GSA Graduate Chancellor's Research Grant (GCRG)

The Graduate Student Assembly (GSA), through the Chancellor's Graduate Research Grant (GCRG), will support graduate students' travel to attend conferences, workshops, or research activities that will help advance the completion of their master's or doctoral degrees. 

The Graduate Chancellor's Research Grant's (GCRG) objective is to expand research opportunities by enabling students to pursue projects that address identified needs in their respective fields. The grant will support travel to attend conferences, workshops, or research activities that will help advance their master's or doctoral degrees. It will foster professional development by enabling students to connect with experts, programs, and networks within their disciplines. The GCRG aims to promote the intellectual and professional development of graduate students at the University of Nebraska- Lincoln, contributing to the University's mission. 

1. The GCRG Committee shall be composed of no less than five (5) members, of which one shall serve as Chair, or two (2) as co-chairs as elected by the membership of the GSA by simple plurality of votes at its inaugural meeting. 
2. The GCRG Committee shall meet regularly to evaluate applications, grant awards, and evaluate expense reimbursement requests. 
3. Committee members shall adhere to the highest academic standards and should excuse themselves if any conflict of interest arises. 

The number of awards will be determined by the GCRG fund budget and shall be equally divided between the Fall and Spring semesters. 

Travel Awards – Support for conference travel and other approved professional activities (per application guidelines). Awards for domestic travel shall not exceed eight hundred dollars ($800), and awards for international travel shall not exceed a thousand dollars ($1000). These amounts may only be altered by the GSA at the beginning of each academic year.  

Research Activity Awards –Up to $300 to support research activities that contribute directly to the completion of a master’s or doctoral degree. Applications will be on a rolling basis or when the funds are finished. 

1. Peer reviewers shall be graduate students in good academic standing that have established academic residency at the university, in accordance with the Office of Graduate Studies regulations. 
2. Any student fulfilling the above-mentioned requirement may request to serve as a peer reviewer for any period, provided they do so at least 15 days before the application deadline. Tenure as a peer reviewer shall expire after every review period. 
3. The GCRG Committee shall determine any additional requirements for serving as a peer reviewer, as well as the application procedure for becoming one. 
4. Any student serving as a peer reviewer shall be disqualified from applying to and receiving any GCRG funds during their period of service. 
5. Peer reviewers shall adhere to the highest academic standards and should excuse themselves if any conflict of interest arises. 
6. The GCRG Committee shall recruit members from various disciplines to serve as faculty or staff reviewers for the GCRG. 
7. Faculty and staff reviewers shall not evaluate applications submitted by students to which they serve as chairs, members of their supervisory committee, or with whom they collaborate. 
8. Faculty and staff reviewers shall adhere to the highest academic standards and should excuse themselves if any conflict of interest arises.

1. Applicants must be enrolled in a degree program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and be in good academic standing. 
2. All travel and research must be completed before graduation. 
3. Students are eligible to receive up to one travel and one research award per academic year, but they may apply multiple times, provided they only apply once during each semester (e.g., Fall, Spring, or Summer). Previous winners will be considered secondary to first-time applicants. 
4. Award recipients are required to present and share their work as proof of academic engagement. This includes submitting a poster, presentation, or work summary, along with a letter of gratitude describing how the grant contributed to their academic success. These materials will be used to gather information about the impact of the grant. 

Research Awards 

Applications must be accompanied by:  

• Justification of the importance of research activities or workshops to the advancement of the master's or doctoral degree. 
• A support letter from the academic advisor stating the importance of the research activity.  
• List of all other sources of funding to attend the proposed experience, including but not limited to departmental support. The list should detail what cost each source will cover, including the Chancellor's Graduate Research Grant. 

Travel Awards 

Applications must be accompanied by:  

• Proof of application to be present at a conference or workshop or proof of acceptance as a presenter. 
• Conference poster/oral presentation application or acceptance, including the submitted abstract. 
• Any supporting information requested in this application. Any further information and/or documentation will not be evaluated. 
• A support letter from the academic advisor stating the importance of the research activity.  
• Statement of Purpose: In 500 words or less please describe your research and the importance of attending this conference. Please keep in mind that reviewers may not be in your area of study. Essays longer than 500 words will be disqualified. All applications will be evaluated in accordance with the GCRG Rules.  

Evaluation Process 

Applications will be blindly reviewed by an “ad hoc” committee composed of two (2) peer reviewers and one (1) faculty or staff reviewer. Travel award applications shall be evaluated on a fifty (50) point scale in accordance with the rubric in Appendix 1. 

The GCRG Committee shall refer all applications to the reviewers which shall return their completed evaluation rubrics no later than ten (10) days after receiving them. If any of the reviewers fail to return the completed evaluation rubric, a new reviewer may be selected, provided the evaluation is returned in no more than five (5) days. 

