Conference Registration Allowance

About the Program

Attending conferences is an important part of your professional and academic development – and can be a fun experience! To help students attend conferences of their choosing, the former Travel Grant Reimbursement Program has evolved into the: Conference Registration Allowance.

The Conference Registration Allowance was designed to support and encourage students to attend conferences of their own choosing, and will reimburse eligible students up to $500 in registration fees to attend one conference per year. 

We understand that conferences can provide essential networking opportunities with other scholars in your areas of study and interest. With this in mind, we invite students that have officially advanced to a TGR enrollment status to apply twice each academic year for registration reimbursement, up to $500 for each request.

*Please note: this award reimburses expenses incurred directly by students, and does not reimburse any expenses paid via a student’s department/program, PI, or lab. Requests for exceptions to this policy cannot be granted.

Applicant Eligibility

• Must be currently enrolled and actively pursuing a PhD in one of the following School of Medicine programs: Biochemistry, Biomedical Data Science, Biomedical Physics, Biophysics, Cancer Biology, Chemical and Systems Biology, Developmental Biology, Epidemiology and Clinical Research, Genetics, Health and Research Policy, Immunology, Microbiology and Immunology, Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Neurosciences, Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, or Structural Biology.
• Must be attending a meeting or conference organized by professional societies, universities, institutes, or other academic organizations.

Award details

• Students meeting the eligibility criteria listed above are eligible for reimbursement of conference registration expenses up to $500 once per academic year. Students that have advanced to a TGR enrollment status are eligible to apply twice per academic year. If you have questions about your TGR status, please reach out to your Student Services Officer (SSO), as they are best able to review your specific circumstance.
• In order to receive reimbursement, students must provide two documents with their request: confirmation of registration and proof of payment. Both documents should feature identifying information such as the student’s name or Stanford email address. Reimbursements will not exceed $500 for each request.
• The Office of Graduate Education will review requests for eligibility and completeness before processing payments via the Graduate Financial System (GFS). Please note that awards are considered taxable income. Requests without proper documentation, or for expenses not incurred by the student directly will result in a delayed or forfeited award.

How to Apply

This fund will be administered by the Office of Graduate Education and is subject to fund availability. Applications will remain open year-round, and you may submit your request as soon as you have all the necessary materials. Applications will be reviewed quarterly following the dates listed in the table below.

Important Application Dates

*Dates Listed for notification are estimates.

**Applications received after the July 6, 2027 deadline will be reviewed during the Autumn 2027-28 review period, and any awarded amount will count towards your 2027-28 award limits.

If you have questions after reviewing program details and eligibility requirements, please contact the Office of Graduate Education at oge-helpme@stanford.edu.