Center for MedTech Innovation

Student Resources: Conference & Travel Funding

  • Home
  • /
  • Student Resources: Conference & Travel Funding
Attending and presenting at professional conferences is an essential part of your development as a researcher. George Mason University offers several funding sources to help students cover conference travel costs. Below is a comprehensive guide to every funding opportunity available, including how to combine them for maximum support.

Graduate Student Funding

Graduate Student Travel Fund (GSTF)

You can get support to present at conferences through Mason’s Graduate Student Travel Fund (GSTF). The GSTF was established to assist George Mason graduate students in attending and participating in professional conferences pertaining to their field of study. If awarded GSTF funding, the amount granted will vary between $150 to $1,000 per student per fiscal year. The breakdown is as follows:
  • Students presenting at conferences held in DC, Maryland, or Virginia: up to $150
  • Students presenting outside the DC/MD/VA area (poster): up to $350
  • Students presenting outside the DC/MD/VA area (oral): up to $450
  • Students presenting at an international conference: up to $1,000
Eligibility and requirements:
  • You must be a graduate student currently enrolled in a certificate, master’s, or doctoral program at George Mason University.
  • You must be presenting (poster or oral) at the conference.
  • You must receive your faculty advisor’s approval to attend the conference. For international conferences, you must also receive approval from your department chair.
  • You may only receive GSTF funding once per fiscal year (July 1 to June 30).
  • Applications must be submitted before the conference. Funding will not be provided for conferences you have already attended.
To apply, log in to the GSTF application website using your Mason credentials. For details on deadlines and how to apply, visit the How to Apply page.

Travel Research Incentive Program (T.R.I.P.)

Graduate students applying for GSTF Conference Travel Funding can also apply for additional incentive funding through the Travel Research Incentive Program (T.R.I.P.), supported by the Graduate Division and the University Libraries. Students applying for T.R.I.P. funding are eligible to receive up to an additional $500. Requirements:
  • You must be applying for GSTF and presenting at a conference (not just attending).
  • You must complete 3 eligible Research Development Academy workshops through the University Libraries before the GSTF application deadline.
  • Workshop topics include data essentials, getting started with R, data visualization, text analysis, and more.
  • The 3 workshops do not all need to be completed in the same semester, but must all fall within one academic year.
  • Each set of 3 workshop credits can only be used once for a T.R.I.P. application.
To indicate your interest in T.R.I.P., write “I am requesting T.R.I.P. funding” at the top of the “Brief Description” box in your GSTF application, then list the eligible workshops you completed and their dates. For questions on eligibility, contact [email protected].

GAPSA Active Member Travel Bonus

Active members of the Graduate and Professional Student Association (GAPSA) are eligible for an additional $50 of GSTF funding for domestic travel. Active members are defined as those who meet one of the following criteria:
  • Currently serving as a member of the GAPSA Executive Board.
  • Currently serving as a representative on the Graduate Assembly for the current academic year, in good standing.
  • Served on the GAPSA Executive Committee or as a Graduate Assembly representative in good standing in the previous academic year.
  • Served on a GAPSA committee, as a representative proxy, or as a GAPSA volunteer during the last academic semester.
For more information about GAPSA, visit their website or contact [email protected].

Department-Level Travel Funds

Many academic departments maintain their own travel budgets for graduate students. Once you have exhausted your possibilities with GSTF, you may apply to your department for travel funds by having your advisor send an email to the department chair. Amounts vary by department and available budget. Contact your department directly and inquire early in the academic year when budgets are fullest.

Faculty Advisor and PI Research Grant Funding

If your faculty advisor holds active research grants (for example, from NSF, NIH, or DoD), those grants often include budget for student conference travel. This can sometimes cover the full cost of registration, travel, and lodging. Discuss this with your advisor early, ideally when your paper or abstract is first submitted. This is often the most substantial funding source but depends on your advisor’s grants and their remaining travel budget.

Undergraduate Student Funding

Undergraduate Student Travel Fund (USTF)

The Undergraduate Student Travel Fund (USTF) is administered by OSCAR (Office of Student Creative Activities and Research) and supports scholarly related travel for undergraduates presenting their research or creative activities off campus. Funding amounts:
  • Local/regional travel (within 25 miles): up to $400
  • Domestic and international: tiered amounts based on distance
Eligibility and requirements:
  • All Mason full-time undergraduates are eligible so long as they have not graduated by the time they return from their trip.
  • Travel must be to present undergraduate student scholarship at professional events (conferences, performances, forums, exhibitions). Conference attendance for professional development only is not covered.
  • You can only apply for USTF funding for one conference trip per year.
  • You must apply no later than 30 days before travel. You do not need an acceptance letter to apply.
  • Covered expenses include registration fees, conference membership fees, transportation (flights, rideshare), and lodging.
  • Receipts must be submitted no later than one month after travel.
If you have any questions, please contact OSCAR at [email protected].

OSCAR NCUR Funding

OSCAR provides dedicated funding for Mason undergraduates accepted to the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR). OSCAR will provide any undergraduate student that applies and is accepted one of two options for travel funding:
  • Full conference option: OSCAR will pay for charter bus travel, 2 nights in a hotel room (sharing with 3 additional students), and the NCUR conference registration fee.
  • Partial attendance option: OSCAR can pay for your conference registration fee. Any travel or room accommodations would not be provided by OSCAR.
Students using OSCAR funding for the full conference must attend 2 pre-departure meetings.

On-Campus Presentation Opportunities

George Mason Graduate Interdisciplinary Conference. This is a one-day, on-campus conference hosted by GAPSA and Graduate Student Life. No travel costs are required. The event showcases graduate student research across all disciplines through posters, oral presentations, and creative works. For more information, visit the Graduate Interdisciplinary Conference page. OSCAR Celebration of Student Scholarship. OSCAR hosts a triannual on-campus event where undergraduate researchers present their work to the Mason community. For more information, visit the OSCAR website.

Key Contacts

Last updated: August 2026. Funding amounts and eligibility requirements are subject to change. Always verify current details at the linked websites before applying.