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Professional Travel

The Department strongly encourages all graduate students to attend and present papers at professional conferences before they go on the job market. This kind of experience is invaluable for professional development. To this end, the Department provides funding to all PhD students for travel to conferences: a pre-candidate fund of $1,200, and a post-candidacy fund of $2,000. (Any balance remaining in the pre-candidate fund will not roll over into a student's post-candidacy fund, in order to encourage pre-candidates to begin attending conferences.) Expenses covered by these funds include transportation (airfare, train, subway, ground transportation), lodging, conference fees, and international health insurance, with an option to add food per diem. Students must submit all receipts and documentation of the conference attended to receive reimbursement. Because they are intended to enhance students' professional qualifications, experience, and contacts so that they will be more competitive when they go on the market, these funds are not available to subsidize student travel to APA conferences in which they are being interviewed for jobs.

Funding is available from Department sources only after alternative sources of travel support have been exhausted, including Rackham travel funds (for students who are presenting papers) and travel funds attached to fellowships. However, with the approval of the Director of Graduate Studies, students may defer using their Rackham travel funds for a more expensive conference later in the year.


Students may apply for travel funds by completing the Travel Funding Request form at least 14 business days prior to travel or submission of receipts for reimbursement, providing:

  • documentation of the opportunity for which expenses are requested (including the conference name, date, and location),
  • an estimated budget of expenses (including the total amount of funding being requested), and
  • a declaration that they have exhausted their Rackham funding opportunities and any other opportunities for which they are eligible.