Graduate Student Assembly Conference Travel Fellowship (CTF)

Ph.D. and Masters students may apply to support travel to recognized professional domestic or international conferences and academic meetings as program participants presenting on non-international topics. The grant supplements funds that the student can receive from their home department or from the conference if it provides travel subsidies. The grant is available to Ph.D. and Masters students in programs in the Humanities, Sciences, and Social Sciences. Students presenting at recognized professional domestic or international conferences and academic meetings on an international topic are not eligible for the grant since they fall outside the Graduate Student Assembly’s mandates and should apply to the MacMillan Conference Travel Fellowship. Grants will be awarded on a rolling basis until funds are exhausted.

Please note that our application closes each fiscal year around June 15, and cannot open again until fresh applications have been generated (this customarily happens in early September). Students wishing to apply for conferences meeting during this period should make every effort to apply before June 15. If they are unable to do so, they should e-mail the CTF Director at ctf@yale.edu.**

Award Amounts: Students are eligible to receive funding for one conference per fiscal year. As of July 1st, 2022, all students (MA Students and Ph.D. Students at all stages of study) qualify for up to $800 of funding. These are almost always guaranteed levels: if a student’s application is approved, they can expect to receive the full amount of reimbursement they requested, up to this threshold.

The CTF is intended to serve students who have no other known means of funding and who would otherwise need to pay for conference travel costs from their personal finances. If you have other sources of funding—from a lab, a grant, your department, etc.—we ask that you use that first to allow the CTF to assist as many students as possible.

• Students may apply as soon as they receive word of acceptance to their conference. Generally, applying at least 30 days before the start of your conference is recommended. All students must apply before their conference starts—any applications received after a conference will be denied, except those with greatly extenuating circumstances, as determined by the CTF Director. It is always in a student’s best interest to apply as early as they can.

• Upon applying, students must send a quick e-mail to ctf@yale.edu, declaring their application. Applicants will also need to request their department registrar to e-mail ctf@yale.edu to confirm they are in good academic standing and their advisor to e-mail ctf@yale.edu to approve that applicant’s attendance. None of these e-mails need to be long or detailed; a few sentences can suffice.

-A student may only have one application pending at any time. If a student’s application should be rejected, they will remain eligible to apply for another conference. If a student has trouble doing so, contact the CTF director at ctf@yale.edu.

AWARDS:

• All CTF awards are issued on a reimbursement basis.
• Approximately once a month, the CTF Director and a GSAS Administrative team will review all the submitted/pending applications. They will award all applications that meet the above criteria and notify the applicants of the decisions. Please note that these administrative processes often take 3-5 weeks’ time—which is more reason to apply as early as possible.
• If a student is awarded the CTF, their reimbursement will be transferred to a cost center account unique to them, and a letter announcing the award will be sent. The funds will remain in that account until the student requests them (see below).
• As soon as the conference concludes, the student may request reimbursement. To do so, they should forward a copy of their award letter, along with the relevant receipts, to their departmental operations manager, NOT the CTF director, who can transfer the funds to the students’ next stipend payment. All students should seek to do this within 45 days of returning from a conference or receiving their award letter.

Application Information: ALL APPLICATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED ONLINE THROUGH THIS DATABASE BEFORE THE DEADLINE.

The application must include documentation verifying:

• the student is registered in good academic standing; An email from your DGS or registrar, confirming that you are in good academic standing and may receive the award should be sent to the ctf@yale.edu in time of your application.
• the conference details and basic budget, including evidence that she or he has a program role as a presenter, chair, or discussant;
• funds received from the department, other Yale units, or the conference;
• the student has applied for available departmental funds. The application should be submitted 30 days (whenever possible) before the conference begins, and in all cases must be submitted before the conference starts.

Grants will be awarded on a rolling basis. Please email ctf@yale.edu as soon as you submit your application.

Restrictions to Use of Award: Students may request reimbursement for costs associated with travel to and from the conference, lodging while attending the conference, and registration fees for the conference. Costs such as food, recreation, and supplies are not eligible for the CTF (with some rare exceptions).

All GSAS students presenting their research at academic conferences are eligible to apply for the CTF. “Presenting” generally means giving an oral presentation, presenting a poster, having pre-circulated work discussed by a panel, chairing a panel, or serving as an official discussant/respondent. Conferences attended only for networking, job searching, or informational purposes do not qualify.

The CTF is limited to students enrolled in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS). If you have questions as to whether you are enrolled in GSAS, you should contact your departmental registrar. Please note that many professional school programs may not qualify.

The CTF is also intended for students conducting research on non-international topics. All of the natural sciences are considered non-international topics. Students in the humanities or social sciences conducting research on international topics should apply to the MacMillan Center. Please see the FAQ for a more detailed explanation of how the MacMillan Center defines international research.