The CCPD Professional Development Fund is a collection of 2 individual funds; the professional development travel reimbursement fund and the graduate school application fee reimbursement fund. Combined, the PDF is designed to facilitate students’ ongoing career development by reimbursing costs for career development-related activities that occur during the academic year, enabling recipients to participate in activities they could not otherwise afford.
Students are able to apply for up to $300 total reimbursement per academic year and funds are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis until all of the funding is disbursed. For specific information about each fund select the appropriate drop-down below.
Professional Development Travel Reimbursement
The PDF- travel reimbursement is designed to facilitate students’ career development by reimbursing transportation costs for career-related activities that occur during the academic year. If you do not have the financial resources to pay for upfront travel costs, please email Richard Sylvester to discuss your options.
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS:
- Recipients must be currently enrolled students.
- The activity must be for a specific career opportunity, i.e., job/internship interview, career/job fair, job shadow experience, or internship. Networking/Connecting does not satisfy this requirement.
- The activity must occur during the academic year.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
- Reimbursement will be approved for transportation expenses only. Transportation expenses may include the following:
- airfare – (tickets purchased using Frequent Flier miles cannot be reimbursed)
- ground transportation (bus, train, taxi/cab, subway, rideshare) fares
- car rental
- parking fees
- mileage (Rate=$0.40/mile; cannot be prepaid)
- Amount requested must be between $10.00 and $300.00.
- Recipients will receive no more than $300.00 per academic year.
- Recipient is REQUIRED to provide either a video testimonial or a written blog post and photo after receiving the reimbursement. For specific details click here.
What are some examples of “career-related travel”?
- Traveling to a career fair with the purpose of meeting with employers within a specific career field.
- Traveling to an interview to secure a job or internship.
- Traveling to a job shadow or internship during winter or spring breaks.
- Traveling to attend industry important professional development conferences.
What is not considered career-related travel?
- Traveling to a networking event without a pre-arranged job or internship interview.
- Presenting at an academic conference. There are other campus funding sources for this purpose. Please see the institutional funding sources webpage for more details.
Common questions:
- May I apply for funds to cover travel to my summer internship? No. The CCPD Professional Development Travel funding supports career-related travel during the academic year only.
- May I apply for funds to cover an externship-like job shadow when I am home during a break? Yes, the Professional Development Travel Fund supports traveling to a job shadow experience during break time.
- I was offered a job and need to travel to attend required training before the end of the school year: may I apply for funding? Yes, training for secured positions is considered career-related activity.
- May I apply for funds to cover travel to study abroad or domestic study away programs? No, academic programs and/or programs in which you receive academic credit do not qualify.
Graduate School Application Fee Reimbursement
The PDF- graduate school application fee reimbursement is designed to facilitate students’ career development by reimbursing graduate school application fees for seniors looking to continue their careers by going to graduate school.
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS:
- Recipients must be currently enrolled students.
- Recipients must be graduating from K during the 2024-2025 academic year.
- Recipients must be applying to an accredited graduate school with an enrollment start date of no later than January 31, 2026.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
- Amount requested must be between $10.00 and $300.00.
- Recipients will receive no more than $300.00 per academic year.
- Recipient is REQUIRED to provide either a video testimonial or a written blog post and photo after receiving the reimbursement. For specific details click here.
What are some examples of what the fund can be used for?
- Applications to graduate school
What are some examples of what the fund CAN NOT be used for?
- Traveling to do an in-person campus visit.
- Graduate school entrance tests (GRE, MCAT, LSAT, etc)
- Kaplan or other graduate school test preparation materials.
Common questions:
- Is there a maximum amount of reimbursement I am allowed to apply for? Yes. A student can receive a maximum of $300 for the academic year.
- Can I apply more than once? Yes.
- Can I submit multiple reimbursements at once? No. Each reimbursement has to be submitted individually and will be evaluated individually.
- Can I submit for a reimbursement that costs more than $300? Yes. However, you will be reimbursed for a maximum of $300. For example, if your application fees are $650 and you submit receipts showing you paid $650 you will still only be reimbursed for $300.
- Can I get reimbursed for the applications I already submitted? Yes. However, receipts older than 90 days CAN NOT be processed.
Applying
To Apply: Please submit this Professional Development Fund Application prior to participating in the activity for which the reimbursement is being requested. After submitting your application, please email Richard Sylvester to confirm your application submission. Typical application turnaround time is 5-7 business days (with the exception of college closures). After submission, applicants may be asked to meet with a CCPD staff member to discuss the application. The CCPD will confirm receiving your application and will notify you of approval/denial via email.
If Approved: CCPD staff will work with you to disburse the travel reimbursement in a way that meets your needs and the needs of the CCPD.
If Denied: Re-apply with an opportunity that meets the above application requirements, or if you think a mistake has been made make an appointment with Richard Sylvester to discuss your opportunity further.