Music Grad Student Funding
Graduate funding is available to support eligible College of Music graduate students who are actively enrolled in a degree program and making satisfactory progress toward degree completion. Funding is limited and is awarded based on eligibility, documentation, available funds, and the relationship of the activity to the student’s scholarly, creative, or professional research trajectory.
Students are encouraged to submit funding requests before travel whenever possible. Pre-trip requests should include documented estimates, including flight screenshots with visible dates, lodging estimates, registration costs, and meal calculations based on the College of Music meal per diem.
Submission requirement: The application and all accompanying documentation must be submitted as one PDF. Packets not submitted as one PDF will not be accepted. Submit to musgrad@msu.edu.
Eligible Funding Categories
A. Travel Funding: Presentation, Performance, Composition, Conducting, or Competition
Funds are available for graduate students to travel to present their research or creative work at professional venues. Eligible activities include:
· Research papers selected for presentation through a peer-review process.
· Compositions selected through a peer-review process for performance at a conference, festival, or prestigious venue.
· Performers or conductors selected through a peer-review process to appear in a competition, conference, festival, masterclass, or prestigious professional venue.
These funds are not available for general conference attendance, thesis/dissertation research travel, or course-related travel.
B. Research Enhancement Funding
Funds are available to support activities that enhance a student’s research, creative activity, or final project. Eligible activities may include:
· Active participation in workshops, short courses, festivals, masterclasses, or comparable educational experiences that are peer-reviewed or have a vetted application process.
· Travel for data collection, archival research, or project-based research activity.
· Participation in a masterclass or workshop where the student is selected as an active participant.
Research Enhancement funding cannot be used to attend workshops, festivals, or masterclasses led by the student’s major professor.
C. Supplies and Materials
Under special circumstances, funding requests to purchase supplies or materials directly related to a student’s research or creative project may be considered. Requests must include a clear explanation of how the materials support the student’s research, final project, performance, composition, or creative activity.
D. Emergency Funding
Emergency funding may be available through the Graduate School and College of Music Graduate Office. Emergency funding from the College of Music is limited to up to $1,500 per student per year, subject to eligibility, documentation, Graduate School review, and available funds. Emergency requests must include an itemized list and documentation for monthly and one-time costs, such as room and board, bills, medical or dental costs, or repairs.
Quick Reference Funding Limits
| Category | Limit or Preset Amount | Key Documentation |
| Domestic travel or research enhancement | Up to $1,200 | Acceptance/participation documentation, budget, receipts or estimates |
| International travel or research enhancement | Up to $2,000 | Acceptance/participation documentation, budget, receipts or estimates, pre-trip travel authorization, and travel registry completion |
| Total College of Music funding per fiscal year | Up to $2,000 | Tracked by fiscal year, July 1-June 30 |
| Emergency funding | Up to $1,500 | Itemized list and documentation of emergency need |
| Meals | $50 per approved travel day | No meal receipts required when using per diem; student must be in overnight status and provide lodging location |
| Personal vehicle mileage | $0.73 per mile, up to $450 per trip | Mileage calculation showing origin, destination, round-trip miles, and business purpose |
| U.S. lodging | $164/day planning benchmark; limited to 6 days per trip | Itemized estimate or receipt with required lodging details |
| Submission format | One combined PDF | Application and all documentation in one PDF; otherwise not accepted. |
Graduate funding is available to support eligible College of Music graduate students who are actively enrolled in a degree program and making satisfactory progress toward degree completion. Funding is limited and is awarded based on eligibility, documentation, available funds, and the relationship of the activity to the student’s scholarly, creative, or professional research trajectory.
Students are encouraged to submit funding requests before travel whenever possible. Pre-trip requests should include documented estimates, including flight screenshots with visible dates, lodging estimates, registration costs, and meal calculations based on the College of Music meal per diem.
Submission requirement: The application and all accompanying documentation must be submitted as one PDF. Packets not submitted as one PDF will not be accepted. Submit to musgrad@msu.edu.
Eligible Funding Categories
A. Travel Funding: Presentation, Performance, Composition, Conducting, or Competition
Funds are available for graduate students to travel to present their research or creative work at professional venues. Eligible activities include:
· Research papers selected for presentation through a peer-review process.
· Compositions selected through a peer-review process for performance at a conference, festival, or prestigious venue.
· Performers or conductors selected through a peer-review process to appear in a competition, conference, festival, masterclass, or prestigious professional venue.
These funds are not available for general conference attendance, thesis/dissertation research travel, or course-related travel.
B. Research Enhancement Funding
Funds are available to support activities that enhance a student’s research, creative activity, or final project. Eligible activities may include:
· Active participation in workshops, short courses, festivals, masterclasses, or comparable educational experiences that are peer-reviewed or have a vetted application process.
· Travel for data collection, archival research, or project-based research activity.
· Participation in a masterclass or workshop where the student is selected as an active participant.
Research Enhancement funding cannot be used to attend workshops, festivals, or masterclasses led by the student’s major professor.
C. Supplies and Materials
Under special circumstances, funding requests to purchase supplies or materials directly related to a student’s research or creative project may be considered. Requests must include a clear explanation of how the materials support the student’s research, final project, performance, composition, or creative activity.
D. Emergency Funding
Emergency funding may be available through the Graduate School and College of Music Graduate Office. Emergency funding from the College of Music is limited to up to $1,500 per student per year, subject to eligibility, documentation, Graduate School review, and available funds. Emergency requests must include an itemized list and documentation for monthly and one-time costs, such as room and board, bills, medical or dental costs, or repairs.
Quick Reference Funding Limits
| Category | Limit or Preset Amount | Key Documentation |
| Domestic travel or research enhancement | Up to $1,200 | Acceptance/participation documentation, budget, receipts or estimates |
| International travel or research enhancement | Up to $2,000 | Acceptance/participation documentation, budget, receipts or estimates, pre-trip travel authorization, and travel registry completion |
| Total College of Music funding per fiscal year | Up to $2,000 | Tracked by fiscal year, July 1-June 30 |
| Emergency funding | Up to $1,500 | Itemized list and documentation of emergency need |
| Meals | $50 per approved travel day | No meal receipts required when using per diem; student must be in overnight status and provide lodging location |
| Personal vehicle mileage | $0.73 per mile, up to $450 per trip | Mileage calculation showing origin, destination, round-trip miles, and business purpose |
| U.S. lodging | $164/day planning benchmark; limited to 6 days per trip | Itemized estimate or receipt with required lodging details |
| Submission format | One combined PDF | Application and all documentation in one PDF; otherwise not accepted. |
Annual Funding Limits
| Funding Type | College of Music Limit |
| Domestic travel or research enhancement project | Up to $1,200 |
| International travel or research enhancement project | Up to $2,000 |
| Total College of Music funding per student per fiscal year | Up to $2,000 |
| Emergency funding | Up to $1,500 |
The fiscal year runs from July 1 through June 30. Funding is not guaranteed and may be reduced based on available funds, strength of documentation, cost sharing, and the number of requests received.
All Student Requests Must Include Student Calculating Expense Grid.
NOTE: All requests must be submitted to the Music Graduate Office by emailing the form to:
musgrad@msu.edu.