The Cognitive Science Program’s mission is to prepare students to tackle global and multicultural challenges. Experiences abroad are vital to this preparation. Yet students majoring in Cognitive Science and related-STEM fields are generally less likely to participate in study abroad programs than other students. Students studying abroad will be eligible to have their flights to/from their study abroad program paid for and booked by the Cognitive Science Program.

Priority will be given to students attending the Interdisciplinary Ethnography Field Summer School in Mauritius (not offered in summer 2026), the Neuroscience Study Abroad Summer Program in Salamanca, Spain, and UConn Brain & Behavior in Tel Aviv, Israel. The COGS Program will consider other study abroad programs on a case-by-case basis. All program details can be found on the Experiential Global Learning webpage. Courses taken through these summer programs can be counted as elective credits towards the Cognitive Science degree.

Eligibility requirements:

• The applicant must be a current UConn undergraduate student, majoring or minoring in Cognitive Science.
• To apply for the Travel Award to use towards a study abroad program, the applicant must plan on or have already submitted an application to a study abroad program.
• The applicant is not eligible to receive two travel awards within the same academic year (e.g. you cannot receive one travel award to study abroad and one to attend a conference).

To apply:  You will need to provide the following information in the application

• Your name and email
• Department and major/minor
• The name of the study abroad program you have applied to, and the date of application.
• Estimated travel dates and airfare costs
• A 500-word essay describing how the study broad experience is expected to broaden your study of Cognitive Science.

Award notification and administration:

• Recipients of a Cognitive Science Travel Award will be sent an award letter via email.
• The award will become active only after the recipient provides written confirmation of acceptance into a study abroad program from the UConn Experiential Global Learning office.
• Because each study abroad program varies in what costs are covered, this award is only to cover the cost of the flights to/from the study abroad program. All flights must comply with UConn's current travel policy.
• One month after returning from their study abroad program, recipients may be asked to submit a 500-word essay on how the study abroad experience broadened their study of Cognitive Science. The essay along with any submitted travel photos may be featured on the program’s website.
• Recipients of the Travel Award may be asked to speak about their study abroad experience in COGS 2201 (as either a live presentation or short prepared video).

Students wanting to travel to conferences, workshops, and meetings will be eligible to apply for up to $1,000 for international travel and $500 for domestic travel.

Eligibility requirements:

• The applicant must be a current UConn undergraduate student, majoring or minoring in Cognitive Science.
• The applicant is not eligible to receive two travel awards within the same academic year (e.g. you cannot receive one travel award to study abroad and one to attend a conference).
• The funds must be used for travel.

To apply:  You will need to provide the following information to apply for the travel award:

• Your name and email
• Department and major/minor
• Estimated travel dates and costs
• A 500-word essay describing how the study broad experience is expected to broaden your study of Cognitive Science.

Award notification and administration:

• Recipients of a Cognitive Science Travel Award will be sent an award letter via email.
• Recipients must work with the COGS Program to book/be reimbursed for travel.
• Any travel costs in excess of the award amount are the responsibility of the recipient.
• Recipients of the Travel Award may be featured on the Cognitive Science website.

Travel Restrictions

Recipients should be aware of UConn’s travel restrictions. Recipients are responsible for knowing any and all travel advisories and restrictions and should plan accordingly. Recipients should familiarize themselves with alerts and warnings issued by the U.S. Department of State at: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel.html

Cancellation

If the study abroad program is cancelled or in the event that travel policies or restrictions suddenly prevent the recipient from traveling, this award will be voided. It is the responsibility of the recipient to contact the director if either of the above occurs.

Fellowship payments are subject to federal and state income taxes unless the payment is used to pay for qualified tuition and required enrollment fees.  You will be personally responsible for any income taxes resulting from the receipt of this fellowship payment.  You should be advised that fellowship payments used to pay for travel, supplies or equipment used in your independent research are not exempt from taxation.  Fellowship payments, although taxable, are not subject to income tax withholding if paid to a U.S. citizen or resident alien.  It is the sole responsibility of the student to report and pay taxes on the taxable portion of any fellowship, stipend, award or grant that he/she receives. Consistent with IRS guidance, the University does not withhold taxes on the taxable portion of fellowships, stipends, awards or grants except in limited circumstances involving nonresident aliens.  If you are a nonresident alien, federal income taxes may be required to be withheld from your payment unless you qualify for exemption by way of an income tax treaty between the United States and your country of tax residence.  Fellowship recipients may wish to consider making estimated federal and state income tax payments.

Additional details, and answers to many frequently asked questions, may be found on the following websites:

https://tax.uconn.edu/student-tax-faqs/

https://bursar.uconn.edu/1098-t/1098-t-faq/

https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p970.pdf.pdf