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Conference Travel Funding

We are pleased to offer eligible graduate students funding to help defray the expense of presenting research at conferences during the 2024-2025 period—July 1, 2024 to June 23, 2025. Please be advised that departmental funding for conference travel is limited each year and funds will be available on a first come first served basis.

Please note that students can only receive Psychology Department Conference Travel funding after they have used all of the $1,000 allocation from the Doctoral Student Travel Grants for Conferences, Professional Development and Off-Campus Research Program (DTG) from the Division of Graduate Education. To check your remaining travel grant funds, e-mail Fellowships and Financial Services at askgrad@grad.ucla.edu.

The Psychology Department Conference Travel funding, which comes from non-state funds, may be used to reimburse travel to states listed in AB 1887 prior to September 13, 2023. Students who are unable to use Doctoral Student Travel Grants funding due to AB 1887 may apply for Psychology Department Conference Travel funding. As of September 13, 2023, graduate students may request travel reimbursements from Doctoral Student Travel Grants for travel to AB 1887 states.

List of Psychology-Related Conferences that may be of interest. 

ELIGIBILITY:

  1. Student must be the first author of the research to be presented. In the case of the Society for Multivariate Experimental Psychology exceptions will be considered, since only faculty members are permitted to present at these meetings. Only attending a conference does not make a student eligible for reimbursement. 
  2. Eligible expenses are limited to airfare, bus, train, personal vehicle mileage, lodging, poster printing and conference registration. Virtual conferences are eligible only for conference registration reimbursement. Copies of receipts and proof of payment must be submitted per instructions on form Part B (see links below). Food costs, membership fees, pre-registration fees, submission fees, taxis, and shuttles will NOT be reimbursed. 
  3. Students must be registered and enrolled in both the quarter that they complete the travel and the quarter that they will be reimbursed. If a student seeks reimbursement for conference travel during the summer months, they must be registered and enrolled in the previous Spring and the following Fall quarter. In Absentia students are eligible for reimbursement. 
  4. Department funds may only be requested after the $1,000 allocation from Division of Graduate Education is used. If your remaining DTG funds are not enough to cover your planned travel, it is possible to use department funds to cover the balance.
  5. Each student may be reimbursed a maximum of $400 in 2024-2025. Multiple reimbursement requests may be submitted.

HOW TO REQUEST REIMBURSEMENT:

Complete the Conference Travel Grant Application Part A (see link below) to indicate conferences you plan to attend during the period July 1, 2024 to June 23, 2025. Submit Part A to Sara Jimenez at sjimenez@psych.ucla.edu. by October 31, 2024. Note: if your plans change after October 31, you may still use the department grant funds but will need to submit a new Part A form. Please be advised that departmental funding for conference travel is limited. Submitting your Part A as soon as possible helps ensure you will have funding available to you.

Complete the Conference Travel Grant Application Part B (see link below) and submit to Sara Jimenez at sjimenez@psych.ucla.edu as soon as possible after your travel is complete. Please submit your Part B and all applicable receipts and documentation as one PDF document. Please be aware that reimbursement requests (i.e. Part B and receipts) submitted after 6/1 may experience a delay in processing.

REQUIRED FORMS:

Please note the PDF forms are fillable and can be signed electronically. 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

  1. What do I do if my travel includes stops at other locations for personal travel?
    •  Only the portion(s) that directly pertain to conference travel is eligible for reimbursement. If you will be traveling for personal reasons around your conference travel, or are otherwise requesting airfare with multiple stops, you must also submit an itinerary, with cost information clearly visible, for a comparable direct flight from Los Angeles to the Conference location and back would cost. For more information or assistance, please email Sara Jimenez at sjimenez@psych.ucla.edu.
  2. Can I book my flight, hotel room, and rental car as a package through a discount site like Travelocity or Expedia?
    • No, UC policy prohibits purchase of travel/vacation packages from Internet vendors. You are required to submit detailed, itemized receipts for all expenditures that clearly indicate the amount, method of payment, and zero balance.
  3. I would like to book my seat in Business or First Class, will I still be reimbursed?
    • No, per UC policy only coach airfares are reimbursable.
  4. Are any purchases I make at my hotel reimbursable?
    • You will be reimbursed for the hotel room rate, room tax, and parking. Extraneous expenses such as meals on the premises, room service, movie rentals, gym fees, etc. are not reimbursable.
  5. I traveled with another person and my expenses are combined/reflected on another person’s receipts. If I submit the Doctoral Travel Grant reimbursement request, will the receipts I submit be honored?
    • Yes. Our business office will accept a request for split costs for lodging and rideshare if an original receipt from Person A and proof that Person B paid B’s portion to A (example: Zelle receipt). The original invoice showing the total cost and name of person on the reservation and then a cash app screen shot of who/how/much of the total cost the traveler paid will be accepted.
  6. What do I do if I share a room with someone?
    • In order to be reimbursed, your name must be on the bill. Please ask the hotel to provide a split bill for each occupant.
  7. Can I be reimbursed for lodging for a conference here in Los Angeles?
    • No, per UC policy lodging expenses are not reimbursable for travel within a 40-mile radius of student’s home or UCLA, whichever is the point of departure.
  8. Does the Department accept photocopies of receipts as supplemental documents for reimbursement request?
    • Yes.  Receipts must show itemized charges. Mileage requests must be accompanied by mileage calculation documentation (Yahoo, MapQuest, Google Maps, etc.).