UTGSU Student Conference Bursary (SCB)

The UTGSU Student Conference Bursary (SCB) was created to financially assist UTGSU Members attending and/or presenting at academic conferences. The amount of a single bursary is up to $250, regardless of conference location or estimated expenses.A total of 120 bursaries are distributed each year, corresponding to 40 bursaries per each of the UTGSU’s three (3) conference bursary cycles: Fall Cycle, Winter Cycle, and Summer Cycle.

2023 Winter Cycle for SCB is CLOSED.

Application Eligibility

All applicants to the UTGSU Conference Bursary must meet the following eligibility criteria:

  1. The applicant is a UTGSU Member at the time of application
  2. The applicant has not already received a UTGSU Conference Bursary within the current Academic Year (Sept to August)
  3. The start date of the conference for which the bursary would apply to is within the time period specified for each respective Conference Bursary Cycle (see below)

Conference Eligibility

There are three (3) Conference Bursary Cycles: Fall Conference Bursary Cycle, the Winter Conference Bursary Cycle, and the Summer Conference Bursary Cycle. The eligibility of a UTGSU Conference Bursary to be applied to a specific conference is determined by that conference’s start date. If the conference specified in a UTGSU Conference Bursary application falls outside of the time period specific to a Conference Bursary Cycle, then that application will be disqualified from the respective Conference Bursary Cycle. The eligible time periods for conference start dates specific to each Conference Bursary Cycle are given below:

Fall Cycle: Conferences which have start dates on or between Sept 1st and Dec 31st of each year. Applications open on 15 Dec and closes on Jan 15 of the following year.

Winter Cycle: Conferences which have start dates on or between January 1st and April 30 of each year. Applications open on April 15 and closes on May 15 of each year.

Summer Cycle: Conferences which have start dates on or between May 1st and August 31st of each year. Applications open on Aug 15th and close on September 15th of each year.

Application Instructions and Form

Applications are completed and submitted using an online application form. The link will be provided in each cycle. All applicants to the UTGSU Conference Bursary are required to submit proof of conference attendance and supporting documents before funds can be released. Proof of conference attendance and all supporting documents must include the following:

  1. Conference Program (relevant sections with the applicant’s name and/or abstract highlighted if the applicant presented at the conference)
  2. Receipt of attendance, signed by a conference organizer
  3. Travel tickets and receipts (e.g., car rental, train, flight, etc.)
  4. Accommodation receipts (e.g., hotel, hostel, AirBnB, etc.)
  5. Conference fee receipt
  6. Other (at the discretion of the UTGSU Finance Committee)

Please also note that only one application is permitted per applicant. The supporting documents must be submitted in the application. If no supporting document is provided the application will be deemed ineligible and will be disqualified.

Selection of Successful Applicants

All successful applicants to the UTGSU Conference Bursary are selected by the UTGSU Finance Committee using a random lottery system. The amount of a single bursary is $250, regardless of conference location or estimated expenses. A total of forty (40) successful applicants will be selected during each Conference Bursary Cycle. For each Cycle, 50% of all bursaries are awarded to applicants in the funded cohort (i.e., those applicants who receive a base funding package) and the remaining 50% are awarded to applicants in the unfunded cohort (i.e., those applications who do not receive a base funding package). In addition, an equal number of bursaries are awarded to applicants across all four School of Graduate Studies (SGS) Academic Divisions: Humanities, Social Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Life Sciences.

All funds will be released in the form of a cheque. It is your responsibility to provide accurate mailing address. Please note that the UTGSU cannot guarantee the replacement of lost or stolen cheques.

Disqualification

If the conference specified in a UTGSU Student Conference Bursary application falls outside of the time period specific to a Conference Bursary Cycle, then that application will be disqualified from the respective Conference Bursary Cycle. All information of applications will be reviewed for accuracy and eligibility. If any inaccurate information is found during the application process, the UTGSU Finance Committee reserves the right to disqualify the applicant from the current and future funding.