Student Research Grants Competition information

The Graduate School’s Student Research Grants Competition (SRGC) provides the opportunity for students to apply for funds to present their research at a conference or to support research travel in preparation for their dissertation, final exhibition, or thesis. At this time, amidst limited funding and high demand, awards will be granted only to dissertators or to final year master’s students. If additional funds become available at a future point, this eligibility may be revisited. Most students will be funded by SRGC only once during their time as a graduate student.

Awards are granted in $600 or $1,500 amounts (as specified by the Vilas Trust), depending on the qualifying expenses listed in the application.

Note to applicants: This is a highly competitive funding competition. Due to the high demand and limited number of awards, unfortunately, not all applications can be funded, even if you meet all of the eligibility requirements. Students should pursue funding from other sources and not assume that SRGC funds will be awarded.

SRGC 2024-2025 Anticipated Application Deadlines

Applications for the SRGC will be posted and considered on a quarterly basis. Please note that funding requests cannot be considered outside of this timeline, nor can funding be guaranteed in advance of travel.

Cycle 1: For conferences and research travel between July 1, 2024, and September 30, 2024. Application dates are May 24, 2024 through June 23, 2024, with decisions announced the week of July 1, 2024.
Cycle 2 (Application dates updated Aug. 2, 2024): For conferences and research travel between October 1, 2024, and December 31, 2024. Application dates are August 19, 2024 through September 13, 2024, with decisions announced the week of September 30, 2024. Students who have already started an application for Cycle 2 will be able to go back to it after August 19.
Cycle 3: For conferences and research travel between January 1, 2025, and March 31, 2025. Application dates are November 1, 2024, through November 30, 2024, with decisions announced the week of December 16, 2024.
Cycle 4: For conferences and research travel between April 1, 2025, and June 30, 2025. Application dates are February 1, 2025, through February 28, 2025, with decisions announced the week of March 17, 2025.

Foreign Travel Insurance Requirement

All conference or research travel outside of the U.S. requires enrollment in CISI Health Insurance. These costs can be added to your travel expense requests.

Research Travel Award

The SRGC Research Travel Award supports travel expenses to research related to your thesis or final exhibition. Research travel awards cannot be used for travel that primarily involves attending a conference, workshop, or training experience that does not involve conducting research needed for your dissertation, thesis, or final exhibition. Applications are reviewed on a quarterly basis throughout the year. Not all eligible applications will be funded.

Application Information and Timeline

Awards for domestic and international research travel are available to UW–Madison graduate students traveling to conduct research supporting their dissertation, thesis, or final exhibition. Applications are reviewed on a quarterly basis throughout the year. At this time, amidst limited funding and high demand, awards will be granted only to dissertators or to final year master’s students. If additional funds become available at a future point, this eligibility may be revisited. Most students will be funded by SRGC only once during their time as a graduate student. Not all eligible applications will be funded.

Research Travel Award Eligibility

Student must be enrolled at UW–Madison as a full-time graduate student.
Student must be a dissertator or a final year master’s student.
Student must be traveling to conduct research supporting a dissertation, thesis, or final exhibition.
Travel must include at least some dates within the window of consideration for the relevant application cycle.
2024-2025 Anticipated Application Deadlines:
- Cycle 1: For conferences and research travel between July 1, 2024, and September 30, 2024. Application dates are May 24, 2024 through June 23, 2024, with decisions announced the week of July 1, 2024.
- Cycle 2 (Application dates updated Aug. 2, 2024): For conferences and research travel between October 1, 2024, and December 31, 2024. Application dates are August 19, 2024 through September 13, 2024, with decisions announced the week of September 30, 2024. Students who have already started an application for Cycle 2 will be able to go back to it after August 19.
- Cycle 3: For conferences and research travel between January 1, 2025, and March 31, 2025. Application dates are November 1, 2024, through November 30, 2024, with decisions announced the week of December 16, 2024.
- Cycle 4: For conferences and research travel between April 1, 2025, and June 30, 2025. Application dates are February 1, 2025, through February 28, 2025, with decisions announced the week of March 17, 2025.

How To Apply

Complete the Research Travel Award application on the Wisconsin Scholarship Hub (WiSH) website, including:

Information regarding research location, dates, and student status.
A synopsis of your research plan.
An estimated itemized budget that includes all funding sources. Applicants are expected to research rates and be good stewards of university resources when making purchasing decisions. Applications that appear to have inflated costs or been irresponsible with university funds will not be considered. Students should pursue funding from other sources and not assume that SRGC funds will be awarded.
Your advisor’s contact information. Your advisor will be sent an email with a link where they will be asked to verify your research travel plans.

