M.D. student travel support

Student travel policies and procedures

The University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine (UNR Med) encourages medical students to gain knowledge and experience by being involved in student government, organizations, interest groups and other professional development pursuits. These activities may include travel in Nevada and out-of-state. Personal pursuits are not eligible for funding.

Funding priority:

The Student Executive Committee (SEC) has determined a level of priority for funding travel:

  • Highest Priority: Presentation at regional and national professional meetings. Students must share research or professional experiences with colleagues at the UNR Med through meetings, research forums or colloquia.
  • High Priority: National meetings for which the student is in a leadership position (ex. AAMC, AMA, AMSA, AMWA).
  • Moderate Priority: Attendance at regional and national meetings for students not in leadership positions.
  • Low Priority: Attendance at state conferences.

Note: The amount allocated may not cover all expenses, and students cannot be reimbursed for expenses beyond the budget allotment without approval from Student Affairs and/or the SEC. Students must be in good academic standing at the time of travel to receive travel funds. If, at the time of travel, a student is not in good standing or is on academic probation, SEC funding may be revoked.

Procedure for requesting travel funds:

  1. The University of Nevada, Reno, requires that the following procedures must be followed for all travel outside of the state of Nevada whether funding or reimbursement is requested or not. This is required by the University for insurance purposes; no exception.
  2. The Student Travel Funding Request Form (STFR) must be completed by each student that is traveling (whether traveling with a group or individually). Once the form is approved by the SEC Treasurer, it must be submitted (along with the required documents in item three) to Student Affairs no less than ten working days prior to the date the student's travel begins.
  3. International Travel documentation must be submitted to the University of Nevada, Reno Risk Management office no less than 30 days prior to travel. Therefore, this documentation must be submitted to Student Affairs six weeks prior to travel.
  4. The following documents are required along with the STFR prior to travel:
    1. Copy of the formal announcement of the conference/meeting (website announcement acceptable).
    2. Copy of conference registration form verifying that student paid registration or a note requesting that Student Affairs register the student for the conference.
    3. Copy of airline itinerary showing student paid or note requesting that Student Affairs make reservations, giving a preferred approximate time of departure and return.
      1. Note: Each student is required to have their own lodging, registration and airfare receipts, even when traveling as part of a group. It is not recommended that one person pays for the entire group traveling.
    4. Copy of hotel reservation showing the base room charge. Students must make their own hotel reservations. Funding may be received for airfare, ground transportation, lodging, meals and conference registration fees.
  5. Following return from the conference: All travel receipts must be submitted to Student Affairs within ten days of returning to campus. Original receipts are required for all expenses. If in doubt, save all receipts.
  6. Original final hotel bill showing no balance due.
  7. Receipts for ground transportation (e.g., rental car, gas, parking, taxis, train, shuttle).
  8. Any summer travel must be approved prior to the conclusion of the spring semester.
  9. If you are receiving funding from any other source (e.g., academic department, external organization, etc.), please check with the Student Affairs travel coordinator prior to making any travel arrangements.

Expense guidelines:

As determined by the State of Nevada and/or the University of Nevada, Reno:

  1. Transportation: Includes such modes of transportation as airfare, rental car, taxi, bus, etc.
  2. Lodging: Hotel reimbursement is limited to the maximum rate allowable by the State of Nevada (which is the current federal government per diem rate). These rates are determined based on your primary destination and differ by city and, in some cases, by the time of year. You may view the rates on the GSA Per Diem Rates page to determine which rates apply.
  3. Meals: Reimbursement is limited to the maximum rate allowable by the State of Nevada, which is the current federal government rate for the city destination. 

For any questions on travel reimbursement, contact Stevielynn Webber.