Conference Travel Award

Due to high demand, we have expended our Conference Travel Award budget for the 2024–2025 academic year. We are no longer accepting new applications as of 3/27/25.

The OUR Conference Travel Award provides financial support to WashU undergraduates to present research virtually or in-person at conferences or symposia. This funding helps provide students with the communication and networking experience that comes from presenting at a professional meeting.

Students must be nominated for a Conference Travel Award by a faculty mentor. The maximum award is $750 for students with a WashU faculty mentor and $500 for students with a non-WashU faculty mentor. Priority is given to students pursuing their first conference presentation award; however, past recipients may seek a second $375 award.

Eligibility

  • Open to all continuing WashU undergraduate students. (Graduating seniors are eligible only if the conference precedes graduation.)
  • The nominee must be the LEAD PRESENTER at an upcoming conference (i.e., they must have the majority of presentation responsiblity).
    • Applications to fund conference travel that has already taken place will NOT be considered.
    • Requests involving two or more undergraduates presenting the same project will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. 
  • Students must be nominated by a faculty mentor in their field of research who has actively engaged in oversight of the research project.
    • NOTE: the nomination form comprises several short answer questions rather than a traditional letter of recommendation. 
  • Awardees must receive explicit permission from their faculty mentor to present their findings.
  • For research involving human subjects, nominees must have received approval from the University's Human Research Protection Office.

Application Timeline

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year. Awards will be made until funds are exhausted. Students must apply at least two weeks prior to their conference, but earlier applications are strongly encouraged to ensure timely receipt of funds. It can take up to one month from the award decision for students to receive their award payment.

Payment Logistics

Funds will be disbursed directly to the student as an award, typically via direct deposit (though mailed checks are also possible), and they are considered taxable income. For international students, the tax burden can be substantial (up to 30%), and taxes are automatically withdrawn by the WashU Tax Department upfront; this effectively means that international students will only be able to use part of the award towards their conference travel. Taxes are not an allowable budget item.

Ready to apply?

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year!
For more information about the application process, see below.

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Application Components

Overview

A Conference Travel Award application includes the following elements:

  1. A basic eligibility check (e.g., will you be the lead presenter at the conference?) and a student information form (e.g., major, field of research, conference details)
  2. A nomination from your faculty research mentor
  3. A copy of the abstract submitted to the conference organizers, plus two short answers
  4. An itemized budget and budget justification (NOTE: the OUR offers free poster printing for award recipients)

Detailed Descriptions of Application Components

Faculty Mentor Nomination

Award decisions are made on the basis of the faculty nomination, which involves short answers (NOT a traditional letter of recommendation) regarding the following:

  1. Student contribution: Briefly describe the student’s specific contributions to the research project they will present. What were the student’s roles in the development, execution and progress of the project?
  2. Mentoring: Briefly outline your role in the project and how you have supported the student in reaching project objectives.
  3. Impact for student: Explain how attending this conference at this stage of the student’s undergraduate education will contribute to their professional and career development. 
  4. Presentation Permission: Affirm that the student has your explicit permission to publicly present data, results, techniques, etc. from this research project, describing any training or conversations that familiarized the student with issues of confidentiality and intellectual property. 

Student Abstract and Short Answers

  1. Provide a copy of the abstract you submitted to the conference organizers.
  2. Briefly describe your specific contributions to the research project that you will be presenting. What were your roles in the development, execution and progress of the project?
  3. Briefly describe how attending this conference at this stage of your undergraduate education will contribute to your career and professional development.

Itemized Budget and Budget Justification

Provide an itemized (e.g., specific items and quantity) budget of all anticipated conference travel expenses (e.g., airfare, conference registration fees, accommodations, and local transportation; note: the OUR offers free poster printing for awardees). A justification must accompany each proposed cost that describes how each expense was estimated and demonstrates the student’s efforts to minimize costs (e.g., choosing flights with layovers, sharing hotel rooms, booking in advance).  

Students should report any other sources of funding, such as mentor or department matches, fellowships (e.g., Kling or Mellon Mays), or resources from the Taylor Family Center for Student Success. Additional sources of funding may only be used to cover costs NOT covered by the OUR's conference travel award. 

Funds will be disbursed directly to the student as an award and are considered taxable income. For international students, the tax burden can be substantial (up to 30%), and taxes are automatically withdrawn by the WashU Tax Department upfront; this effectively means that international students will only be able to use part of the award towards their project. Taxes are not an allowable budget item.

Award Recipient Expectations

  1. Awardees should proactively communicate with their faculty mentor(s) and the OUR about any changes or disruptions to their conference travel plans. If circumstances prevent the awardee from attending the proposed conference as planned, they must make arrangements to remit the award payment.
  2. Awardees must submit a 1-2 paragraph reflection on the impact of the meeting on their academic and professional development within 30 days of the conclusion of the conference.
  3. For research activities involving human subjects, nominees must seek and receive approval from the University's Human Research Protection Office (HRPO). 
  4. All awards are considered taxable income by federal, state, and local government and must be reported as such. Domestic students should declare their awards when filing annual taxes; the WashU Tax Department will mail a document listing the taxable award amount in late January. For international students, the tax burden can be substantial (up to 30%), and taxes are automatically withdrawn by the WashU Tax Department upfront.
     

Ready to present your research at a professional conference or symposium?

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