Before you fill out the online application, please read these helpful hints. We hope they will make the process easier for you.

1. Only complete applications will be considered. Incomplete applications or those submitted without the required documents will be rejected. (The required documents are: a grant application form with a supporting statement, your SSN if you are a US citizen or studying at a US University, and a copy of your current student I.D.)

2. Get your application in prior to the deadline. Late applications will not be considered. The reason the deadlines are set 6-8 weeks prior to the events is to allow time for us to prepare paperwork and send checks to those who are receiving grants, and to allow students time to get their finances in order.

3. Please do NOT register for the event until you hear whether or not you have received a grant. When grants are awarded, the cost of registration is taken care of by USENIX, and we will send you a complimentary registration code for the event.

   If you do not receive a grant, you will need to go to the online registration form, or contact our Conference Department to register by fax or mail.

   Student fees do not get raised after the "early bird" deadline.

4. Please DO go ahead and make travel and hotel reservations at your earliest convenience. You may adjust or cancel them at a later date if you choose not to attend. When estimating expenses, air travel should be based on 14-day advance purchase or Saturday night stayover tickets. Airfares tend to increase the closer one gets to the departure date, so make sure to book flights well in advance. Whatever airline you use, make sure to check if they offer a student rate on your flight.

5. Expenses you request on your application may be adjusted by USENIX during the review process. We will make adjustments to the expenses you request and determine the amount of the award based on several criteria (see "Preference..." below), as well as the funds we have available for the event. The USENIX Grant Program rarely has enough funds to cover all travel/hotel expenses for grant recipients. Grants do cover all registration fees. We occasionally receive corporate sponsorship for grants to a specific event that allows us to offer greater individual grants to one conference than another.

   Note that if you leave an expense request line empty, we will assume that you DO NOT need financial assistance for that. (For example, if nothing is placed in the accommodation needs, we'll assume you have other housing in the area).

6. Base your accommodation expenses on sharing a room at the conference hotel. Sharing a room is a good way to help save expenses - for help in finding a roommate, you can post to our newsgroup. Please reserve your hotel room well in advance; the hotels tend to fill up fast, and the conference discount rate may expire prior to the grant application deadline. Hotel reservations can be cancelled later if you are unable to attend.

7. The USENIX Annual Technical and LISA conferences have special tutorial/training rates for students. Make sure to check for this before filling out your expense request. To be eligible for the student rates, you must first reserve your spot by sending email to the conference department with your tutorial requests. They will then send you the relevant tutorial codes.

8. Grant Checks are drawn on a US bank. The check issued will be only for travel/hotel expenses awarded; you will receive a code for a complimentary registration to the event. We will not be able to cash your check at the conference. Please be sure you will be able to make arrangements to cash the check on your own. We suggest you contact your bank for assistance, particularly if you are travelling from abroad.

9. Remember that grants DO NOT cover CEU credits or membership in USENIX or SAGE. We encourage you to become a student member of the Association, as it will provide you with ongoing information about the industry, and important updates regarding our events! (We have a special student membership rate.) You can become a student member while registering for the conference, or by visiting our Membership pages: http://www.usenix.org/membership/.

   CEU certificates are prepared and sent out by our conference department in the months following an event.

10. Provide complete, correct contact information. We will need to have your current mailing address and your Social Security number, so that if you receive a grant, your check will reach you in a timely manner. (Please take into account any address changes you may have near the time of the grant deadline, for example due to school breaks). You will be notified via email, so make sure your email address is correct on your application.

11. Preference is shown to:
    1. students who are participating in the conference - e.g. presenting a refereed paper
    2. students whose areas of study significantly overlap with the conference topics and who write a concise essay (supporting statement) outlining their studies and research
    3. first-time applicants and those who have not received a grant in the past 12-months
    4. student members (not required, but helpful! Membership in USENIX shows us that you are committed to a future in the field)
    5. students who are willing to volunteer at the conference (this generally consists of an afternoon or so of "door monitoring" or writing a summary of a technical session)
    6. students from institutions not traditionally represented at USENIX
    7. class level and financial need