Student Travel Fund

All currently enrolled students in the College of Arts and Sciences are eligible to apply for STF. Please note that funding cannot be requested for travel that will occur after a student’s graduation from USF. 

Please submit your STF application through the Gnosis STF Portal: https://gnosis.usfca.edu/stf and select the appropriate semester from the activity pull-down menu. For example, to apply for funding in Fall 2023, please select "Arts and Sciences Fall 2023." 

Applicants may submit an application either before or after travel has occurred. In both cases, keep in mind that funding is not guaranteed, hence there is a possibility that incurred expenses may only be covered partially, or not at all. Please take advantage of early registration, airfare deals, and discounted hotel rates when possible. Also be prepared to provide all the required components of the STF application.
If your travel takes place during the summer months (May-August), please check in with the STF team before applying to ensure that you are submitting for the correct application cycle. 

In order to apply for STF, you will complete an application form that asks for the following: 

• Statement of Objective & Description of Research
• Itemized Budget & Budget Rationale
• Plans to Secure Additional Funding (if needed)

In addition, you will be asked to submit:

• Quotes and/or receipts for expenses (such as transportation costs, registration costs, etc.) 
• A letter of support from a faculty mentor or research advisor
• Your unofficial academic transcript 

Your statement of purpose/research description should outline how the trip will directly support your research, creative, or scholarly activity (aim for 1 page or less, single-spaced, font size 12). Do not provide a thesis, abstract, or faculty research proposal, as your statement of purpose. 

• For conference travel, explain your role at the conference (e.g. oral presentation, poster presentation, etc.). Please include evidence of your acceptance to present at the conference OR a copy of your submitted abstract (with the Statement of Purpose) if you have not yet received an acceptance confirmation.
• For travel related to research, please describe the larger research question being addressed and the specific goals for this trip (archives to be visited, data collected, etc.). 
• For other travel, please describe your ongoing research or creative activity and how this travel will directly support your academic work. 

• Airfare and rail travel tickets must be coach. 
• A minimum of three airfare quotes must be provided for tickets costing more than $250. Accepted forms of proof include screenshots of booking sites (e.g. Expedia, Kayak, etc). Note: All quotes should be taken on the same day, as ticket prices change daily.
   

• Mileage is reimbursed at $0.56 per mile.
• A map proving the mileage must be uploaded (i.e., a screenshot of Google Maps driving directions).
• The starting location of the map must begin at the USF campus (2130 Fulton St, San Francisco, CA 94117) even if this adds on extra miles.

• Applicants should provide at least three hotel quotes (including, when possible, the conference hotel) to show that a reasonable rate has been chosen. Accepted forms of proof include screenshots from a booking site.
• Hotel stays will be funded for the number of nights at the conference plus 1 night for travel (no more than 5 nights total).
• The STF will fund the lowest reasonable rate with no room upgrades. Room tax will be funded.
• The hotel rate may either be entered as a daily rate or as a flat rate for the total price of the stay (please check the “Flat Rate” box if this is the case).
• Be sure to select the number of nights even if “Flat Rate” has been chosen, as the “Food” field will be automatically calculated from the “Number of Nights” field.
• If alternate housing options are cheaper (Airbnb, VRBO, etc.) than staying in a hotel, the STF will fund the rental. All hotel policies also apply to these alternate housing options.
• Where possible, students attending the same conference should explore rooming together to keep costs low. If housing is shared with other individual(s), please indicate the total rate, and the rate for the applicant's individual stay.

Yes, STF funds international travel when sufficient funding is available. 

• For expenses incurred overseas, please include original receipts (or quotes) in the country’s currency with an expense report completed in US dollars. When converting to US dollars for international travel, the University requires that receipts be converted on the day of the expense or final bill. Each conversion for each receipt must have a copy of the conversion from the online converter submitted with the receipt. 
• All international travel must first be cleared by the office of Vice Provost of Global Education, Immersions and Strategic Initiatives, Anastasia Vrachnos. Please contact Allyn Nobles, Assistant Director, Center for Global Education, Study Abroad (nobles@usfca.edu, x2843) to receive clearance for international travel. If possible, please get clearance for your travel before applying for STF; if you have not received clearance prior to submitting your application, anticipate a delay in the award process. 

Due to the high volume of applications, STF is currently able to fund no more than $500 per student. Funding is subject to availability and not guaranteed. If sufficient funding is unavailable, applications may be partially funded or denied. Students are limited to one STF grant per year, and first-time applicants will be prioritized.

• Transportation upgrades such as extra legroom and priority boarding 
• Visa fees 
• Travel insurance  
• Reimbursement for travel booked using frequent flier miles and/or rewards points 
• Extra charges from lodging, such as video rentals and room service 
• Optional conference events, such as banquets and tours 
• Costs of becoming a member of an organization holding a conference or workshop, UNLESS a) membership is required to attend, or b) membership and registration fees combined are less than registration fees for non members 

Applicants should receive a decision within 3 - 4 weeks of the application deadline. Please note that this will depend on the volume of applications submitted for that cycle. 

Within ten (10) days of completing your travel, submit an online expense report along with all original receipts (Exception: no food receipts are required) and a copy of your award letter via the Concur system. Please work with your Department’s Program Assistant to reconcile your expenses in Concur using the STF FOAP which will be provided in your award letter. 

The student travel fund is a limited pool of money and our primary goal when making decisions about awards is to support as many students as possible. This means that we cannot guarantee that any student will receive funding in full. We strongly encourage students to seek additional funding from other sources (e.g. Graduate Student Association, departmental support, conference support, etc.) prior to submitting their STF application. Please indicate all sources of outside funding in your application. 

If you have a change in plans and decide not to travel, please notify Gillian Rude at grude2@usfca.edu. Unused funds will be returned to the STF.