Welcome to the GSESG Funding page! We are pleased to announce funding opportunities for Graduate School of Education (GSE) students. Please review the following important information regarding eligibility, application deadlines, and funding allocation.
Available Funding
This fall, we are allocating $20,000 for grants. Please note that once these funds are depleted, no additional allocations will be made. Any unused funds will be redirected to other initiatives within GSESG.
Application Cycles
For the fall grant, the funding cycle will cover May 15th - December 20th for continuing students, expenses for graduating students must be incurred and submitted at least 2 weeks (14 days) prior to the official end of term.
For multi-day events, consider the final day of the event as the expense date. Travel dates must fall within the application funding cycle. Travel spanning two cycles should be submitted in the later cycle.
Application Dates and Requirements
- GSE Fall Grant Application Deadline: October 1st, 2025
- Submission Requirements: Application Form
- Award Letter Notification: November 1st, 2025
- Reimbursement Deadline: December 22nd, 2025
Note: After you receive an award letter, you will also need to follow the reimbursement instructions provided by the Graduate Student Center to get the grant. Please visit this link for information about reimbursement deadlines and processes: https://gsc.upenn.edu/graduate-grants#StudentGov
Grant Types and Amounts
We offer two types of grants:
- Attending Students: Up to $250 for students attending a conference.
- Presenting Students: Up to $400 for students presenting at a conference.
Eligibility Criteria
To qualify for the GSESG funding, applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Applicants must be professional, or research students enrolled in the GSE who have paid the general fee (activity fee) within their billing cycle.
- The grant can only be used to subsidize conference travel expenses, which only include:
- Airfare
- Lodging (covered at up to 110% of the published per diem rates in the activity location)
- Registration fees
- Membership fees for the conference
- For conferences and other activities based in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, only registration fees (including conference membership fees) will be reimbursed.
(You will only be reimbursed for the actual expenses you incur for the conference. If you receive both the GAPSA grant and the GSE grant, you are unlikely to receive double reimbursement for any costs already covered by one of the grants; you are expected to only be reimbursed once for each expense.)
Please note:
- If you don’t follow the reimbursement instruction by the Graduate Student Center after getting the award letter, your award letter will be invalidated, and annulled.
- There is no exception regarding to the application deadline.
- Reimbursements are not guaranteed from year to year, and submitting an application for reimbursement does not guarantee funding. Students may apply for conference funding from GSE grant once per semester.
- Depending on your tax status and taxes policy from your country, taxes may be withheld prior to the grant disbursement. Such taxes may be refunded when students file annual taxes with the IRS.
- Approval of grant applications is at the discretion of the GSESG Finance Team. You assume fiscal liability for the total amount if you attend a conference that is not approved or if you fail to submit a complete request by the deadline. There will be no reimbursement appeals; all decisions are final.
If you have any questions or need further assistance, please feel free to contact us at gsesg@gse.upenn.edu.
GSESG Individual Conference Grants
GSE students are encouraged to apply for additional funding through GAPSA to supplement GSESG grants: GAPSA Individual Grants
Other university grant opportunities and information:
Graduate Student Center Funding Resources
Graduate Student Fellowship & Award Opportunities
CURF Graduate Funding Resources
Office of Vice Provost for Research Grants Resources