Guidelines & How to Apply

Career Development Grant (CDG) Eligibility Guidelines

1. Applicants must be enrolled in the Graduate School at The Ohio State University during the semester in which the applicant submits grant application. 
   Expenses incurred during an academic semester in which the applicant is not enrolled in classes require the students be enrolled in the immediately preceding semester. In the case of summer conferences, applicants must be enrolled in the summer term or the subsequent autumn semester.
2. All expenses and activities must be completed prior to graduation and within the advertised activity window.
   Activities extending beyond the window are eligible as long as the start date of the activity is within the window.
3. Applicants must be in good standing with the Graduate School, which requires current or previous enrollment in Graduate School at The Ohio State University.
4. Applications must be submitted by 11:59pm on the day of the posted deadline.
   Late applications will not be accepted.
5. Only one application per student will be accepted for a single funding period.
   If an applicant has multiple expenses occurring within the activity window, they may submit all of these in a single application. If multiple applications are submitted, the CDG chair will randomly select the application to be judged.
6. Previous award winners must disclose all previous Career Development Grant awards.
   Failure to do so will automatically disqualify applicants.
7. Applicants will be awarded and reimbursed only up to the maximum award of $350 in Career Development Grant funds.
8. Winners of the award will not be eligible to apply again for the remainder of the fiscal year and the following fiscal year. For example, if an applicant was awarded $300 for eligible activities in Funding Period 3 of the 2019-2020 fiscal year, they will not be eligible to apply again until Funding Period 1 of the 2021-2022 fiscal year.
9. Any student may win the CDG a maximum of 3 times per graduate degree. Students pursuing multiple degrees will be able to win the award a maximum of 3 times for each non-concurrent degree that is pursued.
10. Applicants will only be reimbursed for the activities outlined in their applications.
    In cases where the activity is no longer occurring (for example, a conference has been cancelled), applicants may work with the CDG committee chair to arrange for approval to use funds for alternate activities, with consultation from and approval of the CDG chair. 
11. Applications will be judged by a minimum of 3 independent judges from the CDG committee.
    The committee does not give out scores (which are normalized), whether for those of an individual or of all applicants in a funding period.
12. Grant recipients will be reimbursed after the activities have taken place, either with a check issued by The Ohio State University or through direct deposit. No expenses will be pre-paid by CGS

Applying for a Career Deveopment Grant (CDG)

Follow the steps below to apply for a Career Development Grant.

Career Development Grant Application Portal: https://cgs.osu.edu/secure/career/

1) Eligible Activities & Expenses

Review this list to help you determine what possible career development expenses and activities can be reimbursed. This list is not exhaustive and is subject to change at any time.

Eligible Expenses:

• Conference registration
• Professional association dues
• Internship travel
• Licensure fees
• Study materials for licensure
• Background check fees
• Workshops

Ineligible Expenses:

• OSU academic expenses (any expenses required as part of a credit bearing or other OSU graduation required experience)
• Alcohol
• Tobacco
• Fire arms
• Clothing
• Research expenses
• Local travel
• Food
• Subscriptions or licenses for software
• Equipment

2) Application Deadlines for 2024-2025 Academic Year  & Fiscal Year 25

There are four funding cycles per academic year. First, note when your activity or event will take place, and identify the corresponding Activity Dates/Funding Period. Next, note the date when the application will open and the deadline for submitting that application.

*Applications are due by 11:59pm ET of the deadline. Late applications will not be accepted.

**The first day of the activity must fall within the funding period's respective Activity Dates. The dates of all activities must be listed on the online application.

3) Submitting Your Application

When applying through the Career Development Grant Application Portal, you will need to submit the following information:

1. Applicant Information
2. Itemized List of Expenses
3. Statement of Intent
4. Career Development Plan
5. Resume/CV

For more information about the CDG Application and for tips for writing a successful application, check out the Career Development Resource Packet.

For tips on developing your Career Development Plan or resume/CV, such as resources for identifying your career goals, visit Career Connection on the 2nd floor of the Younkin Success Center, or visit Career Connection online at http://careerconnection.osu.edu/.