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URF Travel Grants 

Undergraduate Research & Fellowships travel grants are specifically for undergraduate researchers who have been accepted to present their undergraduate research and creative works at a non-UT sponsored conference or event.

Apply here by May 1, 2024, for travel between April 1, 2024, and June 30, 2024.

A recommendation form from your faculty mentor is also required to complete your application


When to Apply

  • Requests for travel between July 1, 2023, and September 30, 2023, are due by October 15, 2023 (this is a 2023 deadline adjustment due to the change of application process this year; fall dates will differ in 2024) 
  • Requests for travel between October 1, 2023, and December 31, 2023, must be submitted by November 1, 2023 
  • Requests for travel between January 1, 2024, and March 31, 2024, must be submitted by February 1, 2024 
  • Requests for travel between April 1, 2024, and June 30, 2024, must be submitted by May 1, 2024 

Grant Amounts

Students presenting their work at conferences (or other venues where they are performing or presenting academic work) may apply for funds to assist with some travel costs (registration fees, airfare, hotel costs, and ground transportation to/from the airport may be eligible).

The grants vary by destination:

  • Up to $300 for in-state conferences 
  • Up to $500 for US-based conferences outside Tennessee 
  • Up to $800 for international conferences
  • Up to $100 for virtual conference (registration only)

Eligibility and Restrictions

  • Full-time undergraduate students who are currently enrolled and in good standing at the University of Tennessee are welcome to apply (URF cannot fund conferences occurring after the applicant’s graduation date). 
  • Students are encouraged to apply for travel funding from their department and/or college at the same time as they apply to URF for a travel grant. 
  • Students may only receive one travel grant from URF in a given academic year. However, students may apply more than once if their initial grant application is unsuccessful.    
  • Students must show proof of presentation/performance acceptance to a conference before an award is offered. Travel must occur during the academic year in which the student applies (July 1-June 30th). If the presentation/performance occurs after June 30, the student must apply for the next available travel grant cycle.

Funding Details

  • Your grant funding will be allocated by your home department to be processed as part of your travel request If awarded, this funding would be considered a ‘reimbursement’ of funds after the travel is complete and all required forms have been submitted and approved through your home department. Please note that students must be in contact with their departments to understand departmental and university travel rules. International travel, for example, always requires pre-authorization for travel. If a department determines they cannot honor travel reimbursement because the student did not follow departmental or university policies, the Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships can neither intervene nor provide funding directly to the student.  

Recipient Requirements

  • All students who receive a URF Travel Grant must have a photo taken at the event (or take a selfie) to document their presentation and submit that photo and a paragraph describing their experience to the Office of Undergraduate Research & Fellowships after their trip via the URF Travel Report form. These steps must be completed before the funds will be released.  
  • All students receiving a URF Travel Grant must present their work at EURēCA (spring) within a year of their travel; students who will graduate in December should present at Discovery Day (fall) instead possible.  

Evaluation Criteria

This is a competitive award.  Please spend ample time preparing your responses. Applications will be evaluated on the following criteria:  

  • The description of the project, including relevance to the department/College/University of Tennessee, and relevance to the field of study (clarity, detail, and significance)  
  • The description of the impact of the presentation on the student’s personal, academic and professional development 
  • Quality of overall application 

Details

Travel reimbursement is limited to permitted expenses as defined by university policy and will require proper documentation of expenses. Students receiving grants should discuss their travel plans in advance with the faculty/staff member in their academic department who assists with travel reimbursements. Travel must occur within the fiscal year in which the grant is awarded (i.e., between July 1 and June 30th). Award payments will be processed if the conference is complete and expenses are submitted by June 30 of each year. For conferences occurring after June 30, please apply for the next available fall deadline.  

 All reimbursements are handled through the student’s academic department upon completion of travel. It is the student’s responsibility to complete all university required authorization and reimbursement forms in their academic department by the deadline. Students traveling in May or June should be in contact with the URF office to discuss and prepare for fiscal year deadlines. Please note: if the paperwork is not completed and approved by the June 30 deadline, the award will be cancelled, whether or not travel has occurred. Students are responsible for working with their departments to process their travel forms in a timely manner.  

Application & Notification Process

  • Submit your application and send this link to your faculty mentor.  
  • Once all materials have been received, the review process can take up to three weeks after the most applicable posted deadline.
  • We will send you an email with URF’s decision. Please note that we make every effort to support travel grant applications. Travel grant funding, however, is limited and therefore competitive. Faculty support is critical, but it does not guarantee funding. 
  • If you are part of a team, including co-presenters, each individual member must submit their own travel grant. While abstracts and budgets for team presentations may be similar, each applicant is required to write individual responses for all remaining questions. Duplicated applications for multiple team members will be automatically eliminated. 

Award Process

  • Complete travel grant acceptance form. 
  • Work with home department to complete any required pre-travel approvals. 
  • Complete travel 
  • Complete URF travel report form and submit photo. 
  • Complete travel paperwork with home department 
  • Funds will be allocated to your home academic department. 

For more information, please email urf@utk.edu. 

Past Travel Grant Recipients