Travel Reimbursement

We can help pay your travel expenses, whether by air, train or in your own car.

Please review everything on this page, including links, before contacting our office manager or meeting with the director. Reimbursement is usually limited to one trip per student.

Pre-Approval Procedure

1. Contact our office manager via cms@hope.edu to express your intentions before proceeding to step 2
2. Schedule an appointment with Dr. Andy McCoy to discuss your discernment. Email mccoya@hope.edu.
3. Be prepared to tell something about yourself and indicate where you'd like to visit and why
4. Provide some proposed dates and estimated expenses when you come to your appointment
5. Bring with you a written estimate of your travel expenses (website printouts are fine)

6. After your trip has been approved, please read everything else on this page before you proceed.

Two Weeks Before You Leave

After you have been approved by Dr. McCoy to cover some or all of your travel expenses, please take note of the following before proceeding with your plans:

• If you purchased an airline ticket and want to be reimbursed now rather than after your return, follow all instructions outlined in the 'after you visit' section below!
• The following completed documents are due in our office 10–14 days before you leave:
  • Assumption of Risk & Release Form: Domestic Off-Campus Programs. For name of program use: Seminary Visitation Program (insert name of seminary)
  • Student Off-Campus Program Responsibilities
  • A detailed itinerary that includes timeline and location from the time you leave campus until your return. You can download this Google Drive Excel itinerary template to organize the details as you plan your trip. Ultimately, the official Risk and Responsibility Travel Itinerary Google form must be submitted no later than two days before departure. If multiple students are traveling together, only one student needs to complete the form on behalf of the group. Please account for each person traveling on the itinerary by using the '+' symbol to add names.

If you have questions, contact cms@hope.edu before you finalize your plans.

While Traveling

All expenses approved for reimbursement must have a corresponding itemized receipt. Meals and lodging are not covered.

Examples include:

• Toll road fees (use lanes with an attendant and ask for a receipt)
• Gasoline expenses
• Parking expenses
• Shuttle transportation such as bus, taxi, subway, train, etc.

After You Visit

Bring receipts to our office as soon as possible after your visit so that the necessary paperwork can be submitted to Business Services. If airfare is involved, you may bring/email that receipt to us prior to your trip so that you can receive the reimbursement before your credit card bill arrives.

You will receive by email a link to complete a Google form evaluation for each institution you visit.

Please include the following when you turn in your receipts:

• If you have more than one receipt, submit an organized list of your expenses listing a short description of each purchase with corresponding amount and a grand total (Excel spreadsheet list calculating the total is fine). Download a Google Excel expense template (please do not use it online).
• Person’s name(s) to which the check should be issued.
• Hope ID number of the student to be reimbursed.
• Complete mailing address where the check should be sent. If someone other than yourself is being reimbursed, the check will be made out to that person as well as yourself using “or” as an indicator between your names. Example: “John Doe, Jr." or "John Doe, Sr.”
• Airfare receipt must include the dates of your travel and the amount of money you paid. Note that your ‘travel confirmation’ may not contain all this information. Please check before submitting.
  • If you purchase an “e-ticket,” simply forward your payment receipt by email to cms@hope.edu. Alternatively, you can print your email receipt or web page and bring it to the CMS office.

Once receipts are turned in, expect to receive your check in 10–14 days.