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Funding

BBS PhD Program

Overview

All students who are admitted to the Biomedical & Biological Sciences (BBS) Graduate Program are admitted with funding. Funding includes full tuition, health insurance and a stipend. During your rotation period, your funding is provided by the BBS Program and administered through the Office of Graduate Education. One of the purposes of your rotations is to identify a faculty mentor who is willing to accept you as a graduate student and has resources to support you. Your funding beyond the first year is secured by your faculty mentor. Funding covers tuition, health insurance and stipend. For the 202-27 year students will receive a minimum stipend of $48,912/year.

You are encouraged to apply for outside funding of your own. Grant writing is not only an exercise that will make you more competitive in the job market upon graduation, but will also enhance your program by developing scientific thinking and writing skills. The Cornell University Graduate School has an interactive fellowship database for graduate students. Your faculty mentor and the Office of Research and Graduate Education are also resources in determining the most appropriate funding institute. Please review the Upcoming Funding Opportunities compiled by the Office of Research and Graduate Education.

If you are in need of an Enrollment Certification please contact the University Registrar. 
You can request transcripts.

CVM Fellowship Incentive Program

The incentive program was created with the goal of encouraging CVM and BBS graduate students to secure external funds. All BBS students, including those working with down-campus faculty mentors, as well as PhD students from other graduate fields whose special committee chair has a primary appointment in CVM, are able to receive a one-time $2,000 merit award if they meet all of the following eligibility requirements.  

Eligibility

  • Full-time registered student, matriculated in the BBS Graduate Field or PhD student working with a CVM faculty member.
  • Students in the BS/MS seeking PhD, Combined DVM-PhD Degree and DVM seeking PhD degree programs are eligible.
  • The faculty mentor will be responsible to ensure that the student receives the minimum BBS Graduate student stipend rate (or appropriate rate for DVM seeking PhD).
  • External fellowship needs to provide a minimum of $20,000 stipend support over a one-year period and the fellowship must have at least a two-year duration.
  • The merit award will be processed on the award activation date. 

Conference Travel - Expenses & Planning

The Graduate School offers Conference Grant awards of up to $700 to research degree students to attend a professional conference at which they are presenting. See the online application form for more information about eligibility requirements and instructions. Conference grants are reviewed by the 9th of the month preceding the month in which the conference occurs, and grants are awarded to eligible students by the 15th of the preceding month. Applications are accepted up to 30 days following the end of the conference date. Students are eligible for one conference grant per year and must be within time-to-degree limits. Ph.D. students are eligible for conference travel grants starting in their first semester until the end of the fourteenth semester of enrollment. Additional deadlines and application instructions for the Graduate School conference grant.

In addition, the Office of Graduate Education (OGE) provides top-off awards to Graduate School conference grants as well as financial support to attend a course/workshop outside of the Cornell Ithaca campus. Eligible individuals are graduate students (Ph.D. degree and MS degree) whose Special Committee Chair is appointed to the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM). For additional information regarding the CVM OGE top-off and advice on planning your conference travel review the information in the expander below.

Conference Travel Grant OGE Top Off

The CVM Office of Graduate Education encourages graduate students (PhD degree or MS degree) to work with CVM department administration and faculty to offset the financial burden of travel related expenses connected to participation in conferences, external courses, and/or the conducting of research external to the Cornell Ithaca campus.

When such expenses are consistent with Cornell’s mission (University Policy 3.2, Travel Expenses) graduate students should work with department or laboratory leads to utilize Travel and Meal credit cards (T & M cards) to schedule transportation, secure hotels, and register for conferences. It is strongly encouraged that graduate students reach out to the relevant parties as soon as they are aware of conference attendance, but no less than a month prior to the start of the conference to arrange conference registration, transportation, and hotel accommodations. Further, graduate students should tap into Cornell resources (outlined below) aimed at aiding students with attending conferences such as the Graduate School Conference Travel Grant and CVM-Office of Graduate Education Conference Travel Grant Top-Off awards. Graduate students should speak with T&M card holders to identify best practices for travel booking, as well as reimbursement and reporting practices. Below is a list of points of contact for students within CVM:

  • Baker Institute: work with lab manager or PI to arrange travel 
  • Biomedical and Translational Sciences: Jane Lee (jcl54@cornell.edu) 
  • Clinical Sciences: Carol Merkur (cm296@cornell.edu)
  • Microbiology & Immunology: work with lab manager or PI to arrange travel
  • Population Medicine & Diagnostic Services: work with lab manager or PI to arrange travel 
  • Public & Ecosystem Health: Chrissy Wright (cjw232@cornell.edu)

Graduate students with faculty external to the College of Veterinary Medicine are encouraged to reach out to department administrators to learn what processes are in place to support graduate student conference travel. In cases when a graduate student is appointed to a department and has a Concur account, students are encouraged to arrange their travel and submit an expense report upon returning from the conference. Access Concur (netID required). 

