GSA Professional Development & Research Grant Update

The Graduate Student Association (GSA), in collaboration with SABSC, is currently working to revamp the Professional Development and Research Grant processes to make them more efficient, transparent, and user-friendly for graduate students.

We're excited to introduce several improvements, including:

• A simpler, more intuitive application form

• Clearer and easier-to-understand grant cycles and timelines

• The ability to apply up to 180 days before your travel, allowing approved funding to be used more effectively for planning and booking

To implement these updates, grant applications will be temporarily paused during the month of August while the new system is put into place.

What this means for you:

Students who submitted applications during the current cycle (through July 15th and, as a one-time exception, through July 24th) will receive their decisions during the first week of August, following the normal review timeline.

No new grant applications will be accepted during August, and there will be no September decision cycle, as we transition to the new process.

Applications will reopen on September 1 using the updated system.

We appreciate your patience as we make these improvements. Our goal is to create a grant process that is easier to navigate, more predictable, and better supports graduate students in planning their professional development and research activities.

Stay tuned for additional announcements with the new application form, updated guidelines, and grant cycle information. We can't wait to share these improvements with you!

Questions? Email gsagrants@umbc.edu