Undergraduate Student Travel Fund

• You must be a Mason undergraduate student, who has not graduated by the time you return from your trip. 
• You must be traveling to an off-campus event (e.g., conferences, performances, forums, exhibitions) to present your project. Conference attendance for professional development only (i.e. just attending) is not covered.
• You must apply at least 30 days before travel.
• You do not need an acceptance letter to the event in order to apply. If selected for funding, you will be required to submit your acceptance letter with your reimbursement receipts.

• Click here to apply for USTF

• You should explain their project and participation in plain language that can be understood by a well-educated audience outside their field of study. 

• You should include the abstract, proposal, or prospectus that they submitted when applying to participate in the event. 

• Complete and submit the online USTF application  
  • Application must be submitted at least 30 days before departure.                                                     
• If you are traveling internationally, you are required to purchase international travel insurance through GEO.
  • Go to the Independent Student Travel Travel Registration to register travel and purchase insurance. 
  • $50 of your requested travel budget needs to be budgeted for a travel insurance fee.
• You must pay for the travel expenses up front
  • Expenses will be reimbursed you once you return.
  • Departments, programs, and colleges may also contribute to your travel expenses in addition to any USTF funds given. 
  • If any additional travel support is expected from an outside source, please note this on your application.

All travel policies under OSCAR funds are set forth by the Commonwealth of Virginia. Travel is highly regulated, even for Mason staff. If you have ANY questions about travel related expenses, please contact us at OSCAR@gmu.edu. 

Air and Rail Travel 

Purchase the airline ticket yourself and after your conference date, you can submit the receipt for reimbursement within your USTF application. As there are specific submission receipt requirements, see example receipt guidelines before submission.

Remember to submit receipts no later than one month after travel.

Taxi and Rideshares 

When traveling, you can be reimbursed for ride share travel that is:

1.  Travel to and from airport/train station

2.  Travel to and from airport/train station to hotel

3.  Travel to and from hotel to conference

4.  We cannot reimburse for a tip over 15%

Hotel

When submitting hotel receipts, the receipt must include your name, dates of stay, list the itemized charges to the room, and state the balance is $0 and is paid is full.

Car Travel 

Car travel for USTF is permitted if the cost of car travel does not exceed the alternative cost of the most economical air travel.

Example: Traveling to a conference to Houston, Texas, the most economical means is to travel by airplane. If traveling to Baltimore, the most economical means by car or train.

Group Travel

If you plan on sharing resources during group travel, please split costs as much as possible.

If you share expenses with another USTF group participant, please submit a brief description on which expenses were split and submit any receipts for your portion for reimbursement.

Other Receipts Allowable 

1. Airline Baggage Fees
2. Airport Parking (most economical only)
3. Public Transportation expenses (business travel only)

All reimbursement receipts must be submitted after 1 month of travel.

To submit reimbursements, please contact oscar@gmu.edu for reimbursement instructions

• Travel funds for students at the Fairfax campus, Sci-Tech, and Mason Square are allocated by the following guidelines:
  • Local/regional travel (within 25 miles): maximum $400
  • National travel (continental U.S.): maximum $600
  • International travel (everywhere not already mentioned): maximum $800   
• Travel funds for students at the Mason Korea campus are allocated by the following guidelines:
  • Local/regional travel (within 25 miles): maximum $400
  • National travel (The Republic of South Korea): maximum $600
  • International travel (everywhere not already mentioned): maximum $800

Click here to view Reimbursement Receipt Examples