All graduate students are eligible to receive — from the GSU — up to $250 per Masters degree program or up to $500 per PhD program to aid in conference-related costs. Students may choose to split this amount over several conferences, rather than applying for the entire sum at once. Thus, conference funding may be available more than once during a graduate program. Students are also eligible for up to $150 of the above amounts for research trips, field trips, in-province conferences, conferences at which they are not presenting, workshops, societal meetings, or seminar series that are related to their academic program. Graduate students traveling to international conferences will be eligible for an additional $50 from the GSU.

Trips within the province, as well as those where you are only attending (ie. not presenting an abstract/paper, etc.), are eligible for up to $150 of funding from the GSU. Please note that this does count towards the overall total.

While assistance is available only after the conference is completed, students should apply for the funding a minimum of four weeks before travel begins. Conference aid from the Graduate Students’ Union is not guaranteed and is contingent upon the availability of funds and the submission of a complete application package. For an application package please contact grants@gsumun.ca. Please note that the forms are also available online. Simply click on the links below.

Prior to your conference: (apply early!):

Fill out and submit a GRADUATE STUDENT REQUEST FOR TRAVEL ASSISTANCE form to us (The forms are attached below). These are available outside the GSU office, from SGS, or from your department.

This form requires signatures (and details of funds committed, if applicable) from:

Your supervisor

Your department Head and/or the Dean or Director of your faculty

The Dean of Graduate Studies

Director of Finance of the Graduate Students’ Union.

Please note that the GSU will only sign after signatures are obtained from your Supervisor, Department Head, Dean/Director, and Dean of Graduate Studies. Once the application has been reviewed and signed by the Director of Finance it will be circulated to TAUMUN. TAUMUN is the last to sign.

You will also need the following additional documentation:

• A letter of invitation from the conference organizers

• The abstract of the paper/poster/etc that you are presenting.

• Please submit proof of TAUMUN membership, if applicable.

We will contact you when your application has been processed and can be picked up from the GSU office (or sent to an on-campus mailbox).

After your conference:

Complete and submit a TRAVEL CLAIM A form.

This form requires financial information and signatures from all of your (MUN) funding sources. Please note that the GSU will only sign after signatures are obtained from your Supervisor, Department Head, Dean/Director, and Dean of Graduate Studies. Once the application has been reviewed and signed by the Director of Finance it will be circulated to TAUMUN. TAUMUN is the last to sign.

Attach:

• All receipts to be claimed

• Your (completed and approved!) GRADUATE STUDENT REQUEST FOR TRAVEL ASSISTANCE application.

Once approved by our Director of Finance, if you are a TAUMUN member your forms will be sent to TAUMUN. Otherwise, your forms are sent to Financial Services for processing, and within a few weeks you will receive your reimbursement.

Other things to note:

• Students are not guaranteed to receive monies from us during their programs of study — GSU conference funding is intended primarily as a service to students who are unable to receive enough funding from other sources. Therefore students are expected to explore other possible avenues of funding first. It is at the discretion of the GSU Director of Finance to decide if/how much funding will be allocated per application, depending on the availability of GSU resources ($$$) in a given year.

• The GSU does not provide advance travel funding.

Reasons why your request might not be approved:

• You’re already receiving funding from other sources that covers the cost of your conference

• You’ve previously received the maximum funding amount from us in the same program ($300 for Masters students and $550 for PhD students).

Please ensure that your documentation is complete. Inaccurate information, missing documents, or signatures will result in added processing time – our office will contact you and ask that you re-submit a complete application.

If you have any questions about GSU travel funding, please do not hesitate to contact us at grants@gsumun.ca.

Travel/ conference funding forms:

Graduate Student Request for Travel Assistance Form

The Graduate Students’ Union of MUN has developed a pilot project to help offset expenses associated with attending workshops and seminars outside of what is routinely offered in their program. The intent is to improve access to the overall professional development of graduate students. This grant can be used for a variety of events including but not limited to: First Aid courses, computer literacy or coding workshops, language support seminars, and webinars from experts in your field.

Grants from the Graduate Students’ Union are not guaranteed and are contingent upon the availability of funds. For an application package or for details contact grants@gsumun.ca or email the Director of Finance at finance@gsumun.ca. For more information on this or other GSU funding, please see Bylaw section(s) ’12’ and ’13’ in our constitution.

Please use the application form below to apply for the Professional Development Grant through the GSU. Please note that original receipts must be included before processing can occur. Incomplete applications will be sent back to the student to finalize before resubmitting. Please send complete applications to grants@gsumun.ca.

Professional Development Grant form:

Professional Development Grant Application Form

The Graduate Students’ Union awards grants to graduate students in specific academic units, clubs, societies or resource centres for social and academic events, and purchases of computers, software, and furniture for grad rooms. Grants from the Graduate Students’ Union are not guaranteed and are contingent upon the availability of funds. For an application package or for more information please contact grants@gsumun.ca or email the Director of Finance at finance@gsumun.ca.

Please review the criteria before writing and submitting the Special Project Grant application.

Please use the application form below to apply for Special Project Grants through the GSU.

Professional Membership Grant form:

Professional Membership Grant Application Criteria