Conference Travel Grants

• Applicants must be current Honors students in good standing at the time of application, and at the time of presenting at the conference.
• Conference Travel Grant applications must be initiated in InfoReady within 14 days of being accepted to present at the conference and full application completed and submitted two weeks prior to the conference start date. Applications submitted after that date must be submitted with a justification for the delay and will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
• Applications submitted after the conference has ended will not be considered.
• Conferences must apply to a student’s academic interests, and be a professional academic conference. Unprofessional conferences or events of a social nature will not be considered.
• To be eligible of a full grant of up to $500, applicants must have submitted a proposal that has been accepted for presentation at a professional educational conference. Applicants must attach their invitation to present at the conference with their Travel Grant application, or have a valid reason as to why this cannot be provided at that time. The application will not be considered without proof of invitation to for the student to present at the conference shared in the InfoReady application.
• Students planning to present at International conferences (excluding Canada) may be eligible for additional funding of up to $1000. Additional funding will be awarded on a case-by-case basis and will require approval from the Dean of the Honors College.
• Under no circumstances will students be reimbursed for meals above the State and domestic per diem rate.
• Please be aware the Honors College has limited funds and may not be able to fund all requests or provide full funding for each acceptance. We encourage students to seek additional support from other sources, however, the Honors College is only able to reimburse expenses paid for by the student. We are unable to reimburse departments for expenses incurred on a student's behalf.
• Requests for funding may be denied or withdrawn by the Honors College if any of the above conditions are not satisfied, or if the applicant’s standing in the Honors College comes into question.
• Students may apply for a maximum of two Conference Travel Grants in one fiscal year. This spans from July 1 to June 30. For conferences that span the fiscal year, the start date of the conference will be used to determine eligibility.

Students may be reimbursed for the following expenses:

• Conference Registration Fees.
• Lodging – cost of room in hotel, motel, dormitory, or conference center and related taxes. Charges for television, phones, movies or other services will not be reimbursed.
• Food – the cost of all meals will be reimbursed in accordance with Clemson University policy at a rate no greater than the applicable per diem rate.
• Transportation
  • Public carrier – cost of plane, train, or bus ticket
  • Personal vehicle – the cost of use of a personal vehicle will be reimbursed in the amount of 15 cents per mile. Carpooling is encouraged.

Note: The Honors College cannot reimburse departments for expenses incurred on a student's behalf. 

A completed application will consist of:

• Application form
• Letter of acceptance of presentation proposal from sponsoring conference, or invitation to present at sponsoring conference
• Letter of support from a Clemson Faculty member.

NOTE: Applicants for either a full or partial grant must have a recommendation letter from a Clemson faculty member uploaded online before the application can be considered.

Apply through the InfoReady portal if you are presenting at a conference during the Spring semester. 

Please note that the InfoReady application is not compatible with the Safari web browser. For the best experience, access the application using an alternative browser, such as Chrome, Firefox or Edge. 

First-time InfoReady users will be prompted to create an account. After the account has been created, select the link to the appropriate grant application for which you are interested.

Application updates will be provided through the InfoReady portal.

You will receive a link to a “Progress Report” to complete a “Grant Reimbursement form” and upload conference receipts.

You must register with Zelle to receive funds from the Honors College (see “Reimbursement Information” below).

Awarded grants are provided through reimbursement. In most cases, funds are not provided before the experience occurs and will be dispersed after receipts are submitted. If incurring the cost upfront and receiving reimbursement after the experience concludes presents a financial hardship, students can email Jenny Wirtz at jwirtz@clemson.edu for assistance.

Proposals that receive funding are required to register with Zelle in order to receive reimbursement of funds from the Honors College. Registering for Zelle allows Clemson Honors College to reimburse grant funds by putting the funds directly into your bank account.

1. Set Up Your Zelle Account.
   
   After you tap the link above, choose your bank. Depending on what bank you use, the instructions may be different. With TD, for example:
   
   Log into your online banking account.
   Go to transfers and find the tab that says “send money with Zelle.”
   Make sure you use your Clemson email with no “g,” and your personal cell number (not home) to register.
   If you do not have a bank that is listed, you will have to choose that option and provide more information than students who do have a bank listed.
   
   The part of the registration process that links you to Clemson is your email address. This enables Zelle to be used for money transferring. If you use a “g.clemson.edu” email address, drop the “g” when linking the email address to your bank.
   
   Questions related to setting up your Zelle account should be directed to their support number at 1-866-839-3488.
   
   
2. Submit Your Receipts for Payment. 
   
   While you are away, keep track of your receipts. When you get back, you will need to upload your receipts to InfoReady for reimbursement.
   
   Uploaded receipts and accompanying materials will be submitted to the Honors College via InfoReady, and funds will be transferred to student’s bank accounts via Zelle or “Tiger Pay.” 

Contact Melissa Hawkins at melisso@clemson.edu for program details.