Undergraduate Student Travel Award

Undergraduate Student Travel Award 2025 - 2026

Overview

The PCAL Undergraduate Student Travel Award supports WKU PCAL undergraduate students who are traveling to share their research or creative activity at professional conferences, exhibitions, recitals, and similar venues. This award is sponsored by the Office of Research and Creative Activity (ORCA) and is administered by PCAL.

The purpose of this award is to provide financial support for undergraduate students who are actively participating in professional academic or creative events. Eligible activities include conference presentations, professional exhibitions, recitals, performances, and other venues where students are sharing their scholarly or creative work. Students must be actively participating in the event (presenting, performing, or exhibiting); funding is not available for students who are simply attending as audience members.

Examples of fundable activities include, but are not limited to:

Travel costs to present research at an academic conference
Costs associated with shipping artwork or creative materials for a professional exhibition
Travel expenses to perform at a professional recital or concert
Registration fees for conferences where students are presenting
Costs associated with staging a performance or exhibit

Awards will be limited to no more than $1000 per applicant.

How to Apply

To submit an Undergraduate Student Travel Award application, students should take the following steps:

Complete the application form below
Submit a budget outlining all anticipated expenses
Create a single PDF file with screenshots of price quotes for all budget expenses. This should include documentation from airline websites, hotel websites, conference registration pages, shipping quotes, or other relevant sources. All expenses must follow university travel and purchasing policies.

Please send your single PDF to potter.college@wku.edu when you complete your application.

Rules and Limitations

Each student may only receive one Undergraduate Student Travel Award during their time at WKU, and applications can only cover a single event/trip/activity. In addition, applicants must supply the name of a faculty mentor who will help the applicant manage their award. The faculty mentor will be copied on all communication about the award and will be responsible for helping the student comply with all relevant WKU procedures (rules related to spending, travel, etc.). In short, the faculty member will be the applicant's primary point of contact.

All spending is subject to the following policies:

Discretionary spending
Travel and reimbursement
WKU Purchasing Guide
Per Diem rates:
- Domestic
- Foreign
Mileage:
- In-state
- Out-of-State (Nashville Airport is 75 miles each way)

For spending not covered above, see the Division of Finance and Administration -- Travel.

Students whose projects involve human subjects, animal subjects, export control issues, rDNA/RGZ microbe, or bio-hazards must have obtained appropriate institutional approval(s) before the project begins and before funds are awarded. Contact the Office of Research Integrity (ori@wku.edu) for further information or visit https://www.wku.edu/compliance.

Award Process

Undergraduate Student Travel Award applications will be evaluated by the PCAL Research and Grants Committee on a monthly basis. Students can submit an application up to 6 months in advance of their activity. Applications will be assessed based on the academic or creative merit of the student's work, the professional significance of the venue, and the student's active participation in the event. All applicants will be notified of funding decisions within the first two weeks of the month after application submission (if a student applies in January, they will receive a funding decision no later than February 15th). Successful recipients must submit receipts and documentation of expenses for reimbursement following their travel, along with a brief post-award report describing their experience and the outcomes of their participation.

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* Applicant's Name

* Applicant's Student ID Number

* Applicant's E-mail Address

* Applicant's First Major

* Applicant's Expected Graduate Date

(month and year)

* Faculty Mentor Name

* Faculty Mentor E-mail Address

* Title of Project

* Type of Activity

* Activity Name

(e.g. Name of the conference)

* Activity Location

* Activity Dates

(include month, dates, and year)

* Provide a description of your research or creative activity and how you will be participating in this event (e.g., oral presentation, poster presentation, performance, exhibition). Include the significance of this opportunity for your academic or professional development.

* Dollar Amount Requested

(Award maximum is $1000)

* List each expense item and its estimated cost.

(detailed documentation should be submitted as a separate PDF)

* Have you applied for or received other funding for this trip?

Yes

If yes, please list the source(s) and amount(s) of other funding.

* Faculty Mentor Endorsement: Please confirm that your faculty mentor/advisor supports this application and has reviewed your materials.

I confirm my faculty mentor supports this application.

* Acknowledgment: I understand that I may only receive one Undergraduate Student Travel Award during my time at WKU, that all university travel and purchasing policies apply to this award, and I will be responsible, in collaboration with my faculty mentor, for managing this award.

I acknowledge and agree.

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