Honors Grants

We believe in the value of diverse experiences and support the exploration of concepts, practices, and ideas beyond the everyday. Students in the Honors program present at academic conferences, volunteer their time over spring break, engage in research, and take part in educational opportunities domestically and internationally. To help facilitate these experiences, the Honors Program provides its students with grant and funding opportunities to support engagement that enriches, informs, and deepen one's lived experience and expands our students' vision of the world.

Please note: Students must be in good standing in the program to access the forms of financial support detailed below. 

$500 Honors Grant:

All Honors students in good standing have access to a $500 grant that they can utilize while in the program. The grant can be used all at once or for multiple expenses, and can be applied to Honors academic or professional development related travel, RIT affiliated study abroad, professional certificates, or to purchase materials or equipment for faculty-mentored research or honors-related coursework. 

$500 Alternative Break Funding:

The Center for Leadership & Civic Engagement (CLCE) at RIT coordinates Alternative Break (AB) trips that take place over spring break each year. Honors students in good standing who participate in an AB are provided a $500 grant (above and beyond your $500 Honors Grant) that can be applied to the overall cost of the trip. Students can apply for this funding multiple times, but priority is given to students who have not already used the benefit for a previous trip. On average, the cost of these trips is usually between $600-$1000, so the Honors AB grant provides a significant reduction in the total cost. The remaining cost of the trip is paid either directly, through optional crowdfunding coordinated by the CLCE, or the student can opt to use any portion of their $500 Honors grant to pay the balance of the trip costs.

$1,500 Faculty Led Study Abroad Trip Funding:

Honors runs several Faculty-Led Study Abroad courses to support and encourage exploration outside of the United States. These 3-credit Honors courses meet 1 x a week in the spring, with travel taking place immediately following the end of the semester. Recent courses include: Activism and the Social Movements of Brazil and Building Shared Narratives in Northern Ireland. Honors students in good standing who qualify, register, and travel as a part of these courses are able to receive a $1,500 grant (above and beyond your $500 grant) to help reduce the overall cost of the trip, making international experiences like these more accessible to students. 

The $500 Honors Grant can be used for academic or professional development related travel, RIT affiliated study abroad, professional certificates, or to purchase materials or equipment for faculty-mentored research or honors-related coursework. All uses of the Honors Grant must be approved in advance and funds are paid via reimbursement to the student after the expense is incurred.

Below is a brief list of examples of ways in which students have utilized their grant, as well as things that the grant cannot cover. This list is not exhaustive - if you have any questions or would like more specific details regarding your particular expense please refer to your cohort's handbook or reach out to Honors@rit.edu.

A Pre-Approval form is required when seeking to utilize any portion of your $500 Honors Grant. For the form, you will submit your basic identifying information and explain your intended use of the funds. Once submitted, the Honors office will review the purpose and planned expenses to verify they are eligible for reimbursement. You will be contacted after the internal review takes place approving or denying the expense(s), or to request more information. 

Please note: This form only needs to be completed for the $500 "Honors Grant" funds, not for the $500 to support Alternative Break travel, or the $1,500 supporting Honors Faculty-led study abroad trips.  

• Find the Honors Grant Pre-Approval Form here

Once the grant usage is approved, the purchase has been made, and you are ready to be reimbursed through your grant, you can submit the Honors Grant reimbursement form. When submitting, you just need to provide your identifying information, details about your activity and expenses, and provide the relevant documents like receipts or certifications. If you have any questions feel free to reach out to honors@rit.edu.

• Find the Honors Grant Reimbursement Form here

After submitting the reimbursement form with the proper information, your grant will begin to be processed by the Honors Office staff. Within a few days you may be sent an email to verify/upload direct deposit information if your financial information is not already on file (this email will come from Accounts Payable rather than honors@rit.edu). After verifying your information and reviewing your dated and itemized receipt(s) funds are dispersed within approximately two weeks of submitting your reimbursement form. Please contact the office if after two weeks your funds have not posted to your account.