Reimbursement

Student travel/purchase is generally considered university business travel expense reimbursement if:

  • Travel that directly supports a faculty member’s project or research program.
  • Travel that is official university business such as attending a meeting on behalf of the university (representing a faculty member on a project, or attending a conference for university student groups such as student government organizations, or the like).
  • Taking part in research performed to fulfill the University’s obligations to an outside funding entity.
  • Participating in a competition on behalf of the University (debate team, performing arts, sports team travel, etc.).

Student travel reimbursements meeting the above criteria are classified by the IRS as a university business expense reimbursement and are processed on a Supplier Invoice Request (SIR) submitted through the financial system to Accounts Payable. Spend category SC0517 Non-Employee Travel should be used and all documentation (including a copy of this Certification form) should be attached to the Supplier Invoice Request transaction.

Note: Individuals must register in Supplier Registration Lite to receive payments.

Scholarship

Student travel/purchase is generally considered to be scholarship if:

  • Activity that is required for degree or credit, or may otherwise impact a student’s grade (expenses incurred directly by the student, subject to award/grant for possible reimbursement).
  • Project/research’s primary purpose and original intent is to further the student’s education or training.
  • Activities are performed to contribute to the development of the skills needed in the student’s studies.

Student travel payments meeting the above criteria are classified by the IRS as a non-qualified scholarship and are disbursed through the student information system to the students’ financial account by the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office utilizing the Participation Support, Stipend & Reimbursement Award Roster. Contact fasscholarships-group@unlv.edu to obtain a copy of the most current roster.

Additional Information

  • Please contact the Travel Team at accountspayable@unlv.edu for assistance if the specific facts and circumstances of the student travel planned for reimbursement does not fall within the above examples.
  • Nonresidents may be subject to federal tax withholding; please contact the Nonresident Alien Tax Specialist office at nrat@unlv.edu for additional instructions.
  • If payment requires that the student perform services to receive the funding, this is considered wage/compensation. Payment should not be made as a reimbursement or scholarship; payment is required to be processed through Payroll.