Research Travel Award Payments

Payments to domestic students and international students considered resident aliens for tax purposes must be paid through the Bursar’s Office.
International students with non-resident alien status for tax purposes must be paid through payroll. If you are selected as a Research Travel Award recipient, you may need to submit additional documentation before you can receive the funding. The process you will need to follow will be based on whether you have already held an appointment at UW–Madison.
- If you have already held an appointment, the Glacier system through the UW–Madison HR Office will follow up with you to determine if you need to submit additional documentation.
- If you have not held any appointment, the Graduate School Payroll Coordinator will send you a letter requesting a W-4 form and a direct deposit form before your information is forwarded to the UW–Madison HR Office.

Conference Presentation Award

The SRGC Conference Presentation Award supports travel expenses to present your research at a conference. Applications are reviewed on a quarterly basis throughout the year. At this time, amidst limited funding and high demand, awards will be granted only to dissertators or to final year master’s students. If additional funds become available at a future point, this eligibility may be revisited. Most students will be funded by SRGC only once during their time as a graduate student. Not all eligible applications will be funded.

Application Information and Timeline

Awards for domestic and international conference travel are available to UW–Madison graduate students presenting their research at a conference between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025. Presentations at virtual conferences are not currently being considered for Conference Presentation Awards.

Eligibility

To be eligible for a Conference Presentation Award, the following criteria must apply:

Student must be enrolled at UW–Madison as a full-time graduate student.
Student must be a dissertator or a final year master’s student.
Student must be presenting research (e.g., paper, poster, panel) at a conference. The research being presented must have taken place as part of your UW–Madison graduate school experience.
Conference start date must fall within the window of consideration for the relevant application cycle:
- Cycle 1: For conferences starting between July 1, 2024, and September 30, 2024. Application dates are May 24, 2024 through June 23, 2024, with decisions announced the week of July 1, 2024.
- Cycle 2 (Application dates updated Aug. 2, 2024): For conferences and research travel between October 1, 2024, and December 31, 2024. Application dates are August 19, 2024 through September 13, 2024, with decisions announced the week of September 30, 2024. Students who have already started an application for Cycle 2 will be able to go back to it after August 19.
- Cycle 3: For conferences starting between January 1, 2025, and March 31, 2025. Application dates are November 1, 2024, through November 30, 2024, with decisions announced the week of December 16, 2024.
- Cycle 4: For conferences starting between April 1, 2025, and June 30, 2025. Application dates are February 1, 2025, through February 28, 2025, with decisions announced the week of March 17, 2025.

How To Apply

Complete the Conference Presentation Funds application on the Wisconsin Scholarship Hub (WiSH) website, including:

Information about the conference.
Confirmation of proposal submission to present at the conference.
An abstract of paper or poster to be presented.
A summary of your travel plans.
An estimated itemized budget that includes all outside funding sources. Applicants are expected to research rates and be good stewards of university resources when making purchasing decisions. Applications that appear to have inflated costs or been irresponsible with university resources will not be considered. Students should pursue funding from other sources and not assume that SRGC funds will be awarded. In addition to your advisor and academic program, you should investigate whether the organization hosting the conference has funding available to support graduate student presenters.
Your advisor’s contact information. Your advisor will be sent an email with a link where they will be asked to verify that you will be presenting at the conference.

Conference Presentation Award Payments

Payments to domestic students and international students considered resident aliens for tax purposes must be paid through the Bursar’s Office.
International students with non-resident alien status for tax purposes must be paid through payroll. If you are selected as a Conference Presentation Award recipient, you may need to submit additional documentation before you can receive the funding. The process you will need to follow will be based on whether you have already held an appointment at UW–Madison.
- If you have already held an appointment, the Glacier system through the UW–Madison HR Office will follow up with you to determine if you need to submit additional documentation.
- If you have not held any appointment, the Graduate School Payroll Coordinator will send you a letter requesting a W-4 form and a direct deposit form before your information is forwarded to the UW–Madison HR Office.

Frequently Asked Questions

When should I apply?

Applications for the Student Research Grants Competition funds are reviewed quarterly.

SRGC 2024-2025 Anticipated Application Deadlines

Cycle 1: For conferences and research travel between July 1, 2024, and September 30, 2024. Application dates are May 24, 2024 through June 23, 2024, with decisions announced the week of July 1, 2024.
Cycle 2 (Application dates updated Aug. 2, 2024): For conferences and research travel between October 1, 2024, and December 31, 2024. Application dates are August 19, 2024 through September 13, 2024, with decisions announced the week of September 30, 2024. Students who have already started an application for Cycle 2 will be able to go back to it after August 19.
Cycle 3: For conferences and research travel between January 1, 2025, and March 31, 2025. Application dates are November 1, 2024, through November 30, 2024, with decisions announced the week of December 16, 2024.
Cycle 4: For conferences and research travel between April 1, 2025, and June 30, 2025. Application dates are February 1, 2025, through February 28, 2025, with decisions announced the week of March 17, 2025.

