable expenses:
- Conference Registration Fees
- Transportation to the Conference and Hotel (airfare, shuttles, taxis, mileage, etc.)
- Your share of hotel expenses (lodging, taxes) We will not pay for damage or meals charged to hotel rooms.
- Meal expenses will NOT be covered through this travel grant
- Meals included in the base cost of your conference registration will be allowable
- This award will not pay for you to “opt in” to meals
- Meals included in the base cost of your conference registration will be allowable
Required Documentation for Reimbursement:
- A copy of your name in the conference program.
- Receipts for all items to be reimbursed.
- A list of expenses from the trip indicating:
- What expenses will be reimbursed by our office.
- A list of any other funding you received for this same trip (if any).
- Indicate what expenses the other funding source is to pay.
- Documentation (an email or note) showing the other funding source understands which expenses they are reimbursing.
- Contact information and receipts for anyone else who needs to be reimbursed from your travel award (your mentor, a travel mate, etc.).
Important Notes About Reimbursements and Receipts
- Students seeking reimbursement for mileage will be reimbursed at the University rate.
- Receipts must show method of payment: Cash, Card (with last 4 card digits), etc.
- If a receipt is missing, doesn’t show payment type, or if you used a Master Card, provide a credit card or bank statement showing:
- Name, last 4 digits of the card/account number, date, company, dollar amount.
- You can redact any other information on the statement.
- Conference registration receipts must have your name and show method of payment.
- Many registration confirmations don’t have proof of payment.
- In this case, you must call the conference for a receipt.
- Many registration confirmations don’t have proof of payment.
- Hotel receipts must include a folio provided at the time of checkout from the hotel.
- A receipt from Expedia or Air B&B won’t be adequate documentation.
- We cannot reimburse you for bills paid by someone else.
- We will have to reimburse that person directly.
- For example: mentor paid for flight, travel companion paid for the hotel shuttle.
- All rules regarding receipt documentation apply to this person as well.
Please note: It is important for students travelling for a research/scholarship experience outside of Missouri whose travel meets certain criteria MUST register their travel. For more information please visit Mizzou International Programs.