Procedures for Medical Student Reimbursements, Travel Reimbursements, and Conference Approval

During your time here at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, there may be several opportunities for you to be reimbursed for expenses you incur in support of medical student group activities, community service activities, attendance at regional or national meetings of student groups, etc. This is a guideline to help you with this process.

Step 1: Get approval before spending any money!

For student group activities that require additional funding from the Office of Medical Student Affairs or Medical Student Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, please prepare an appropriate budget (with explanation of costs) and forward to [email protected]. A face-to-face meeting may also be required. After careful review of your proposed budget, OMSA will notify your group of your approved amount. All original receipts and the reimbursement form should be submitted to [email protected]u (Steps 2 & 3). Please keep in mind that we can only reimburse expenses and cannot provide funds in advance of expenditures.

Step 2: Get your information together!

All requests for reimbursement must be accompanied by an original receipt that shows the amount of money you paid for the item. Travel costs are often incurred through on-line services. Please be sure to keep the e-mail receipts that the airline, hotel, rental car company, etc. send to you, not just your confirmation notices. We will also need a copy of your bank statement showing payment. Accounts Payable requires original receipts and bank statements (when applicable) in order to approve your request for reimbursement.

Please complete the following forms and attach your original receipts:

• Student Reimbursement Activity Form
• Conference Approval Form (this form must be completed if you are attending a conference to present your work - department approval required with a budget number and the course director must approve that you are permitted to miss your class/elective/clerkship)

Step 3: Send information to the Office of Medical Student Affairs!

Please send your student reimbursement form, original receipts, and bank statement (when necessary) to [email protected]. Your request will be verified by the Office of Medical Student Affairs and/or Medical Student Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and then submitted through the University for processing. The check will be mailed to your home address. Reimbursements typically take 3 to 4 weeks to process from beginning to end (there are peak seasons throughout the year where this process may take longer) because the reimbursement goes through multiple channels within the University before it is approved and mailed to your home.  If you do not receive your reimbursement within 3 to 4 weeks, please email [email protected]. One of our staff members will look into this matter for you. 

Please keep in mind the following things:

• We cannot provide funds in advance for an event or trip.
• If you travel, we need a copy of the hotel folio.
• If you share a room with another student, you need to ask the hotel to break down the expenses for you on two folios. Since we provide limited funding per student, each student should pay their own way and not have other students pay for them.
• If you are traveling for a conference, you must fly out of Baltimore and return to Baltimore. Tickets for other city destinations will not be approved since they are not related to the original travel intent.
• We will need a copy of your bank statement showing the expense. The bank statement should include your name and mailing address.
• If someone else pays for your trip and/or expenses and their name is on the receipt, we will only reimburse the individual that paid.
• Receipts for food need to have an attendance list attached.
• All student groups that submit receipts for events, should include an attendance list.
• If you are missing information when you submit your reimbursement request, this could delay reimbursement approval.
• DO NOT PAY BY CASH. We will not be able to reimburse you without proof of payment.
• We will not accept receipts if they are past 90 days from the event (NO EXCEPTIONS). The University is denying any request past 90 days. It is your responsibility to turn in receipts immediately after a student event or when you return from travel.

If you have any questions, please contact [email protected].  Thank you!