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President's Research Travel Assistance Program

At the University of Illinois, we strive to foster learning environments where all students can achieve their full potential.

Assistance Description

The Vice President for Academic Affairs is pleased to announce the President's Research Travel Assistance Program. Open to all, this competitive award program has been established for the purpose of stimulating and supporting interest in the study of representation. Recipients are provided funding, not to exceed $600, to travel to a professional conference. Awards will be presented to up to ten (10) University of Illinois students in each biannual awards cycle. The reimbursement of travel expenses through these conference travel awards is intended to support student candidates who will be presenting papers, posters, or creative work at conferences related to issues of representation in service to the University's interest in promoting an inclusive learning community for all. Research areas may include, but are not limited to, scholarly and/or creative work on socioeconomic status, rural vs. urban, race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, and national origin. Additionally, issues such as barriers to participation and success, disparities in access to opportunities and resources, and the inclusion of diverse perspectives and lived experiences may be considered.

Award monies are limited to use for reimbursement of meeting registration, travel and lodging expenses that are directly related to the conference. The department/college will be responsible for travel expense processing after which award funds will be transferred to the department/college by the Office of the Executive Vice President and the Vice President for Academic Affairs' office.

Eligibility Requirements

Following are the requirements for consideration of an application:

1. The award is open to all students regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or other protected status, in accordance with the University's non-discrimination policy.
2. The student must be enrolled at the University and in good academic standing when conference travel occurs.
3. Urbana and Chicago graduate/professional students are eligible for this award; Springfield graduate/professional and undergraduate students are eligible.
4. The student must comply with all University travel policies and procedures as well as applicable state regulations.
5. The department/college from which the student is enrolled or a unit sponsoring the student (such as the Graduate College) must endorse and approve the student's participation in the conference and provide some financial support ($200 minimum) for the student's participation in the conference.

Deadline for Competition

Conference travel must take place between October 1, 2025 and March 31, 2026. Applications for the Fall 2025 President's Research Travel Assistance Program will be accepted starting August 15, 2025 and must be submitted no later than September 22, 2025.

Application Procedure

The online application form may be accessed here: Application.

Please note that while the applicant may open and review the application form beforehand, the information must be completed and submitted in one sitting - the application cannot be saved partially completed. As part of the application form submission, the applicant will be asked to include the following items:

1. An abstract (7,500-character limit; approximately 1500-word maximum) describing the work to be presented and how it relates to issues of representation (to be typed or copied into the application form).
2. A brief (5,000-character limit; approximately 900-word maximum) description of the travel plans and potential impact of the conference travel on the student, department, or field of study (to be typed or copied into the application form).
3. Evidence (i.e. proposal acceptance letter from conference planning committee) that they will be presenting papers, posters, or creative work at the conference (to be uploaded, e.g. a Word document or scanned PDF document).
4. Applicants must provide a department head or advisor's name and email address. This person will receive a message [view text of this message] asking for confirmation that the department/college or sponsoring unit is willing to provide a minimum of $200 financial support toward the student's participation in the conference. Their confirmation will complete the application, and should be received no later than the application deadlines listed above.

Notification of Award Recipients

Applications will be reviewed by faculty and administrators from each campus and University Administration.

Students selected for the President's Research Travel Assistance Program and their sponsoring departments will be notified of Fall 2025 Travel Awards in mid-October.

A letter with these instructions will be sent at the time of the award to the department business manager for each student who receives a President's Research Travel Assistance Program grant.

Recipients

Current and Past Award Recipients

Questions

Please see this list of Frequently Asked Questions.

Please direct all questions to the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs, University-Wide Student Programs at USPScholarships@uillinois.edu or at (217) 333-2030.