The SPA Undergraduate Conference Travel Award is available to partially defray the cost of registration and travel for SPA undergraduate students who are presenting research at scholarly conferences. Awards are allocated through a competitive process and students are eligible for only one award each academic year.

To be considered, applicants must be full-time undergraduate students in SPA who are in good academic standing. Applications will be reviewed individually on merit, with special attention given to overall academic progress, the quality of the research being presented, and the relevance of the conference to the student’s academic and professional goals. If applying for summer travel, students must be registered for undergraduate classes at AU in the subsequent fall semester.  

The awards are intended to offset, but not necessarily cover, all travel-related expenses. Funding may support:

• Conference registration fees
• Accomadation
• Transportation
• Academic poster printing

Please note funding cannot be granted for travel or presentations taking place after a student has officially graduated from American University.  

Recipients of the award may be asked to share their conference experience with the SPA community (e.g., through a short write-up, presentation, or testimonial) to highlight the value of student research and professional development.

Additional documentation may be required for conference-related funding requests. For questions and additional information, please email jenniferm@american.edu.

Click the link to apply SPA Undergraduate Conference Travel Award.

The application portal will open November 17, 2025, for students attending conferences in 2026.