Federal Research Updates: Please see Federal Research Updates 2025 for the latest updates on executive orders and policies impacting federally funded research.
Student Support
Please note - process overviews have been developed as guidance only and can be changed at any time. Please contact your Sponsored Projects Administration team with any questions.
Definition: A stipend is a living allowance. It is a form of fellowship and, to the extent it is not used by a degree-seeking student for tuition, required fees or books, it is taxable (federal and state).
Process Owner: Office of Graduate Student Assistantship and Fellowships (OGSAF) with assistance provided by the Office of the Vice President for Research
Process Overview:
Please go to the following link to process a stipend for a graduate student (Fellowship Award and Payment Process):
Associated Forms/Resource Links:
Definition: This term refers to the portion of the fellowship that is a direct credit to a student’s account for courses taken, awarded either as credit hours or a dollar equivalent. Tuition awards are non-taxable.
Process Owner: Office of Graduate Student Assistantship and Fellowships
Process Overview:
- The Graduate Student Assistantship and Fellowship (GSAF) office will award a tuition fellowship equal to 67% of a student’s tuition (up to six credits in the fall and spring semesters) for a Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) when the following conditions are met:
- GRA is paid from sponsored research project
- Full F&A is recovered from the sponsored research project
- GRA is enrolled in one of the following: Columbian College of Arts & Sciences, Elliott School International Affairs, Graduate School of Education and Human Development, School of Business , School of Engineering & Applied Science, School of Nursing, or College of Professional Studies.
- Tuition fellowships for other graduate students may also be granted by GSAF or by individual schools and units, but will not automatically be awarded. These fellowships granted by the individual schools/offices will not be charged to sponsored research projects.
- GSAF will not cover tuition for graduate students enrolled in the Milken Institute School of Public Health, School of Medicine and Health Services or the Law School, nor during the summer.
- PIs are encouraged to allocate tuition as a direct cost to a sponsored research project when allowed by a sponsor.
Associated Forms/Resource Links:
Graduate Assistant/Graduate Research Assistant/Graduate Fellows
The graduate assistant and fellowship appointment process is administered by the Office of Graduate Student Assistantships and Fellowships. Effective July 1, 2013, the following process, detailed at the link below, is implemented for all future graduate assistant and fellowship appointments. Current graduate student appointments should continue in their current status for the duration of the appointment. New appointments and sponsored projects proposals should incorporate the process outlined, in detail, below.
Associated Forms/Resource Links:
- Definitions and Frequently Asked Questions (pdf)
- Graduate Assistant and Fellowship Appointment Process
- Incorporating Graduate Research Assistants, Graduate Research Fellows and Graduate Fellows into Proposals
- Memo from Senior Vice Provost, Forrest Maltzman, July 26, 2013
- Regarding: Graduate Students in Instructional, Research Support, Independent Research and Administrative Roles.
For more information, please contact your SPM Team.