Will I receive funding to cover all my expenses?

Awards are granted in $600 or $1,500 amounts depending on the number of qualifying expenses listed in the application. These award levels cannot be adjusted and any expenditures above the award level will not be covered. Students should pursue funding from other sources before applying for a Student Research Travel Grant.

Does the UW–Madison travel policy apply to SRGC award recipients?

Yes. Applicants can find helpful information on travel policy at the Division of Business Services Travel Planning and Booking webpage as well as more detailed policy descriptions at the UW System Travel policy webpage.

May I apply for both Research Travel and Conference Presentation Awards?

Applicants can submit applications for both the Research Travel Awards and Conference Presentation Funds, however, each eligible student can only accept one SRGC award in the fiscal year (July 1 – June 30). Most students will be funded by SRGC only once during their time as a graduate student.

May I apply for a Conference Presentation Award even though I don’t know if my proposal will be accepted to the conference?

Yes. Proof of proposal submission for the presentation is required at the time of application. You will be asked to provide documentation of presentation acceptance as part of your post-travel report.

What if the conference I will be presenting at is in a virtual format this year?

Presentations at virtual conferences are not currently being considered for Conference Presentation Awards.

Will I receive my award if I don’t have my receipts?

Students are not required to submit receipts to receive their award. However, please keep your itemized receipts and records of your travel expenses, as the Graduate School may audit awardees.

May I apply for transportation expenses if I am driving?

Yes. You may use the award to pay for mileage and parking expenses incurred during travel if you are driving a privately owned vehicle. You will need to include documentation indicating mileage as part of your application. The use of a rental vehicle is acceptable when it is the most cost-effective means of transportation available. Please visit the Division of Business Services website for more information on using a vehicle during travel to help choose the best vehicle option.

What documents do I need to submit after conducting my travel?

We require students to submit a post-travel report describing how attending this conference assisted your professional development. For conference travel awardees, you will be asked to provide documentation of presentation acceptance as part of your post-travel report. Failure to provide this report may affect your eligibility for future student travel competitions administered by the Graduate School.

What happens after I submit my application?

Applications are reviewed on a quarterly basis. Please see the applications dates and deadlines listed above. Not all eligible applications will be funded. Please email srgc@grad.wisc.edu if your travel plans change. Once notified of an award decision, you should follow the instructions in the award letter to officially accept the award.

May I still receive the award if my travel plans change?

This depends on the nature of the changes. Minor changes on travel dates and/or length of stay are normally acceptable. However, the award may not be used for traveling to research sites or conferences other than what was proposed in the application and approved unless an arrangement is made with the Graduate School. If there is a significant discrepancy between the estimated budget and the final budget, you must provide a statement or explanation with your finalized budget.

How long will it take for me to receive my funds?

Domestic students and international students with resident alien status for tax purposes will receive payment two to six weeks after accepting the award. International students with non-resident alien status for tax purposes will receive payment within three to eight weeks.

Note: Due to legal requirements, international students considered to be non-resident aliens for tax purposes may have taxes taken out of their award (see “Am I required to pay tax on the award?” below).

Is there a funding string associated with the award?

Awards are classified as “scholarships” and not “reimbursements.” As such there is no funding string associated with the award.

Can the Graduate School issue the check to my program instead of me?

No. Awards will only be issued in your name. You are responsible for making arrangements with your program staff or any other parties if they make travel arrangements on your behalf.

Am I required to pay tax on the award?

Domestic students and international students with resident alien status for tax purposes will receive the full amount of the award and are advised to consult with a tax expert for tax-related questions. International students with non-resident alien status for tax purposes may have tax deducted from their award, depending on the treaty between the U.S. and their home country. UW–Madison’s Accounting Services has additional information on federal and state tax reporting and payments to individuals (especially see section A on “Scholarships and Fellowships”).

May I still receive the award if I graduate before I receive my funds?

You can still receive the award if you applied and the travel took place during the time when you were still enrolled at UW–Madison. However, if you graduate before receiving your funding, you will need to ensure your mailing address is up to date in your Student Center as funds may be sent by check. Note that students also may only receive awards during terms in which they are enrolled.

Who may I contact if I have more questions?

If you have questions after reading this webpage, please contact srgc@grad.wisc.edu.