FUNDING FOR INDIVIDUALS
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SAS Dean’s Travel Subvention
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SASGov Travel Grants
The following grant programs are designed for individuals. They support travel for presenting research & professional development.
Details of the major funds are:
1. The SAS Dean's Travel Subvention award is funded by the Dean of the School of Arts & Sciences and gives $600 per year for all SAS PhD students who are invited to give papers or to serve as commentators at meetings of a professional organization. Only PhD students who are full-time, in-residence PhD students are eligible to apply for these funds. Accordingly, we strongly recommend that you apply for the Subvention first so you have a guaranteed source of funding to go ahead with your trip.
2. For additional conference travel needs, you may apply to GAPSA Conference Travel Grants. You can receive up to $2000 if you are presenting and up to $1000 if you are just attending a conference. You can apply twice a year for GAPSA Grants. Given the high availability of this grant, you should apply for the GAPSA travel grants after the SAS Dean's Travel Subvention to have greater funding security.
3. You can apply to SASGov’s Travel Grants for conference travel needs for up to $1500. You may apply concurrently to GAPSA and SASGov Travel Grants. You may apply twice a year for SASGov Travel Grants. However, you may not receive more than $3000 in SASGov and/or GAPSA Travel Grants combined per year, per university policy.
International students: “Per the tax office, Gifts and prizes paid to nonresident aliens are subject to NRA tax withholding of 30% unless the payment is covered by a tax treaty.”
SASGov Travel Grants are available for students seeking up to $1500.
A few things worth noting about the new grant structure:
We request that your application be for a specific ask amount rather than the maximum allowed (i.e., do not artificially inflate your budget to reach the maximum).
All applications per pool will be evaluated in comparison to all other applications in that pool per cycle. This means that applications for professional memberships will be assessed alongside those for travel and so on.
If you do not see a grant that suits your needs or need additional funding, we recommend looking into grants offered through GAPSA.
Email sasgov-finance@sas.upenn.edu with any questions about the application process.
Here is a list of items are not reimbursable by our grants per Penn policies.
SAS DEAN’S TRAVEL SUBVENTION
(Open all academic year)
Please apply for the Dean’s Travel Subvention for conference travel (below). Click above for up-to-date information on the Subvention.
Travel funds for one trip per fiscal year will be made available to those PhD students who are invited to give papers or to serve as commentators at meetings of a professional organization. Only PhD students who are full-time School of Arts and Sciences graduate students in residence at the University are eligible to apply for these funds.
Travel funds may be used to cover any eligible travel expenses consistent with University Policy. Expenses will be covered up to a maximum of $600.
**Requests will only be considered upon the completion and submission of the Request for SAS Travel Subvention form prior to the trip; the form must be approved by the student's faculty advisor and Graduate Group Chair. Contact sas-travel-subvention-grad@sas.upenn.edu for further clarification and the application details.
Please download the form at the bottom left of this section (“Apply here” button) and submit the completed form via email to sas-travel-subvention-grad@sas.upenn.edu.
Award amount:
Up to $600
Required: Signature of Faculty Advisor and Graduate Group Chair
Email for clarification: jewelsan@sas.upenn.edu
Application submission: sas-travel-subvention-grad@sas.upenn.edu
SASGOV TRAVEL GRANTS
(Fall 1 Cycle Closed; Fall 2 Cycle Due November 1st)
The SASGov Travel Grant Application is intended to fund multiple aspects of a student’s travel expenses. This can include funding for things like:
Conference travel expenses
Conference registration expenses
Organization membership fees*
*Membership fees can only be covered where they are required for conference registration or reduce the registration cost by an amount larger than the membership fee. The membership must be purchased at the same time as conference registration to be considered part of the covered travel expenses
It is your responsibility to be familiar with the policies and procedures available on the Graduate Student Center’s Graduate Grants webpage. Non-compliance will result in ineligibility for funds.
Please note that funds are limited and, as such, the SASGov Finance Committee's application assessment is highly selective. Applications will be assessed based on need & merit. We will also be more likely to fund, or fund more fully, expenses that the Dean’s Travel Subvention cannot cover or when the Subvention funds have already been used or will be used up. If you intend to save the Dean’s Travel Subvention for a different conference, please inform us in the application. Funds are not guaranteed.
Application components: All applicants must complete the application, submit a letter of recommendation, and provide an itemized budget.
Applicants should explain their work to a general audience (our finance committee represents students throughout SAS who will be reviewing these applications) and explain how participation in this conference contributes to the completion of your degree or research in no more than 200 words. They should provide an itemized budget of their expenses and describe any efforts to reduce costs. They should also list out other funding they have received or have applied for (and clearly indicate which).
Maximum funding amount: $1500.00
Eligibility: Must be an enrolled PhD or MS student in the School of Arts & Sciences to qualify for funding. May not be a member of the SASGov Executive Board. Students MUST be presenting at conferences to be eligible for funds (e.g., presentations, posters, participating in a panel, organizing a panel).
To be eligible for funding for Fall Cycle 1 (application due September 8th), your activity must occur between August 15th and October 14th, 2026.
To be eligible for funding for Fall Cycle 2 (application due November 1st), your activity must occur between October 15th and December 31st, 2026.
How payment works
All funding is reimbursement after the fact. You pay the expenses yourself, then submit itemized receipts for reimbursement. Applications are reviewed only after the grant window closes, and no exceptions are made.
Recommendation (required)
Your application isn't complete without one. Name a faculty member on your application, and the recommendation form will be emailed to them automatically once you submit.
· The form only goes out after you submit, so tell your recommender ahead of time.
· Recommendations are due within two days of your application. No exceptions can be made.
· Making sure the form gets submitted on time is your responsibility — follow up with them.