BSD Pre-approval and Student Reimbursement Policy

Purpose

This policy outlines the procedures and requirements for students seeking reimbursement for eligible expenses incurred during approved academic activities, including attending conferences, trips to conduct field work, research-related travel and expenses incurred from other school-sponsored events.

Eligibility

• Students must be currently enrolled and in good academic standing at the institution.
• Expenses must be directly related to approved academic activities, as determined by the relevant department or faculty advisor.
• Expenses must adhere to university policies and procedures for travel and reimbursement.
• Only expenses pre-approved by the sponsoring program, department, or faculty will be considered for reimbursement.

Eligible Expenses

The following expense categories are eligible for reimbursement, provided they are necessary and reasonable. Please see the University policies for greater detail:

• Travel (airfare, train, bus, mileage for personal vehicles)
• Lodging (hotel, hostel, or other accommodations)
• Meals (subject to daily limits as defined by the institution)
• Registration fees for conferences or events
• Supplies and materials required for research or academic projects

Ineligible Expenses

• Personal entertainment and leisure activities
• Alcoholic beverages
• Upgrades or premium services (e.g., first-class travel, luxury hotels)Unapproved avoidable expenses (such as car insurance on rentals, unnecessary fees, etc.)
• Any costs already covered on the student’s behalf or within the registration fees
• Expenses not supported by itemized receipts
• Expenses incurred by companions or guests
• *Individual grants, endowments, or program funds may have additional restrictions. Please contact the sponsor for help determining eligible expenses. *

Reimbursement Procedures
In general, programs and departments seek to limit individual student out-of-pocket expenses for any reason, including travel. To avoid out-of-pocket expenses, your department or program will purchase expenditures on your behalf where possible. All pre-approval requests and reimbursement submissions should be made through the portal at [SMARTSHEET LINK].

Pre-Approval

• Prior to incurring any expenses, including pre-purchasing via a university mechanism, a student should seek pre-approval by completing the pre-approval form.
• The pre-approval form documents your best guess of the expenses you will incur and provides information to assist in the timely processing of your request. Upon the completion of the form, it will be routed to the department/program reviewer for sign-off.
• The appropriate reviewer will verify faculty approval and the funding source for requested expenses, ensuring that the funding source is accurate.
• Once preapproval is granted, you may incur expenses as planned.
• To allow sufficient time for processing, students are encouraged to submit requests for pre-approval and pre-purchasing no fewer than 60 days prior to travel. Submissions made less than 30 days in advance cannot be guaranteed and will be handled in accordance with your department or program’s own practices.

Pre-Purchased Expenses: 
Where feasible, items will be purchased on your behalf, including conference registration, airfare, and, where possible, ground transportation and hotel accommodations. 

The designated staff in your area will make these purchases on your behalf using a University GEMS card or other appropriate mechanism. 

You are still responsible for providing the necessary documentation for these purchases to your department or program administrator when needed. 

Out-of-Pocket Expenses:
Because not every expense can be addressed before travel, individuals will need to fund those items directly and seek reimbursement afterward. With good planning, out-of-pocket expenses should generally be less than $100 per individual item, and total expenses for any given event should not exceed $300. 

Request for Reimbursement

To receive reimbursement for those out-of-pocket expenses, submit the following through the portal for payment processing:

• Retained itemized receipts for all eligible expenses.
• Student Certification for Business Related Reimbursement, if applicable.

Expenses submitted more than 30 business days after they were incurred will not be accepted unless a later submission date has been pre-approved.

Students can expect to receive reimbursements within 20 business days of the relevant office receiving all accurate information and appropriate documentation. 

Contact List