This page is focused on short-term travel grants (e.g., conferences, seminars, job talks). You should check with your advisor first about available travel funds, the grants below are generally intended for back-up or emergency funds in case your advisor has no travel funds available.

UC-sponsored grants

• Graduate Division Conference Travel Grant: Up to 500 dollars for students “in the final stages of their graduate work” (you must have advanced to candidacy, but does not necessarily need to be during your last year). Must present a paper or poster at a conference. You can only receive this once in your lifetime.

• Graduate Assembly Conference Travel Grant: Up to 300 dollars for students presenting at a conference outside of the Bay Area. Can be received once every two years.

• Academic Opoorunity Fund: Up to $500 for “academic travel that enhances student access to valuable educational experiences beyond the classroom” (e.g. conferences, observing trips). This is funded by the ASUC and is mostly directed at undergrads since grad student fees are given to the GA. However, they still do give money to graduate students (as of Spring 2014). Apply early since they seem to run low on funds by the end of the year (i.e. the $500 ceiling becomes a $100 ceiling).

• Talk with Judey Miller about available departmental funds. In the past, every year the department granted a few 500 dollar grants to students with no other funding sources. This may or may not still be available.

• Talk with Dexter. There are occasionally a few random University travel grants available for students in the sciences. These should be considered only last resort, and generally they are only available once in your graduate career.

Outside grants

• AAS International Travel Grant: Up to ??? dollars, must be for international travel (cannot be used for AAS meetings).

• Gerald A. Soffen Memorial Fund: Up to 500 dollars for students in space sciences and engineering.

Travel insurance

• All students traveling off-campus for academic reasons are covered under UC travel insurance. This includes medical care and evacuation, loss of personal property, and extraction for political and weather related reasons. Good for both domestic and international travel, though you must fill out a form beforehand if your travel is out-of-state or beyond. Go here for more information.