GSG Grant Programs

*The Spring 2025 Travel Grant funds have been dispersed and the application is now closed*

Purpose of GSG Grant Programs

The graduate student government is committed to enhancing the graduate student experience at Mines by providing a variety of services, social events, and forums for graduate students to express their comments and concerns. Perhaps one of the most important ways in which GSG supports graduate students is by providing a number of grants which support students in attending and presenting at conferences, support graduate students with families, and support students in bringing in outside professionals for informative seminars open to all graduate students. We are always interested in feedback on our grant programs, to ensure they are meeting the needs of Mines graduate students. Please contact a GSG Council Member if you have ideas for new grant programs or improvements to existing grant programs. 

For any questions regarding grants please contact the GSG Director of Finance Galen Dennis (gsgtreasurer@mines.edu).

Please find further details on each grant below.

Travel Grants

Link to Application Form

Spring 2025 Travel Grant funds have been dispersed. Please consider apply for a future semester.

Travel Grant Quick Reference Rules

Each graduate student is allowed one travel grant per degree program with a total award not to exceed either $700 or $950 depending on travel destination. The following table gives the grant amounts.  

Travel grant applications will only be considered if the conference travel occurs within the stated Conference Travel Dates, applications for conference travel outside of the stated dates will be rejected and applicant will need to reapply in the appropriate grant period. The following table gives the grant periods and their associated conference dates 

Travel Grant Rules and Regulations

A principal role of the Mines graduate student government is to support the professional development of graduate students across the Mines community. Therefore, GSG encourages graduate students to apply for a one-time travel grant fund during their degree program.  

The travel grant funds are broken down into two types of support which can cover the cost of attending and/or presenting at a conference or professional development event. These two categories are broken down further into attendance and presenter grants for domestic and international event travel. The maximum amount a student can apply for to cover a single domestic conference event is $700; however, the attendance ($200) and presenter ($500) portions of the grant can be applied to separate events given that a student has not previously received the portion of the grant (attendance/presenter) that is being applied for, i.e. each type of grant will only be awarded once per student per degree program. For international conference grants, the attendance grant remains at $200 but in lieu of the higher costs associated with international travel, GSG will provide an extra $250 with the presenter portion of the grant, bringing the total maximum up to $950 for international conferences with the same rules and restrictions in place. 

For the purposes of the travel grant, your degree program is established to be the degree you applied and were accepted into Mines for. For example, a student who applied for a Master’s degree program who finishes the Master’s degree and then reapplies and is accepted for a PhD program can apply for one travel grant for the Master’s degree and one for the PhD. However, a PhD student who gets their Master’s along the way qualifies for only one travel grant as the Master’s and PhD degree program are not separate. These grants are open to all qualified graduate students in any degree program (Master’s, PhD, Master’s Non-Thesis, etc…).   

The total amount of travel grant funding available per semester is determined by the GSG general council but generally encompasses ~35% of the GSG budget. The total award monies are divided into three periods to handle applications for conferences falling within certain dates and to ensure that GSG is able to best serve the graduate community by setting aside specific travel grant funds for each of the three periods in the year. The first of these periods, the Fall travel grant period, accepts applications for travel occurring from the start of the Fall semester (generally in mid-late August) to the end of December and will automatically reject any applications for conferences or professional development events occurring outside of this period. The second period is the Spring travel grant period which accepts applications for travel occurring from the start of January to the end of the spring semester (generally in mid-late May), and again, any applications for conference travel occurring outside of these dates will be automatically rejected. The final period is the Summer travel grant period which runs from the end of the Spring semester to the beginning of the Fall semester with the same rules for applications. Once the funds for a given period are exhausted, no further travel grants in that period will be approved without additional appropriations by the GSG Council. The start and end dates for semesters will be determined by the official academic calendar posted by Mines.   

