23-24 Conference Presentation Awards for Graduate Students (Fall 2023)

The Graduate College's Conference Presentation Award program offers funds to assist graduate students giving a presentation at a professional conference (either in-person or online). For in-person conferences, awards will help cover travel expenses.  For online conferences, awards will help cover registration fees. Awards are available only to those students who are making a presentation at the conference.

This year’s Conference Presentation Award program will provide a department with funds, in increments of $350 depending on size, and the department may then disburse the funds for conference travel or for conference registration fees. Within the department's allocation, there are no limits on the dollar amount awarded to a particular student for eligible expenses. As well, there are no limits on the number of students a department may elect to support with its allocation.

Awards may be offered as reimbursement for recently-completed conference travel/participation or for upcoming travel/participation (see “Eligible Travel Periods” below).

Application is by department nomination only. Students do not apply directly to the Graduate College. Instead, students submit materials to their department, then the department selects applications for submission to the Graduate College using the online nomination form below. Students interested in applying should contact their Director of Graduate Studies to inquire about the department’s internal selection process.

Eligibility

• Applicants must be registered and in good academic standing during both the term the application is submitted AND the term during which the conference takes place (exceptions to this are made for summer).
• Students attending a conference without giving a presentation are ineligible.
• Applicants may receive only one Conference Presentation Award per academic year.
• Students in non-degree, online, cost-recovery, and self-supporting programs are ineligible.
• Awards are supported by Students for Equal Access to Learning (SEAL) fees, which are part of the Student Initiated Fees. Therefore, applicants must have paid the Student Initiated Fees in the semester during which they apply. For details on fees, see the Office of the Registrar's website. Students who are not assessed the fees, e.g., students registered in Credit Range III or IV (less than 6 hours), may become eligible by paying the fee at a cashier's window in 100 Henry Administration Building.

Eligible Travel Periods: For fall term awards, the conference must take place anytime from the beginning of the previous summer to the end of the following summer. 

Required Materials:

1. Conference Presentation Award Application Cover Sheet – download this file to include as the first page in your application.
2. Short Letter/Statement from Adviser endorsing and approving your participation in the conference and explaining why it is important that you attend the conference.  The letter should be specific about whether or not they will supply funds to support your travel (and, if so, how much). If they prefer to send this separately, it should be emailed to awardsinfo@cs.illinois.edu.
3. Proof that You Will Present at the conference. For example, a notice that your paper has been accepted to the conference.  In addition, please indicate specific information regarding the number of papers submitted for the conference review and those accepted for presentation (i.e., the acceptance rate).  This information will assist the department review committee in the selection of nominees to be forwarded to the Graduate College.  This may require you to make inquiries to whomever contacted you about the acceptance of your paper at the conference.
4. Your Up-To-Date CV.  Be sure to include as complete bibliographic information as possible about the paper or poster which will be presented at the conference.  In addition, please be sure to include your expected graduation date.

Number of Nominees: The amount of funding a department may request is based on 10th day enrollment numbers as reported by DMI (report #1).

Award Amounts Per Student: For students traveling to an in-person conference, award amounts are based on the cost of transportation to/from the conference plus the cost of lodging. For students participating in a virtual conference, award amounts are based on the registration fees required for participation in the conference. No other fees (such as membership fees) or costs (such as printing or meals) are allowable.

Submission of Receipts: Students who are awarded a Conference Presentation Award are required to submit to their department receipts showing all requested expenses. The Graduate College does not require these receipts; however, the department should keep copies of them for audit purposes.

For complete details, see here: https://grad.illinois.edu/general/travelaward and here: https://apps.grad.illinois.edu/fellowship-finder/SearchResult/Fellowship/4198

Applications should be submitted to awardsinfo@cs.illinois.edu by Monday, October 30th at 11:59 PM.