Cost shouldn’t decide who gets to attend UBC. Eligible students traveling to Austin can be reimbursed for travel and lodging. Grants are not competitive: if you apply by the deadline and meet the requirements, you’re eligible.
Applications close November 13, 2026
Domestic
$250
up to, per student
International
$500
up to, per student
Your maximum is based on where you’re traveling from and whether you enter one of our competitions. Every student traveling from outside the Austin area qualifies for the domestic tier by default.
What you do
Domestic
International
Attend and check in
Submit a qualifying entry
Research competition or hackathon
Maximum grant
Domestic · Traveling to Austin from anywhere in the US, Canada, or Mexico.
International · Verified as traveling from outside the US, Canada, or Mexico.
After the conference, every applicant gets a reimbursement form for their travel and lodging documentation. If you qualify for a $250 maximum but have $180 in eligible expenses, you receive $180.
Eligible
Not eligible
Grants and referral rewards are denominated in USD and paid in USDC to the Solana wallet address you submit on your application.
Register for UBC 2026 on Luma. A ticket is required to be eligible for a grant.
Get your ticketFill out the Travel Grant Program Application by November 13, 2026. Grants are not competitive, so everyone who applies on time and meets the requirements is eligible.
Check in on-site on Day 1 or Day 2. On-site check-in is what verifies your attendance.
After the conference we email a reimbursement form. Submit your flight itineraries and lodging receipts by December 12, 2026.
Referral rewards stack on top of your existing maximum. If you qualify for $250 and refer four people, you can be reimbursed up to $275.
A qualified referral
Rewards
Rewards are paid only against eligible expenses on top of your base grant, and the referral window closes November 13, 2026.
September 1, 2026
Registration and the Travel Grant Form go live
TBA
Last day to register a hackathon team
TBA
Franklin Templeton Research Competition submissions close
November 13, 2026
Registration and referral window close. You can still register for UBC after this date, but you will not be eligible for a travel grant and the registration will not count toward referral rewards
November 20–21, 2026
UBC 2026 at UT Austin. Check in either day
December 12, 2026
Travel and hotel reimbursement form due, with receipts
By January 21, 2027
Grants paid, within 60 days of the conference
You must check in on-site. Check in on Day 1 or Day 2 of the conference to verify attendance.
No self-referrals. You cannot refer yourself, including with an email you control.
One person, one registration. Duplicate registrations under multiple emails will be voided, and voided registrations do not count toward the referral program.
One referrer per attendee. Each attendee may credit one referrer. The referrer recorded at registration is final and cannot be changed after the referral deadline.
Genuine submissions only. Hackathon and research competition credit requires a valid, complete entry. Requirements and guidelines are released before each competition starts.
Documentation is required. Grants only reimburse eligible documented expenses, up to your applicable maximum.
Eligible expenses are limited to travel and lodging. Flights, trains, buses, hotels, and applicable gas expenses count. Food, local transportation within Austin, entertainment, and other miscellaneous expenses do not.
Caps are firm. Reimbursements are capped at $250 domestic and $500 international. Referral rewards are on top of these caps.
Budget. UBC reserves the right to prorate or close the program if applications exceed the budget.
Referrals can be voided. Organizers reserve the right to void referrals that violate or fail to meet the rules.
Still not sure you can make the trip work? Email us. We want UBC to be reachable for every student who wants to be in the room.
