In the interest of supporting as many emerging scholars and artists as possible, previous Conference Travel Award recipients must wait one full academic year before applying again.

The 2025-26 application deadlines are September 15 for fall and February 1 for spring. Apply during the fall cycle if your conference travel will start between September 15, 2025, and January 31, 2026. Apply during the spring cycle if your conference travel will start between February 1, 2026, and September 14, 2026.

CAHI will not give awards retroactively for travel that has already taken place. For cases in which timing is misaligned, such as an upcoming conference for which you are still awaiting confirmation of acceptance, we recommend writing to cahi@iu.edu and submitting a conditional application by the deadline. It is easy to withdraw the application should you end up not traveling.

All awards are subject to university restrictions and regulations. Recipients are expected to send a brief report (500 words) within one month of completing travel, summarizing participation and outcomes.

All awards are subject to university restrictions and regulations.

Applications for these awards have moved entirely to IU Scholarships. The application portal for Fall 2025 will open on September 1, 2025. The application portal for Spring 2026 will open on October 1, 2025. Awards are processed via IU Scholarships and credited to recipients’ bursar accounts.

Applications should include the following materials:

• 1-page cover letter outlining the significance of the conference in relation to the applicant’s work. Make sure to convey this information using languages that reviewers outside applicant’s field of expertise will be able to understand (i.e. spell out acronyms; cut out disciplinary jargon)

• Short curriculum vitae (no more than 3 pages)

• Brief abstract of the paper to be given (no more than 200 words)

• Documentation that the student has had a paper accepted for the conference

• Detailed budget of expected costs

• Letter of support from a faculty advisor or the departmental Director of Graduate Studies confirming the applicant’s progress toward the degree and outlining the significance of the conference in relation to the applicant’s work

* Note: It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the letter of support is submitted to CAHI by the application deadline. Applications that are missing a letter of support will not be reviewed.

Late applications will not be considered for funding.

Eligibility:

Who may apply: IU Ph.D., M.A., M.F.A., or M.Arch students working in the arts and humanities whose primary degree affiliation is within the College of Arts + Sciences, the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design, the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, or the Media School.

Students must be enrolled in the College of Arts + Sciences at Indiana University Bloomington in order to apply for and receive award funding.

If other internal or external funding is received for the same project, CAHI requires notification and reserves the right to adjust or reassign awards in light of this information.

To apply:

Follow the link below to access the IU Scholarships application. Applicants will need to complete a general application consisting of seven required questions (answer only those marked with a ‘*’) before beginning the CAHI application. For the “Scholarship Essay” question, it is not required to write a full essay, but you must type at least one character in this field. We recommend typing “N/A”.

How to Apply for IU Scholarships – Student Guide