Before you fill out the online application, please read the advice below. We hope it 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 U.S. citizen or studying at a U.S. university
   • a copy of your current student I.D.

2. Get your application in prior to the deadline. Late applications will not be considered.

3. Please do NOT register for the event until you hear whether you have received a grant. When grants are awarded, 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 to register.

   Student fees do not increase after the "early bird" deadline.

4. Please DO go ahead and make travel and hotel reservations at your earliest convenience. 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. USENIX often partners with airlines to offer discounts; please see the conference's hotel page for more information.

5. If you require a visa to attend the conference, DO apply as soon as possible. You will need an invitation letter from USENIX to submit with your visa application. Please contact conference@usenix.org and identify yourself as a grant applicant (and presenter, if applicable) and include your mailing address in your email.

   If you are traveling to the conference from outside the U.S.A., see detailed advice from the National Academies about visiting the United States at http://www7.nationalacademies.org/visas/Traveling_to_US.html.

6. Expenses you request on your application may be adjusted by USENIX during the review process. We will determine the amount of the award based on several criteria (see #11 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 rely on corporate sponsorship for grants to a specific event, which often allows us to fund a greater number of individual grants to one conference than another.

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

7. 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, subscribe to the roomshare email list. Please reserve your hotel room well in advance; the hotels tend to fill up fast, and the conference discount rate may expire three weeks before the conference. Hotel reservations can be cancelled later if you are unable to attend.

8. Check to see if the conference offers special tutorial/training rates for students. If so, you should reference the special student fees in the your expense request.

9. Grant checks are drawn on a U.S. 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.

10. Remember that grants DO NOT cover CEU credits for training/tutorials or membership in USENIX or SAGE. We encourage you to become a student member USENIX and/or SAGE, as they will provide you with ongoing information about the organizations, as well as important updates regarding our events! (We have special student membership rates.) You can become a student member while registering for the conference, or by visiting our membership page.

11. Provide complete, correct contact information. We will need to have your current mailing address 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.

12. Preference is shown to:
    1. students whose areas of study significantly overlap with the conference topics and who write a concise essay (supporting statement) outlining their studies and research
    2. first-time applicants and those who have not received a grant in the past 12 months
    3. student members
    4. students who are willing to volunteer at the conference (this usually consists of writing reports of presentations for publication in ;login:)
    5. students from institutions not traditionally represented at USENIX
    6. class level and financial need
    7. students who are presenting a poster at the event