Acceptance of a GSG travel grant requires completion of a Conference Report within 30 days of travel.  Conference reports may be in a variety of formats and should be emailed directly to the GSG Director of Finance at gsgtreasurer@mines.edu. The conference report consists of a 250 word description of the attendee’s experience as well as three photos from the trip, one of which must show the applicant presenting their material if awarded the presenter grant. Alternatively, awardees may post a photo of their poster/presentation/travel in general on social media, tagging and thanking GSG for the grant.   

Applications are processed on a first come-first served basis but are reviewed by the GSG grant committee to ensure all rules and requirements are met. If interested in applying, please complete the travel grant application. Travel grants are generally reviewed and awarded in the first week of each month.  

Family Assistance Grants

Family Assistance Grant Application

Family Assistance Grant Reference Rules

Applicants for Family Assistance Grants must  

1. Be a full- or part-time graduate student at Colorado School of Mines  
2. Have at least one Dependent and have documented financial need  
3. Have an annual household income less than $60,000  
4. Self-report total annual income per household, including portions of scholarships not paid directly to Mines 

Applicants are allowed only one award per semester and there is no automatic renewal, you must reapply each semester.  

Family Assistance Grant Rules and Regulations

The Family Assistance Grant is intended to help graduate students at Mines with the responsibility of family care to defray the additional costs. This grant is funded by the Graduate Student Government (GSG) and overseen by the Office of Graduate Studies (OGS). 

All awards are ultimately at the discretion of the GSG Grant Committee, so specific requirements may be waived for extraordinary circumstances, however, applicants should generally meet the following criteria. Applicants for the family assistance grant must be a full- or part-time graduate student at Colorado School of Mines, have at least one dependent and have documented financial need, have an annual household income less than $60,000, and self-report total annual income per household, including portions of scholarships not paid directly to Mines. In determining financial need, several factors are considered. Among these are (i) household income; (ii) educational expenses; (iii) other non-documented sources of income; (iv) and access to other daycare services or health insurance. 

A maximum of 14 family assistance grants are awarded each semester. If more than 14 students apply, the 14 applications with the highest determined need (as determined by the GSG Grant Committee) will receive the Family Assistance Grants. There is no automatic renewal of award, rather applicants must reapply each semester that their need persists. There is also a limit of one Family Assistance Grant awarded per student per semester with the total number of awards a student has received playing into the need ranking.  

Grant awards through this program are made semi-annually (Fall and Spring semester disbursement only). Currently, the amount of the awards is for $1000. As awards are given in the form of a grant based on financial need, these may, depending on the awardee’s individual circumstances, be tax exempt. The applications are evaluated by the GSG grant committee. This committee is comprised of at least 3 members and is charged with evaluating and ranking applications based on the criteria defined above as well as other criteria as approved by the GSG General Council. The grant committee makes its award recommendations to the Dean of Graduate Studies.  

If you are denied an award and extenuating or other mitigating circumstances exist, you may appeal the award decision to the grant committee and Dean of Graduate Studies. The appeal must be in writing and must be received by the Grant Committee no later than 5 business days after initial notification of committee decision. Examples of extenuating circumstances that would be considered but are not limited to are: a sudden illness in the immediate family or recent loss of a job. 

Lecture Series Grants

Lecture Series Grant Application

Lecture Series Grant Quick Reference Rules

A maximum of two $1500 lecture series grants are awarded each semester in support of enhancing the academic or educational experience of mines graduate students. Applications must  

1. Further the research/educational experience or opportunities of Mines graduate students  

1. Promote CSM’s institutional values and principles for graduate education  

1. Reach as many graduate students as possible (preference will be given to those which reach the most students) 

The grant requires the authorization of your local department head and department GSG representative as well as a presentation to the GSG general council on the event and its benefit, cost and cost breakdown, and which graduate students can attend along with the date and location of the event.   

Lecture Series Grant Rules and Regulations

The Colorado School of Mines GSG is committed to supporting opportunities that better the academic graduate experience, including on-campus academic programming. In support of this goal, GSG provides up to two lecture series grants per semester, each worth a maximum of $1500. These lecture series grants can be used to support bringing in an internal/external speaker for a seminar open to all graduate students, support department conferences open to the graduate body, and generally support any event/lecture/etc… which is open to and academically benefits the graduate community at Mines. 

