Franklin College Travel Guidelines

Travel policies, rules, and regulations of the University of Georgia are available at the following web address:

Travel at UGA Information

In addition, the following are Franklin College of Arts and Sciences policies on faculty travel:

Travel while teaching:

When classes are in session, faculty should avoid scheduling travel that will cause them to miss assigned classes. Faculty who feel they must travel for legitimate work-related reasons that will result in missed classes should seek the approval of their department heads who will, if they support the request, seek approval from the Dean's Office, observing the deadlines for travel authorization submittal found below. Prior to their departure and with the approval of department heads, faculty who intend to travel must see that their classes are covered by qualified faculty substitutes.

Under "Trip Justification/Business Purpose" on the TA Request Form, faculty should include the name and phone number of another faculty member who will serve as contact person and ensure that classes and other work assignments are covered. Graduate students and staff members should not be listed as contact persons.

Department heads may discuss exceptions to these policies with the appropriate associate dean.

Travel Authorization ahead of Travel:

Out-of-state business travel beginning after 11/15/2024 MUST have a fully approved travel authorization (TA) on file in order to receive reimbursement per Franklin policy. 

In-state travel authorities are suggested but not required. To allow for adequate processing time, employees planning out-of-state, domestic travel should submit TA requests to the College no later than two weeks prior to the intended date of departure. Travel authorization requests for international travel must be submitted to the College no later than four weeks prior to the intended date of departure, as they must be approved by the Office of Global Engagement after passing through our office.

“No Cost” TAs can be submitted for travel when the traveler is not expecting reimbursement from UGA or the funding source is unknown at the time of submission. This guarantees an approved TA is already on file if reimbursement from UGA later becomes necessary. 

The Business Services Center (BSC) processes TAs on behalf of employee travelers. Please visit the Forms & Resources page for the Travel Authorization Request Form and Travel Tips & Tricks. 

Reimbursement Deadline:

Travel reimbursements must be submitted and approved within 60 days of the travel return date. Travel expenditures submitted after this time period will no longer be reimbursed per Franklin Policy. The reason for the change is twofold: (1) IRS regulations require that all reimbursements made after 60 days be treated as taxable income. The new policy will guarantee that travelers are compensated in full for any expenses paid out of pocket. (2) The change will also ensure that the college budget remains balanced between the two categories on which we are required to report. 

The Business Services Center (BSC) formats expense reports for employee reimbursements; to give BSC time to complete your expense report and have it approved before that deadline, please submit receipts from travel within 30 days of return. Visit the Forms & Resources page for Travel Tips & Tricks.  

Exceptions to the travel authorization and reimbursement deadline policies are only allowed in the case of emergency. Emergency exceptions must be approved by the Senior Director for Finance and Administration.

Provost International Travel Funds for FY25:

The Provost’s Office will provide up to $2,000 in matching funds for international travel requests for full-time faculty. The Franklin College will contribute up to $500 toward that match; departments will be responsible for identifying the remaining funding needed to secure the Provost’s match and any additional costs of international travel requests. This remaining funding may include funds from grants, IDC funds, First-Year Odyssey funds, professorship funds, support accounts, and the departmental travel allocation from the college. For example, for a $2,000 trip, the Department/College/Provost amounts would be $500/$500/$1,000; for a $4,000 trip, the amounts would be $1,500/$500/$2,000. Faculty can also apply for additional funds up to $500 to support a connected visit for the purpose of developing joint research, recruiting graduate students, or facilitating new institutional collaboration. 

For all international travel funding requests, please visit International Faculty Travel in FY25. Request must include supporting documentation (e.g. invitation and/or acceptance letter to an international conference). The request form with appropriate department head/director signature and supporting documentation will need to be routed to April Brown for processing. 

The Franklin International Studies Committee reviews requests on a monthly cycle.  Approved forms are then forwarded to the Office of Global Engagement (OGE) for final approval. Once Franklin College has received the approved forms back from OGE, each faculty member, department head/director, and the Business Service Office (FBSO) will then be notified by email of the final funding decision.  FBSO will transfer the award funds into the traveler's Dept ID.  

*PLEASE NOTE:  All out-of-state travel MUST have a submitted and approved travel authorization (TA), irrespective of whether the travel will be reimbursed.  For travel starting after November 15, 2024, the TA must be on file before the travel occurs in order to receive any reimbursement regardless of the funding source.

For questions or inquiries regarding Franklin College support for international travel, please contact April Brown.