Travel Reimbursement

Eligibility

PhD students are eligible for reimbursement of travel expenses incurred by traveling to conferences during their time in residence at Northeastern. The maximum number of times a student may be reimbursed for such travel is two. The maximum award is $400 per trip. The purpose of such travel must be to present research, either as a conference paper or in a roundtable format. Chairing a session does not make one eligible unless s/he proposed that session and is playing a significant role in it.

Eligibility begins with the second year of doctoral study and continues for as long as a student is in residence, paying continuation or dissertation fees, and teaching for the program, either as a teaching assistant or part-time lecturer. Highest preference will be given to students at work on their dissertations. Some preference will be given to students who have finished their course work and are preparing for or taking their comprehensive examinations. Funding is not automatic.

Application Process

Applications will be screened by the Graduate Studies Committee (GSC) on a rolling basis, although the funding available will be placed in semiannual pools (January 1-June 30; July 1-December 31). In order to be considered, an application must contain the following materials:

a communication of acceptance from the conference convener(s);
a copy of the paper to be presented, or a one-page, single-spaced abstract of it;
a brief statement of how the proposed paper fits into the dissertation or other major intellectual project;
a report of the outcomes, such as publications resulting from prior presentations, if any.

Submitting the application materials electronically will help to expedite review.

Review Process

Resources are limited, and not every application will be approved for funding. If the number of funded highest-priority proposals is large, the maximum amount of the awards may have to be reduced.

In making its decisions, the GSC will take into account the professional significance of the conference; the goodness of fit between the paper and the student's intellectual program, especially the dissertation; and the publication of versions of the student's prior conference presentations, if there have been any. If the application can be circulated electronically, the GSC would hope to be able to respond within two weeks.

Applying for Reimbursement

There will be no travel advances issued, and reimbursement will be only for the amount of the award, not for the full cost of the trip. To recover her/his expenses, a student must retain expense receipts, including airline ticket stubs or e-ticket confirmations. Travel reimbursement forms are available in the main office and must be filled in fully and accurately. Completed forms should be submitted to Jean Duddy. Reimbursement checks are typically issued within seven to ten business days, quickly enough to pay the next credit card statement if a reimbursement claim is filed soon after returning.

Effective December 8, 2004