History & Overview

The Graduate Research Support Program was created in 1980 through a joint venture of the Graduate and Professional Student Association and the Office of the Vice President of Research and Economic Affairs. One purpose of the GRSP is to promote excellence in graduate education at Arizona State University. In 1996, this program was combined with the Graduate Education Research Award Program in order to increase resources available for student support. Currently, the Graduate College coordinates the reimbursement process and the GPSA oversees the Peer Review Committee, composed of graduate students who review and recommend proposals for the award.

Application Deadlines

•     Fall: August 1, by 11:59 PM AZ time
•     Spring: January 1, by 11:59 PM AZ time

Administered by: The Graduate and Professional Student Association

Sponsored by: The Graduate College, Arizona State University.

Program Guidelines

Eligibility

A candidate for grant allocations must be enrolled in a graduate degree program at Arizona State University at the time of application and for the specified one-year funding period. The student must intend to complete their degree at Arizona State University. Students can be enrolled in a campus immersion or an online/digital immersion graduate program.  

Funding

Two levels of funding will be available: terminal (dissertation/thesis) and independent research.

•     Up to $2,000 is available for research approved by the student’s dissertation or thesis committee.
•     Graduate students conducting research other than the terminal project in their regular curriculum may apply for up to $750.
•     Students may not apply simultaneously for both categories; only one proposal is accepted for review. Furthermore, only one award may be granted per degree (i.e., an applicant may not receive a terminal research grant for their thesis or dissertation more than once, however, they may receive the $2,000 terminal research award for both a thesis project and also a dissertation project). The total amount requested in a proposal may not be awarded in full.
•     Expenses must be submitted by May 15, 2024

Please note that joint applications for co-applicants will not be accepted. Submit only one application per project.

Expenses

Award Disbursement Process

There are four ways in which recipients can access their funds.

Issued as a Grant

• If you are seeking a grant, please fill out an EPRF form,  and submit to grad-gpsa@asu.edu with the following:
• A copy of your award letter
• Itemized summary of proposed use of funds (if provided in application materials, please submit again); these expenses should match your submitted budget in order to expedite approvals
• The form requires a brief statement explaining the business purpose of the expense(s), please utilize information from your application
• Upon receipt of request, you will be issued additional instructions.

Reimbursement via Workday

• If you are seeking a reimbursement for a payment that you have already made, please fill out an EPRF form and submit to grad-gpsa@asu.edu with the following:
• A copy of your award letter
• Itemized receipt(s) showing proof of payment (if provided in application materials, please submit again); these expenses should match your submitted budget in order to expedite approvals
• The form requires a brief statement explaining the business purpose of the expense(s), please utilize information from your application

• If you purchase items using personal funds, you MUST submit your receipts within THIRTY calendar days of the purchase. You may turn in receipts multiple times throughout the academic year for the same award up to your awarded amount; however, if you do not turn in receipts within thirty days of purchase, you will not be eligible for reimbursement for that expense.
• The only exception to this is for purchases that are made between August 17 and September 1, 2023, prior to award notification. Those receipts must be submitted no later than October 15, 2023, to be eligible for reimbursement.

For Travel Related Expenses

• If you are planning to utilize your award for travel, please follow the instructions for using ASU’s MyASU Trip system.
• For international travel as a student, you must first register your international travel in the Student International Travel Registration System.
• Pre-authorization and the use of ASU’s booking processes are required to ensure travel reimbursement.
• Airfare must be booked through My ASU Trip/Concur so the university may fulfill its duty of care and responsibility to ASU travelers.
• Lodging, rental cars and other business travel arrangements should be booked through My ASU Trip/Concur unless there is a business reason to do otherwise.

Direct Payment for items such as materials, supplies, equipment rental, professional services

• If you are requesting the Graduate College make payment on your behalf, please fill out an EPRF form and submit to grad-gpsa@asu.edu with the following:
• A copy of your award letter
• Information needed to make payment (weblink, etc.); these expenses should match your submitted budget in order to expedite purchase/payment
• The form requires a brief statement explaining the business purpose of the expense(s), please utilize information from your application

*PLEASE NOTE: All purchases for chemicals, on campus facilities such as animal care, 3D printing facilities, or other Core Facilities must be made directly by the Graduate College (grad-gpsa@asu.edu) and will be deducted from the initial award amount. These expenses cannot be reimbursed. Any remaining funds can be issued as a grant or a reimbursement of expenses.

The following items are prohibited regardless of award disbursement method

•     Tuition or remuneration of time spent on project
•     Conference travel (although travel for data collection is allowed).
•     Terminal publication charges (e.g., binding/printing of thesis or dissertation)
•     Dissertation expenses (i.e., printing, editing, translation of dissertation, etc.)
•     Services provided by ASU employees, which includes research assistants and students.
•     Salaries and wages for research assistants, ASU affiliates or employees

The following items are prohibited as reimbursements. Please contact the Graduate College on other award disbursement options.

•     Equipment purchase (no laptops, no cameras, monitors, hard drives, etc.)
•     Software and software licenses
•     Expenses greater than or equal to $1,000

More detailed information on allowable expenses can be found here and will be provided to awardees following notification of award. For further questions or inquiries, please contact the  Graduate College email at grad-gpsa@asu.edu or 480-965-3521.

Requests for research expenses must include a justifiable budget with a detailed description of anticipated expenses within each category; justification is essential in the case of subject incentives. In the event that the Graduate Research Support Program cannot award a full grant, it is advisable that the applicants note funding priorities on the justified budget.

Awards

If duplicate sources of support for grant proposals are received and each fully funds the proposed project, recipients must choose one source. If a recipient accepts funding from another source, the Graduate Research Support Program funds must be returned to the Program. Duplicate awards involving partial funding by the Graduate Research Support Program will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Written requests for budget changes and funding extensions will be considered on a case-by-case basis. All requests for grant extensions, budget changes and extensions must be submitted for approval to Katrina Roalson, katrina.roalson@asu.edu, Sr Director, Fiscal Business Services for the Graduate College.

Reimbursement Details

Eligible Dates for Reimbursement

•     For Fall GRSP Awards, reimbursements will be granted for eligible purchases that occur between August 17, 2023 and May 15, 2024.
•     For Spring GRSP Awards, reimbursements will be granted for eligible purchases that occur between January 1, 2024 and May 15, 2024.

 For more information about the process,please visit the Graduate College GRSP website or reach out to Graduate College staff via email (grad-gpsa@asu.edu)