Graduate student travel support
The Price Faculty of Engineering, along with its individual departments, offers travel awards, funding and grants to support graduate students who are presenting their research at in-person or virtual conferences.
Other sources of funding should be pursued, including conference travel grants and awards administered through the the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (FGPS). Students who have obtained funding from these, or other sources, may still apply for this award, but total funding cannot exceed normal travel expenses.
Available funding (travel awards, funding, grants, etc.)
Travel supports for graduate students who are presenting their research are available from various sources. The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, University of Manitoba Graduate & Postdoctoral Society, Price Faculty of Engineering, Engineering Departments, and Graduate Student Supervisors each act as separate sources for funding or awards available to graduate students.
Review the eligibility and criteria for each thoroughly before beginning the application process.
FGPS & UMGPS travel grant
- Award amount $250-$1000
- Can be received once at a Masters level and twice at a PhD level
- Must apply through Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (FGPS) Graduate Student Portal
The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies allocates funds to assist Master's and PhD students with costs for travel for presentations or papers, posters, or other creative work pertinent to their studies.
To apply for the FGPS award, you will require a Letter of Support from Department Head form signed by your advisor and department contact.
As of September 2025, the application for the UMGPS Conference Grant has merged with the FGPS Travel Award application. If qualified, the Graduate Student Association Travel Scholarship valued at $250 from the University of Manitoba Graduate and Postdoctoral Society (UMGPS) will be awarded alongside with the FGPS Travel Grant.
Price Faculty of Engineering graduate student travel award
- Award amount up to $250
- Can be received once at a Masters level and twice at a PhD level
- Must apply through your department
The Price Faculty of Engineering offers support to all Engineering graduate students in each department. This award must be applied for through your department contact, the application is combined with the Engineering department graduate student travel award.
Department graduate student travel award
- Award amount $250-$500 (varies by department)
- Can be received once at a Masters level and twice at a PhD level (varies by department)
- Must apply directly through your department
Each individual Engineering department offers support to Master's and PhD students attending conferences or events where they are presenting their research/paper. This award can be applied for through your department; the application is combined with the Price Faculty of Engineering graduate student travel award.
Graduate student advisor funding
Graduate students' advisor(s) can financially support their student, where applicable.
Talk to your advisor about the possibility of additional funding for presenting research at professional meetings or conferences.
Price Faculty of Engineering and department travel awards
Eligibility
- Must be enrolled full-time as a graduate student (M.Eng., M.Sc., or PhD) of an Engineering Department (Biosystems Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Engineering Education)
- Must be presenting research relating to their degree as the primary or co-author at a professional meeting or conference
- May not receive each award more than once during a Master's program or twice in a PhD program (Note: may vary by department. Please confirm this with department contact.)
- Application is submitted prior to conference start date or no later than 60 days following
Application procedure
STEP 1
Prepare application documents
- Complete and sign the Expense Pre-Approval Form (PDF)
- Employee signatures = student
- One-over-one approval = student's advisor
- Financial authority approval = to be completed by department contact
- Complete and sign the Price Faculty of Engineering & Department Travel Support Application Form (PDF)
When estimating costs, please match your estimations from the Expense Pre-Approval Form to estimations on page 3 on your Price Faculty of Engineering & Department Travel Support Application.
STEP 2
Submit application documents
Submit the completed and signed application documents to your department contact.
STEP 3
Submit required documentation following your return from the conference
If your application was successful, a Guest & Student Travel Expense Claim Form must be submitted within 60 days after you've returned from the conference.
Please submit the completed Gues & Student Travel and Expense Claim Form, along with the following documents to your department contact:
- Conference agenda
- Certificate of attendance/name badge
- Transportation e-tickets and invoices
- Boarding passes
- Any other detailed/itemized receipts of eligible expenses
Helpful tool: If you have never completed an expense claim form before, review this example Guest & Student Travel Expense Claim form.
Additional information and tools
Claimable expenses
For an expense to be eligible for reimbursement, it must be incurred within the listed dates of the attended conference. Allowance for travel days one-day prior and one-day following the conference start and end dates are eligible, however, may be subject to the discretion of the reviewee.
Itemized receipts are required for all claimed expenses. A credit card receipt and/or bank statement cannot be used in lieu of an itemized receipt.
Types of eligible expenses:
- Conference registration
- Transportation: airfare, baggage fee, seat selection, vehicle rentals, taxis, parking, shuttles, buses, trains, mileage, fuel
- Accommodation: hotel, Airbnb, etc.
- Meals: per diem allowances
- Printing costs
- Professional memberships
Non-eligible expenses: alcohol, donations/gifts, late fees, parking/traffic fines, service fees, personal extension of a business trip.
Meals per diem rates
| Location | Total per diem | Breakfast per diem | Lunch per diem | Supper per diem |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | $60 | $15 | $15 | $30 |
| USA or Africa | $80 | $20 | $20 | $40 |
| Asia, Latin America or Oceania | $90 | $20 | $20 | $50 |
| Europe or Caribbean | $110 | $25 | $25 | $60 |
Personal travel extensions
Students may choose to personally pay to extend their travel before/after conference dates. Expenses outside of the conference timeline are not eligible for reimbursement.
When booking airfare outside of eligible conference dates, you must include a quote or screenshot of the flight(s) within the eligible dates. If the cost within the eligible dates is less than the flights you booked, you will only be reimbursed for the lesser amount.
'Eligible dates' refers to 1-day prior to conference start date through 1-day following conference end date.
Please discuss with your department contact about any personal extensions of your trip prior to applying for the award.
Foreign currency
When expenses are incurred in a foreign currency, the claimant must show proof of the exchange rate back to Canadian currency to be reimbursable.
Bank/credit card statements will often show the current exchange rate at the time of purchase. This can be accompanied to the itemized receipt.
Receiving payment
When approved for the Price Faculty of Engineering & Department Travel Award, the student will receive the award after all required documentation is submitted to their department contact.
If the student currently has a direct deposit account set-up with the University of Manitoba, the approved amount will be deposited directly into the account on file, once all processing is completed. If no direct deposit account, a cheque will be mailed to the address listed on the expense claim form.
All sources of funding are to be paid as a reimbursement following the conference/event. Students must incur the expenses personally and then receive award(s) as a reimbursement. It is not guaranteed that the award(s) will reimburse all eligible expenses incurred during the conference.
In special cases there are specific expenses that may be able to be covered prior to the conference. Please reach out to your department contact for more information.
Department contacts
Please direct all questions regarding the Price Faculty of Engineering and department travel support to your department contact.