To ensure evaluations are returned in due time, the GCRG Committee shall distribute applications evenly among peer and faculty or staff reviewers. 

1. The GCRG Committee shall calculate the final score of all applications, with the highest ranked application receiving the requested funds, and proceeding downwards, until all monies have been allocated. 
2. Provided two or more applications are tied for the last funds to be allocated: 
3. The faculty or staff reviewer’s score shall determine who gets the award. 
4. A coin toss shall determine the awardee, provided the above-defined procedure fails to favor an application. 
5. Awardees shall be notified electronically via email before the deadline and shall be required to formally accept or decline the award within seven (7) days. 
6. If an awardee declines an award, or is unable to attend the conference, he or she must notify the GCRG Committee as soon as possible. If the notification deadline has not elapsed, the GCRG Committee may re-award the funds for that period. 

1. Funds may only be used as approved by university policies and as set forth by the GCRG Committee and the Graduate School. The individual will only receive funds to cover the exact expenditure up to the amount approved. Travel Grant and Research activity awards funds may not be used to fund the following:  
2. Anything found in violation of law and/or University rules, regulations, policies and procedures. 
3. Personal travel. 
4. Items and expenses are not included in the original travel grant application. 
5. Purchase of beer, wine, or other alcoholic beverages. 
6. Plaques, prizes, scholarships, awards, trophies or medals, or other related gift items. 
7. Payments to invest in or provide capital for any business or commercial enterprise, or any activity intended to generate profit. 
8. Telephone, electronic facsimile, Internet, cable or communication device charges. 
9. Prohibited purchases include: 
10. Firearms, weapons, or ammunition. 
11. Tobacco or tobacco related products. 
12. Illegal or illicit substances or devices. 
13. Controlled substances 
14. Pornography or other products that are demeaning or degrading to people. 
15. Any court actions. 
16. Costs or litigation against the University, of its employees in fulfillment of their duties, or against its students. 
17. Rental vehicles and rental vehicle insurance unless proper justification is provided. 
18. Incidental travel if not on the original application. 
19. Travel costs for a graduate student engaged in lobbying, class work requirements, or job searching 
20. Association dues, even if required to attend a conference or competition. 
21. In the case of transportation, University mileage regulations will apply. 

Travel Awards  

1. Travel award shall be extended as a transfer to the sponsoring University department.  All coordination of travel and expenses will be made through the sponsoring department.  
2. Students will not make their own travel arrangements and must coordinate all travel expenses through the sponsoring departments.   
3. No later than thirty (30) days from the conference conclusion, a transfer will be made from Student Life Business Services to the sponsoring University department.  
4. It is the sponsoring department’s responsibility to verify that all claimed expenses comply with university travel regulations and verify with the University department or graduate program of the student that no expense has been claimed more than once. 
5. Departments will cover students’ expenses up to allocated award amounts with provided receipts and direct purchase.  Student Life Business Services will coordinate transfer of expenses to fund individual student award after completion of expenditure.  Either student or department should alert the Business Services team so that transfer can be completed promptly. 
6. Special provisions shall be taken if conference travel occurs close to the end of the fiscal year, so that the awarded monies are disbursed from the appropriate budget. 

Research Awards  

1. Research award shall be extended as a transfer to the sponsoring University department. 
2. Purchases for all research awards should be coordinated with the sponsoring department. 
3. Research awards shall be made directly to students through department cost object numbers. 
4. Following expenditure verification by the department, the sponsoring department will be reimbursed from Student Life Business Services.

It is the responsibility of all graduate students seeking GCRG funds to read and understand policies and procedures of the University, the Graduate School, and GSA. Individuals that receive GCRG funding must be in compliance with all policies and procedures at all times. Individuals that are found to be in violation of any policy of the University, the Graduate School, GSA, and GCRG must reimburse any and all funds they received during the time they were in violation of these policies. Furthermore, individuals that attempt to defraud or mislead the University, the Graduate School, GSA and/or GCRG will be subject to disciplinary review, and individuals may be held individually responsible and criminally liable for any funds received illegally or under false pretenses. 

Any student may request the GCRG Committee permission to review their application and evaluation materials, but always the confidentiality of the peer and faculty reviewers shall be maintained. 

Approved by the Graduate Student Assembly on April 5, 2016. 

Amended by the Graduate Student Assembly on October 4, 2016. 

Amended by the Graduate Student Assembly on October 3, 2017.  

Amended by the Graduate Student Assembly on April 5, 2022. 

Amended by the Graduate Student Assembly on March 7, 2023. 

Amended by the Graduate Student Assembly on March 10, 2026 

Amended by the Graduate Student Assembly on October 6, 2026