SSG Fact Sheet

Fall 2026 Instructions

Please read this document in its entirety for information about the SSG.
Please email [email protected] with any questions.

I. About

The SSG is a competitive, merit-based grant designed to support Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) students engaging in scholarly or professional development activities. Proposals for award support should demonstrate a student’s commitment to professional development beyond the scope of their program’s outline. 

As of AY 2026 - 2027, the SSG is funded solely by the Graduate Student Council (which is money that comes from GSAS students’ fees). The Selection Committees who make decisions on each application are composed of past recipients and/or Council representatives. GSC Officers chair the Committee but do not make decisions. 

Awards can be claimed through the reimbursement process of the university; in practice, this means you can only receive these funds after you have spent them.

II. How to Apply

  1. Confirm eligibility
  • All students who are
    • matriculated in a GSAS Degree program
    • who are in good academic standing 1; and
    • who have paid their student fees are eligible to apply.

Accelerated students are not eligible for the SSG awards.

  1. Understand award limits; ensure eligibility of reimbursements requested.
  • Students may apply for support during both the Fall and the Spring cycle.
  • Applicants must choose from one of the following three tracks per cycle (see C. Award Tracks), depending on their individual project/goal. 
    • Under the chosen track, you may submit two applications per semester, for a total maximum of 4 applications per semester. 
  • Not all expenses are reimbursable. Please refer to Section III below to ensure that you can be reimbursed by payroll.
  1. Award Tracks (and tiers - new as of AY 2025-2026)
Track
(Choose one)		 Description
Conference Presentation of an applicant’s research (e.g. paper or poster presentations) at a professional conference
Research Research activities related to either an applicant’s  thesis, preparation of a dissertation prospectus, or the dissertation project
Alternative Learning Experience Activities that will aid meaningfully in strengthening an applicant’s research or professional competencies and don’t fall into the first 2 tracks. 
In the Project Narrative, applicants must justify their use of resources external to Fordham.
  Please note: The maximum total that you can request per application is $2000. 
In practice, given the restraints on total funding as well as the high volume of applications, it is very unlikely that you will receive this amount.

As of AY 2025-2026, all applications will be automatically sorted into one of the following tiers upon submission, depending on the maximum amount requested in each application.

Total Requested Award limits; Description
Up to $300 per application Upon review, the applicant will be awarded either 0 or the full amount requested (100%).
$300 - $1200 per application Applicants will be asked to indicate a minimum amount of funds needed to complete the intended project, if this amount differs from the maximum requested.

Upon review, if the applicant is awarded less than said minimum, they may choose to return the award to the SSG funding pool to be used in the next cycle, or accept the award regardless.

Requests in this tier will be reviewed by two reviewers from two different departments.
$1200 - $2000 Applicants will be asked to indicate a minimum amount of funds needed to complete the intended project, if this amount differs from the maximum requested.

Upon review, if the applicant is awarded less than said minimum, they may choose to return the award to the SSG funding pool, or accept the award regardless.

Requests in this tier will be reviewed by four reviewers from four different departments.
  1. Gather required documents
  • Criteria. The project or activity objectives should be 
    1. feasible, 
    2. clearly meritorious to reviewers outside your discipline and specialization,  and
    3. articulate an unambiguous connection between the proposed activity and the outcomes expected regarding the student’s academic or  professional development.

Keep in mind that the committee is interdisciplinary, and especially so at the highest tier. Make sure that your narrative is written primarily about benefits to professional development, so as to be understood as cost-effective by readers outside of your field of study. 

  • Budget Proposal and justification
    1. Itemize all eligible expenses relating to your project or activity. Access the budget form here.
    2. For transportation, accommodations, registrations, and any single item at or above $500, attach documentation to support the cost estimate.
    3. Include budget justification - 300 words maximum
      1. For applications over $300, The committee will highly prioritize efforts made by students to save costs, i.e., any evidence that the funds are spent with maximum efficiency. Conversely, your application will be at a disadvantage if no such efforts are shown.
        Make sure to include any relevant cost saving strategies here. (e.g., hotel splitting, Airbnbs, justifying high cost items, less costly travel methods, etc.) 
  • Faculty Reference
    1. Students will find a section in the application that asks for a “Faculty Reference.” This simply asks for the name and email of a professor who may act as an advisor for the student.
  1. Submit Application Form, Upload Supporting Documents
  • The application form can be found here.
    Unsure if you missed anything? A checklist can be found here.
  1. After receiving your application (mid-November), complete the reimbursement form (see the reimbursement procedure).

III. Important: Not all expenses are eligible.

  1. Eligible Expenses
    All payment requests to Fordham University must follow AP guidelines. Your requests will, most likely, be a common, eligible expense. For a list of examples, see the examples of eligible expenses page. 
  1. List of Non-Reimbursable Expenses
    Please see below for a few examples of common, non-reimbursable expenses. If your application makes requests for any of these items, the application will be voided in its entirety.
    If you have further questions, please contact us during the application period.
    1. Equipment (computers, software)
    2. Misc. personal expenses (rent, utilities, alcohol, personal care items)
    3. Misc. organization expenses (journal subscriptions, association memberships)
    4. Entertainment costs or payments to individuals for services rendered not related to proposal; includes payment for external or internal internships.
    5. Per Diems are not allowed in that there is no set daily amount that will be reimbursed; original receipts for food, accommodations, modes of travel, etc., must be provided for reimbursement.
      • Withholding unnecessary pages that contain no information, for example extra information about the airline you are using or the details of the interest rate breakdown of your credit card. This reduces the file size and the amount of pages Accounts Payable needs to check.

 1Please refer to §7.4.1 and §7.4.2 in the GSAS Academic Policies and Procedures Guidebook for details.