To apply for funding from the Graduate Student Government, the proposed lecture/event/etc… should benefit and enhance CSM graduate research. Requests will be evaluated on an individual basis, and emphasis will be given to initiatives that (1) reach the most graduate students; (2) further the research/educational experience or opportunities of graduate students; and (3) promote CSM’s Institutional Values and Principles for graduate education. Overall, grants will be awarded for lectures/events which reach multiple research groups within the campus. 

The Lecture Series Grant application requires authorization from both the GSG Department Representative and your local Department Head. Completed applications may be scanned and emailed to the GSG Treasurer (gsgtreasurer@mines.edu). Upon completion of the application, the applicant/department rep must present their application in person at the next GSG Council meeting with a brief explanation of the event and its educational/academic benefit to the graduate community, the cost and cost breakdown of the event, and an announcement of date/location of the event so that any interested student may attend.  Applications will be considered by the GSG Council, and applicants will be notified within three (3) weeks of the Council’s decision. In submitting an application, the submitter agrees to work with the department to secure all travel arrangements for the presenter and take responsibility for room reservations, catering, marketing, and any other activities required to organize and present the lecture. 

Fellowships

GRADUATE COMPLETION FELLOWSHIPS

Completion Fellowships (formerly known as Continuance Fellowships) are offered by the Office of Graduate Studies (OGS) to cover 1 credit of tuition, fees, and insurance for thesis-based students in the final semester of their MS or PhD program, whose prior continuous funding (e.g. via RA, TA, fellowship contract, or external sponsorship) is no longer available due to unforeseen circumstances.

All U.S. and international students must be enrolled for a minimum of 1 credit in the final semester of their degree program. If the student, advisor, and department/program have no other financial resources available for the minimum required 1 unit of tuition, fees, and insurance, Completion Fellowships are intended to provide this last resort assistance, to enable the student to complete all requirements for his/her degree. Completion Fellowships do not include stipends for living expenses.

Applications for Completion Fellowships are accepted for fall, spring, and summer. Students may receive the fellowship only once.

To be eligible for these fellowships, students must meet the following criteria:

1. Have received prior continuous support via RA, TA, fellowship, or external sponsorship that covered tuition, fees, health insurance (unless waived), and stipend in all Fall and Spring terms
2. Are entering the final semester of their thesis-based degree program (i.e. student has met all requirements except completion of their thesis, is eligible for reduced registration and will graduate by the end of the semester for which the fellowship is awarded)
3. Are in good academic standing
4. Have not previously been awarded this fellowship
5. Have experienced significant unforeseen circumstances that have led to lack of support for tuition & fees (e.g. withdrawal of sponsorship funding; discontinuation of a research grant; medical emergency; family emergency; extended lab closure or lack of access to work sites due to COVID-19. These circumstances must be described and documented by the student and/or their advisor, as applicable)

In Fall 2024, Completion Fellowships will provide students with coverage of 1 credit of tuition and the associated fees, plus health insurance if the student has not waived Mines student health insurance. Tuition and fee charges are posted by the Bursar’s Office here. Frequently Asked Questions about Completion Fellowship support will be coming soon. Additional questions may be directed to Assistant Dean Jenny Briggs: jsbriggs@mines.edu. If a fellowship is awarded, OGS will work with department/program staff to share the appropriate financial information for the student’s contract.

Application Information/Deadlines: Applications should be addressed to the Assistant Dean of Graduate Studies and submitted electronically to the Office of Graduate Studies at grad.services@mines.edu. Late applications will only be considered under extenuating circumstances. Applications will be reviewed for eligibility and completeness by the Assistant Dean. The final decision will be made by the Graduate Dean based on available funds.

Applications for Fall 2024 must be submitted after August 1, 2024. Applications will be reviewed and fellowship recipients will be notified by August 26, 2024.  

Click here for the Application Form