Mathematics Funding Requests

Current Mathematics graduate students may request funding for a variety of reasons, whether for professional development or unexpected financial hardship. To request funding, you must complete a the Funding Request Form and attach a Funding Proposal according to the guidelines outlined below.

Funds are requested and paid as Advance Payments or Reimbursements.
Funding requests are limited to $1,000 per request.
A student may request funding up to 3x per academic year.
Exceptions to the request limits are considered on a case by case basis.
Questions about should be directed to the Math Graduate Advisor.

Funding Request Form

Post Spending Report Form

Funding for Academic Programming

Submission Deadlines and Pay Schedules

Requests are accepted on a rolling basis, and are paid as soon as administratively possible. To avoid delays, submit proposals at least one month before the financial aid disbursement date indicated on the academic calendar for the quarter the funds are needed. Requests are unable to be expedited.

Rough Deadlines:

Fall Funding: September 1st
Winter Funding: December 1st
Spring Funding: March 1st
Summer Funding: June 1st

Summer Requests

Due to the university's fiscal year schedule, funds become unavailable mid-June, and are not available again until the Financial Aid Disbursement Date for Fall quarter of the following academic year. Be sure to submit summer funding requests before the summer deadline.

Advance Payments vs Reimbursements

Advance payments are issued before expenses are incurred. If you plan to request an advance, it’s important to do so well in advance, especially during peak times in the quarter. Requests right before the financial aid disbursement date or between quarters may be delayed.

Students who are paid in advance are required to complete the post-spending report after traveling in order to be eligible for future funding.

Reimbursements are issued after expenses have been paid. To ensure full reimbursement, it is strongly recommended that you obtain prior approval before making any purchases. Only expenses that have been pre-approved are guaranteed to be reimbursed in full.

If you submit a reimbursement request without prior approval, it may only be partially covered—depending on available funding and whether the expenses meet eligibility requirements.

Approval Process

Once your funding request is submitted, the Graduate Advisor will be notified via email of your form response. The graduate advisor will review the proposal for completeness before sending it to the department for approval. Once reviewed, the graduate advisor will notify you of the amount approved, and confirm when payment has been sent for processing.

Post-Spending Reporting

If you requested an advance payment, documentation of all spending needs to be reported. This is done by completing the Post-Spending Report Form. Future funding requests may not be considered if a post-spending report for prior funding requests was not submitted.

Funding Proposal Guidelines

Funding proposals should include the following, written in the form of a letter to the Mathematics Department, and should include a section for the following:

Introduction

Provide an overview of yourself, current goals, and a brief overview of the request.

- What is your name, year in program, and what academic milestone or professional goal are you working towards?
- How much money are you requesting and what are you requesting it for?

Background and Rationale

Provide a clear overview of your request by answering the key questions: Who, What, When, Where, and Why.

Who will be involved or present at the event?
What is the event or item, and what does participation or usage entail?
When and where will the event take place, or when will the item be used?
Why do you want to attend or make this purchase? What specific benefits do you expect—such as research insights, skill development, or teaching support—and how will these contribute to your academic or professional goals?

If you are requesting funding for equipment, software, or other non-event purchases, explain why the purchase is necessary, what alternatives were considered, and whether this option offers the best balance of quality and cost. Also describe how the item will directly support your coursework, research, teaching, or overall progress in your program.

Detailed Budget

Provide a clear, itemized breakdown of your projected or actual expenses. Each line item must include the cost and a brief explanation. Supporting documentation for each expense must be included at the end of your funding proposal.

Advance Payments: Submit a screenshot showing the cost at checkout.
Reimbursements: Include a PDF copy of the official purchase receipt.

For airfare, lodging, and personal mileage, you must also provide documentation showing that your choices are cost-effective. If you selected a more expensive option, explain why it was necessary (e.g., safety, convenience, or timing).

Airfare: Include a screenshot from a Google Flights search for the dates of travel. Choose flights that allow reasonable transfer times and avoid overnight layovers. Baggage fees may be included for longer trips.
Lodging: Include a screenshot from Google Hotels for your travel dates. Lodging should be close to the event location and have reasonable safety and quality ratings. Do not select options with very poor reviews or questionable safety to reduce costs.
Personal Mileage: Provide a cost comparison between driving (mileage reimbursement) and flying (airfare + ground transportation).

Endorsement

Funding requests supporting attendance of an event require endorsement from the student's faculty advisor. Students without a faculty advisor should obtain endorsement from the graduate vice chair or graduate advisor. Endorsement can be sent to the graduate advisor who will attach it to the funding request before it is sent for review.

Requests regarding personal hardship do not need endorsement.

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