Travel

CSUSM TRAVEL GUIDELINES 
Effective May 11, 2020 

CSUSM, CSUSM Corporation, and CSUSM Foundation, hereafter referred to as CSUSM (unless noted otherwise) follow the current California State University (CSU) Travel Policy as well as its Travel Procedures and Regulations. 

According to the CSU Travel Policy, campuses of the CSU can elect to apply more restrictive guidelines than those articulated in that document. CSUSM has elected to apply the following (more restrictive) exceptions to the CSU Travel Policy: 

1. Travel must be authorized prior to travel utilizing the Travel Authorization Form. Excludes service providers, candidates, and non-employee students. The approved Travel Authorization must be attached to the Travel Claim form.  
2. Blanket Travel Authorizations may be requested for mileage, tolls, and parking for a specific fiscal year or less.   
3. CSU's Travel Policy states that a traveler can submit a travel expense claim prior to the completion of travel for expenses incurred before the completion of travel. Effective April 1, 2020, CSUSM only accepts supplemental claims for airfare. CSUSM has several mechanisms for assisting travelers in paying for travel costs, such as a ProCard for registration and travel advances. For more information on these options, please contact the Travel Office. 
4. Prepaid hotel expenses are strongly discouraged and not reimbursable prior to the travel event. 
5. According to the CSU Travel Policy, designees of the campus president may authorize exceptions to its policies and procedures. CSUSM has elected to apply the following exceptions to the CSU Travel Procedures and Regulations: 
   1. Vice Presidents may approve exceptions to the nightly lodging cap of $275 with a valid business justification prior to booking and incurring travel expenses.
   2. All other CSU Travel Policy exceptions may only be granted by the Vice President, Finance and Administrative Services/CFO.   
6. Airport parking beyond a period of five days is prohibited unless the traveler requests and is pre-approved for an exception with specific business justification prior to incurring the expense.  
7. Refundable airline tickets are not permitted. Travelers may only choose non-refundable tickets. 
8. Airline upgrades (including Southwest Early Bird Check In) are prohibited and non-reimbursable. 
9. Executive-style transport service is not permitted.  
10. Utilizing broker sites such as CheapOAir, Expedia, Hotels.com, etc. is not advised. Itemized receipts are required, and often these sites do not provide adequate detail. 

Approvers/Required Signatures

 

Type of Travel	Travel Authorization	Travel Claim
<$500 Domestic Travel	1) Traveler 2) Funding Authority or PI or designee (for 85xxx projects only) 3) Office of Sponsored Projects (for 85xxx projects only) 4) One-up Manager/Supervisor (or Dean in AA)	1) Traveler 2) Travel Office Pre-check 3) Funding Authority or PI or designee (for 85xxx projects only) 4) Office of Sponsored Projects (for 85xxx projects only) 5) Optional - Manager/Dean Reviewer 6) One-up Manager/Supervisor (or Dean in AA) 7) Travel Office Audit and Payment
>$500 Domestic Travel	1) Traveler 2) Funding Authority or PI or designee (for 85xxx projects only) 3) Office of Sponsored Projects (for 85xxx projects only) 4) One-up Manager/Supervisor (or Dean in AA) 5) Division Vice President or Provost (or designee)	1) Traveler 2) Travel Office Pre-check 3) Funding Authority or PI or designee (for 85xxx projects only) 4) Office of Sponsored Projects (for 85xxx projects only) 5) Optional - Manager/Dean Reviewer 6) One-up Manager/Supervisor (or Dean in AA) 7) Travel Office Audit and Payment
International Travel	1) Traveler 2) Funding Authority or PI or designee (for 85xxx projects only) 3) Office of Sponsored Projects (for 85xxx projects only) 4) One-up Manager/Supervisor (or Dean in AA) 5) Division Vice President or Provost (or designee) 6) President or designee	1) Traveler 2) Travel Office Pre-check 3) Funding Authority or PI or designee (for 85xxx projects only) 4) Office of Sponsored Projects (for 85xxx projects only) 5) Optional - Manager/Dean Reviewer 6) One-up Manager/Supervisor (or Dean in AA) 7) Travel Office Audit and Payment