FELLOWSHIP DEFINITIONS AND ENROLLMENT REQUIREMENTS
Graduate Student Fellowships
Fellowship costs for pre-doctoral graduate or professional students
Student Eligibility Requirements: Fellowships include all unrestricted, non-service related stipends, regardless of the funding source or name of the award, and are made for the purpose of aiding a graduate or professional student’s study, training, or research. Fellowships also include student funding with the name “prize” or “award” when they are awarded to support the student’s study, training, or research. “Unrestricted” means that funds are not limited to paying certain expenses, such as tuition. Pre-doctoral fellowship recipients are expected to enroll in a minimum of 6 credit hours (or as defined in the University Graduate School Academic Bulletin under full-time study for academic purposes)in each academic-year term, Fall or Spring, in which the student receives a fellowship. Students who receive $2,987 or more per academic-year term in total fellowship funding will be automatically enrolled in mandatory SAA Health Insurance. Exceptions to these guidelines must be sent to the Bloomington Campus Fellowship/Scholarship Advisory Group, in care of Rozzie Gerstman.
Procedure: Fellowships for pre-doctoral “students” who meet the enrollment requirements described above are entered in the Student Information System (SIS), using object code 5820.
Payments to pre-doctoral students for the purpose of paying non-compensatory research expenses and study-related travel will be processed using an FIS disbursement voucher. This mechanism can only be used when a specific budget has been set for the student’s research project or travel. Using object code 5866, provide the student’s ID#, last name and first in the description field of the DV, and the purpose of the award (see attached form).
Fellowships for Summer Term
Procedure: Fellowships for pre-doctoral students who are enrolled in a minimum of one summer course are entered in the Student Information System (SIS), using object code 5820.
Payments to pre-doctoral students for the purpose of paying non-compensatory research expenses and study-related travel, regardless of enrollment, will be processed using an FIS disbursement voucher. This mechanism can only be used when a specific budget has been set for the student’s research project or travel.Using object code 5866, provide the student’s ID#, last name and first in the description field of the DV and provide the purpose of the award (see attached form).
For non-enrolled pre-doctoral students, who have no intention of enrolling in the summer, the use of the FIS disbursement voucher is appropriate. Use object code 5861, include ID#, student’slast name and first in the description field,and the purpose of the award (see attached form).
Prizes and Awards - 4866
Per IRS guidelines, “prizes” and “awards” that are not for the purpose of aiding the student’s study, training, or research are not considered scholarships or fellowships. Examples include a prize paid for winning a piano competition, a prize paid to a figure of world renown for his outstanding achievements in a certain area of research or politics, or a prize paid for winning some sort of contest.
When paying a prize of this nature, the grantor does not specifically intend that the grantee spend the prize amount “for the purpose of aiding his study, training, or research,” but instead intends the prize to be an award which recognizes the achievement or renown of the grantee and which may be spent in any fashion the grantee sees fit (examples include highest GPA or outstanding thesis). Such “prizes” and “awards” should be processed using an FIS disbursement voucher and object code 4866 to ensure that they are not counted as financial aid. IU reports such payments for tax purposes on Form 1099-MISC. Contact Rozzie Gerstman with questions. (See attached form)
Other Financial Aid Received
Students who have been awarded other financial aid (grants, scholarships, and loans, work-study) may have other awards reduced when scholarships and fellowships are processed by IUB departments. Sometimes, aid already received may have to be repaid to maintain compliance with federal aid guidelines. It is not unusual for a department to make a fellowship or scholarship award which is disbursed to the student by direct deposit. Then the student may be required to repay other aid previously received. Frequently, the fellowship or scholarship is not “extra” money. As a result, it is very important that departments entering awards advise staff to pay attention to financial aid already in the SIS and take appropriate action before placing the student in a hardship situation. Questions regarding a students’ aid eligibility should be directed to staff in the Scholarship Clearinghouse.