Good News for Go-Getters: Conference Grant Amounts to Increase July 1

June 29, 2026

By Katya Hrichak

There’s good news for students getting ready to share their research at an upcoming conference: Conference grant award amounts will be increasing as of July 1.

Students presenting at nearby state conferences will be eligible for $400 travel grants, up from $300, and students presenting at international conferences will be eligible for $800, up from $700. Online conference presenters are eligible for grants up to $200.

The Graduate School offers conference grants to research degree students who are presenting their research at a professional conference. Full-time students are eligible for one conference grant per year, provided they are enrolled at the time of the award and are within time-to-degree limits. Master’s students are eligible during their first through eighth semesters of enrollment, while doctoral students are eligible from their first through 14th semesters.

“We recognize the importance of graduate students attending conferences and presenting their own academic research, and we are continuing to invest in this program,” said Holly Boulia, director of fellowships. “By providing travel grants to assist with the cost of attendance, we hope more students will have opportunities to share their research with scholars at academic conferences.”

Between July 2025 and June 2026, the Graduate School awarded 1,250 conference grants, totaling $640,800, to students sharing their research around the world.

“Living in the U.S. and Canada—I’m a Canadian—it’s sometimes hard to tell what researchers are up to halfway across the globe,” said Clara Chung, a doctoral candidate in physics, who attended the Korean Physical Society (KPS) Spring Meeting in Daejeon, South Korea. “It was wonderful seeing the enthusiasm and progress in qubit development in South Korea, as it is also my research interest.”

Being able to hear and receive feedback from other researchers was beneficial for Maria Camila Castro, a doctoral candidate in philosophy, who attended the Speech and Politics conference at sciences Po in Paris, France.

“Participating in this conference broadened my perspective on the topic I work on and further encouraged me to continue my research,” she said. “I met scholars working on similar issues, although from different perspectives, with different questions, and in different intellectual traditions.”

Both Chung and Castro noted that their Graduate School conference grants were helpful in subsidizing their travel.

“I greatly value the support the Graduate School provides through conference grants,” said Castro. “Meeting and exchanging ideas with people outside our immediate academic community allows us to view our work from new perspectives, which ultimately enriches and strengthens our research.”

Learn more about conference grants and view the award amounts by location.