Professional Advancement Grants

Funding for travel to professional meetings is available to graduate students through the Professional Advancement Grant (PAG) programs of the Graduate and Professional Student Senate and the office of the Vice Provost for Research and Dean of the Graduate College. Graduate students are permitted one travel PAG per fiscal year (July 1 to June 30 of the following year).

Travel PAG funds may be used for reimbursement of meeting registration fees at conferences, room and board, or travel expenses. For approved proposals, the Graduate College provides $50 ($100 if you’re presenting a paper). The Graduate and Professional Student Senate provides additional funding of between $30 and $200, depending upon how long your meeting lasts and whether you are a non-presenting attendee, a non-presenting author of a presented paper, or an author presenting a paper. The Department of English may fund on a competitive basis travel for graduate students to conferences at which they are presenters, serve on panels, conduct workshops, or promote a journal they help edit. The maximum amount of travel funds will be $500 for Ph.D. students and $300 for M.F.A. and M.A. students.  More details about PAGs and a link to the PAG application form may be found on the Graduate and Professional Student Senate PAGs webpage.

In order to receive funding from the Graduate College/Senate, and the English Department, students MUST apply for these funds in advance. After completing the PAG, including signatures, please give the application and abstract to Kristin Anderson, 259 Ross Hall, to process. You will be notified in 2-3 weeks about your funds. Paperwork must be submitted no later than 4 weeks in advance of the conference to make it through the channels before the conference date.

Travel is reimbursed by submitting expenses electronically on AccessPlus after travel is completed. Log on to your AccessPlus account and click on the “Employee” tab. Click on “Web Travel System” and follow the directions to complete the form. When finished, you must turn in the original receipts to Kristin Anderson, 259 Ross Hall. Travel expenses will not be approved until receipts have been analyzed and approved.

University and federal loans and work-study

The university participates in a number of federally and state sponsored programs. Among those are the National Direct Student Loan and Guaranteed Student Loan programs and the College Work-Study Program. These programs are administered through the ISU Student Financial Aid Office. For further information contact

Student Financial Aid Office
0210 Beardshear Hall
(515) 294-2223

Off-campus sources for fellowships, travel, foreign study

The Office of Sponsored Programs provides help for securing aid outside the university. This service is available to graduate students as well as faculty. Graduate students are encouraged to contact the Office of Sponsored Programs for assistance in identifying sources of financial aid. A research-funding library containing source materials is also available. The office has a number of directories that list prizes and awards and that can help graduate students discover both federal and private sources of financial aid for study at the master's degree level, for travel, for study abroad, and for attendance at conferences and institutes. For further information contact

Office of Sponsored Programs
1138 Pearson Hall
(515) 294-5225