The state of collegiate travel & expense 2026

Millions in travel spend. Thousands of travelers. Yet, for many institutions, complete visibility remains out of reach.

Nearly half of the higher education institutions surveyed manage 5,000 or more travelers a year, and half oversee annual travel budgets of $10 million or more. Yet 3 in 4 lack full confidence in their spend visibility.

What does that mean for compliance, reimbursement, grant funding, and traveler safety?
 

If you lead or manage travel, expense, procurement, corporate cards, or accounts payable at a college, university, or university system in North America, this report is for you.

Drawing on insights from higher education leaders across North America, The state of collegiate travel & expense 2026 uncovers the gaps between policy and practice, and what institutions can do to close them.

The findings reveal that

• 71% cite off-channel bookings as a major barrier to spend visibility.
• 42% take three weeks or longer to reimburse travelers.
• 62% still check grant compliance manually.
• Just 29% can account for every traveler in an emergency.

Inside the report, discover

• Where fragmented systems leave travel spend out of sight.
• Why compliance gaps and reimbursement delays persist.
• What institutions prioritize for traveler safety and automation.
• Four practical steps towards connected, intelligent spend management.