Conference Travel Support for Students

Marymount University recognizes the important role attendance at professional conferences can play in the scholarly growth and career advancement of our students.  As such, the Discover Research Program provides funds to support student attendance at, and participation in, professional conferences. These funds are available to both undergraduate and graduate Marymount students.

Two levels of conference support are available to Marymount students.

  1. Conference Presentation Travel Award: Funding for registration and travel costs (up to $750 annually) for a student presenting his or her scholarly or creative works at an external professional conference.
  2.  Conference Registration Award: Funding (up to $250 annually) to cover the registration fee for a student who is attending, but not presenting at a professional conference.

Eligibility Requirements

  • Students must have completed at least one semester (or at least 9 academic credits) of study at Marymount University in a degree program;
  • Be registered for classes at the time of application and travel;
  • Be in good standing and make satisfactory progress toward a degree.

Typical Level of Support for Student Conference Travel Awards

Conference travel support is available with the general restrictions described below. See the travel authorization form for more specific guidance:

  • For students giving a presentation at a major conference, a conference presentation travel award of up to $750 will, typically, be allowed.
  • If multiple students are co-authors on the same presentation, a $750 conference presentation travel award is limited to no more than two student co-authors. However, a conference registration award can be provided for additional co-authors up to a total of 4 people.
  • A conference travel award will be considered for a student serving in a volunteer or support role at a major conference, based on the availability of funding.
  • Conference registration awards for students attending a conference but not presenting or volunteering at the conference are more limited and awarded on a ‘funds available basis.
  • Some schools or departments have additional or alternative funds available to support student conference travel.  Thus, always check with your advisor or program chair if you need more funds than can be provided in this grant.

All students who receive a Discover Research travel award to present their scholarly or creative work at an outside conference are expected to also submit this work to the annual Marymount Student Research Conference, which occurs every year in April. Please click on the hyperlink to access information about Marymount’s Student Research Conference.

Application Procedures

All students should submit their completed application to the DISCOVER Research Program via a single (discover@marymount.edu) with attachments. Please submit all requests at least 6 weeks prior to travel, and preferably even earlier than that to take advantage of savings associated with early registration and timely booking of travel and lodging.

You should anticipate an email response to your completed application within two weeks, confirming the amount of any award, and identifying any stipulations on the award. All email communications will be through your Marymount email account.

Reimbursement for Travel Expenses

After returning from the conference, the following materials must be submitted in order to process reimbursement:

  1. Completed and signed student travel expense form, listing expenses. Complete the form electronically as it automatically calculates totals across categories.
  2. Confirmation of travel (for example, airline boarding pass stub, hotel bill).
  3. Original receipts for all items for which reimbursement is being requested (please remember to keep a copy of these receipts for your records).