Graduate School Conference Travel Grant

The Graduate School offers Conference Grant awards of up to $700 to research degree students to attend a professional conference at which they are presenting. Awards are made to research degree students in good academic standing to help offset the cost of virtual or in-person research-related conference travel expenses.

Students are eligible for one conference grant per year (July 1 – June 30) and must be within time to degree limits. Travel grant applications are accepted up to 30 days after the start date of the conference. Conference grants are reviewed within 30 days of the conference date.

Amounts:

Up to $200.00 for virtual events (receipt required); up to $700.00 per in-person event (based on conference location). For more information and access to the online form visit the Graduate School Travel Grant webpage.

CVM Office of Graduate Education Travel Grant Top-Off

The Office of Graduate Education provides conference travel grant top-offs to graduate students who have applied for and successfully received a Graduate School Conference Travel Grant. The conference travel grant top-off covers actual out-of-pocket expenses (up to the $600 level) above the Graduate School Conference Travel Grant award.

In addition, if the student secures and documents additional conference travel funds from the conference sponsor, the Office of Graduate Education will award an additional $100, for a total of $700. Students are eligible for one conference grant per year (July 1 – June 30), and must be registered and within time-to-degree limits.

For example, if a student attends a conference and receives a Graduate School conference travel grant for

$400, the student could receive up to an additional $200 from OGE for reimbursable expenses.

Graduate students taking a course outside of the Cornell Ithaca campus which was approved by their special committee chair and is one for which the student applied and was selected to attend, qualify for $600 toward course fees and/or travel.

Graduate Student Eligibility:
  • Recipients of the CVM Graduate Student Conference Travel Grant Top Off can only be graduate students whose Special Committee Chair is appointed to the College of Veterinary Medicine.
  • Recipients must be enrolled full time in a Cornell graduate research degree program, and be a registered student during the semester in which the conference takes place.

  • Students must be presenting a paper or poster at the conference for which funds are requested. In the event of dual authorship of a paper / poster accepted for presentation, only the presenting author may receive an award.

  • Course/ Workshop: Graduate students taking a course/ workshop outside of the Cornell Ithaca campus which was approved by their special committee chair and is one in which the student applied and was selected to attend qualify for $600 toward course fees and/or travel expenses.
  • Only one award during each year (July 1 – June 30) will be considered.
  • Recipient requested and received a Graduate School Conference Travel Grant.
Top Off reimbursement: 

Within 30 days after the conference or course attendance the graduate student must Complete the Office of Graduate Education Conference Travel Grant Top Off form: Application Form (online) and submit the following to the Office of Graduate Education:

  • Copy of Graduate School Conference Travel Grant award email
  • Conference program or agenda listing them as presenter or course registration information.
  • Original receipts covering travel, conference or course fees, lodging, or meals.
  • Statement of funds received from all other sources for attending the conference or course to be eligible for up to $600 total reimbursement.

 

Additional Travel Awards

The Andrew Kligerman Fund Travel Award

This award is available to Cornell graduate students in the College of Veterinary Medicine. Preference will be given to students who enhance the diversity, equity, and inclusion of the university and are presenting original research in either genetics, cytogenetics, cancer biology, or biological sciences. The award provides funds of up to $1,000 to assist in travel to scientific conferences in the next calendar year. Five awards will be available annually. The call for applications is sent out by the Office of Graduate Education each Summer semester. 

"This Fund is in honor of Bernard D. Pollikoff, my great uncle, who was born in 1901 in New York City and whose parents were from the Pale of Settlement in Eastern Europe. When I was a young child I would stay with him and his sister when my parents wanted me out of their hair! He ignited my love of science by introducing me to a new world seen through a microscope. This led to my career as a graduate student at Cornell with Dr. Stephen Bloom and as a cytogeneticist and genetic toxicologist at the US. Environmental Protection Agency. Thus, I would like to aid other graduate students in pursuing their love of science and enabling them to attend and present their work at scientific conferences.”

- Andrew Kligerman