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Expense Guidelines

UPDATE 6/8/21

Travel for Northwestern graduate students is becoming less restricted. As a result, TGS will gradually be transitioning back to regular travel support. As the situation continues to evolve, we expect that further information regarding travel awards (such as Graduate Research Grants and Conference Travel Grants), including any revisions to the current process, will soon be made available. If you have specific questions in the meantime about TGS awards please contact TGS Student Services at gradservices@northwestern.edu.

Please note: If the situation related to the pandemic changes, the government, the University, and/or TGS may need to reimpose travel and event-related restrictions.

Expense guidelines for TGS funded expenses:

• Policy exceptions will not be entertained. Individuals will be responsible for expenses that exceed or fall beyond policy thresholds.
• TGS awards are for one year (usually the fiscal year) and do not roll over into the following year. Expenses should be entered in the system by no later than 8/15 to allow time for all of the approvals. Expenses that do not post within the correct fiscal year will need to be switched to a non-TGS chartstring or will count towards the next year's award for multi-year awards.
• TGS does not reimburse for alcohol.
• TGS only reimburses for non-compensation expenses (no salary, add pay, special pay, etc.), except for awards specifically for graduate student funding (years 1-5 only).
• Do not use for campus stockrooms or other purchases where the charges are put directly to the chartstring unless the expense is clearly identified in NUFinancials with the awardee name and award type. We’re unable to track and identify expenses otherwise.
• Computers purchased on TGS funds are the property of TGS/Northwestern, and may need to be returned to TGS when the student/employee leaves the University.
• If the awardee leaves the University, or is no longer in active student or employee status, the award terminates. Funds are not transferable or “cashable.”
• TGS funds are awarded for one year (usually the fiscal year) and do not roll over into the following year. Expenses should be entered in the system by no later than 8/15 to allow time for all of the approvals. Expenses that do not post within the correct fiscal year will need to be switched to a non-TGS chartstring or will count towards the next year's award for multi-year awards.
• For travel, only expenses directly related to the travel/conference are reimbursed by TGS. Research supplies, personal supplies/toiletries, luggage, clothing, and entertainment expenses etc., are non-reimbursable. Reimbursable expenses include:
  • Airfare
  • Meeting registration fees
  • Ground transportation
  • Mileage, if driving to the conference/event (must be less than the cost of airfare)
  • Rental car, if required due to conference and hotel locations (not for personal use)
  • Hotel/lodging
  • Meals while traveling (no alcohol)
  • Poster costs, if presenting a poster at the conference

Tips to expedite expense approvals

• Attach all documentation in one PDF instead of multiple PDFs.
• Clearly indicate, either in the description, in the notes, or in the uploaded documentation, who the award is for and which award it is (e.g., GRG award for Tom Smith, recruitment expenses for history, etc.).
• For travel:
  • Make sure all expenses are line itemized, including any expenses already pre-paid/directly charged to Northwestern (e.g., airfare through Egencia, corporate card transactions, etc.). Pre-paid eexpenses should be marked with “Y” for non-reimbursable, and need to reflect the chartstring to which they were charged.
  • Do not include expenses for which you are paying out-of-pocket and not requesting reimbursement.
• Be sure to include itemized receipts for all transactions.
• For events, include a guest list and flyer/agenda/invitation demonstrating the nature/purpose of the event.
• When more than one chartstring is used (i.e., one from TGS and one from the home department), charge the entire amount of one or two items to the TGS chartstring to use up the funds instead of charging a percentage of all the line items. For example, charge the airfare and a portion of the hotel to the TGS chartstring, up to the target dollar amount, instead of charging a percentage of every line item. This is one of the biggest time savers when approving an expense report.