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University of Pennsylvania Student Travel Reimbursement Guidelines

The Division of Student Affairs offers travel reimbursement for Swarthmore students  who have been approved and are enrolled in class(es) at the University of Pennsylvania through the Quaker Consortium. Students traveling to and from Swarthmore's campus to the UPenn campus for classes are eligible to receive reimbursement for travel expenses for SEPTA  or mileage reimbursement for individuals choosing to drive their own vehicle. 

Student travel reimbursement will not cover expenses to travel for library usage, labs, or practices at Penn, parking, fuel expenses, car rental or ride services.

The maximum reimbursement amounts for the semester are as follows:

1 day per week = $200.00 total for the semester
2 days per week = $325.00 total for the semester
3 or more days per week = $475.00 total for the semester

Once you submit receive the total maximum reimbursement allotted, any travel costs which exceed that amount become the responsibility of the individual student.  

Swarthmore students taking a class at The University of Pennsylvania must review UPENN's Quaker Consortium Student Guide.  Students are not permitted to use the following Penn Resources: Careers Services and the PennLink recruiting system, Student Employment, Student Financial Services, or Student Health Service.

What you need to submit in order to be reimbursed:

  1. Complete the UPenn Student Travel reimbursement form. Download the form and fill it out completely with your name, student ID number and UPenn course name
  2. List each date you traveled to class and the cost of the train fare or mileage (65.5 cents per mile)
  3. Attach all copies of SEPTA fare purchases (from the portal or bankcard statements) with the form.   
  4. Submit your forms via email to fgibson1@swarthmore.edu no later than December 23 for fall semester courses / June 1 for spring semester courses.

For students who opt to drive to UPenn, reimbursement is for mileage only.  Parking fees or fuel expenses are not reimbursed.  Mileage to and from UPenn is calculated at a maximum of 20 miles per trip @ 65.5. cents per mile for a total reimbursement of $13.10 per trip. 

IMPORTANT NOTE: Deadline to submit final travel reimbursement is June 1, 2024. If you are leaving campus before the last day of class, you must submit requests for reimbursements and all receipts before leaving campus. 

Please do not miss class due to lack of funds.  Feel free to email or stop by the Student Affairs Office (Parrish Hall East, Room 140) if you have any questions about reimbursement.  

For more information regarding how to register for a course at UPenn, please consult the Tri-Co, UPenn & Cooperative Agreements webpage on the Registrar's Office website.