BACKGROUND

Institutional Training Grants and Nationally Competitive Fellowships provide essential financial support for graduate students, including Stipends and partial coverage of tuition and health insurance costs. The Institutional Allowance associated with these grants and fellowships for tuition and health insurance often falls short of the total cost. This gap in funding can place a financial burden on students. The University's commitment to providing additional subsidies aims to bridge this funding gap, ensuring that graduate students can pursue their studies without financial hardship.

PURPOSE

To outline the financial commitments from the University that help ensure students supported on Institutional Training Grants or Nationally Competitive Fellowships are not responsible for tuition payments to the University and that they receive a health insurance subsidy equivalent to the subsidy available to graduate students who hold graduate assistantships.

APPLIES TO

This policy applies to all graduate students supported on an Institutional Training Grant or Nationally Competitive Fellowship and to faculty teams to whom an Institutional Training Grant is awarded.

DEFINITIONS

Institutional Allowance: Funds provided by an Institutional Training Grant or Nationally Competitive Fellowship to defray a portion of the tuition for full-time enrollment and the cost of health insurance.

Institutional Training Grant: A competitively awarded grant from an external organization or agency provided to teams of faculty for the purpose of training graduate students in specific disciplines, which often complements faculty research. These grants offer important financial support for graduate students, including Stipends.

Nationally Competitive Fellowship: A fellowship available to U.S. graduate students that is awarded by a federal agency or other external organization to individual graduate students who apply and who are selected by a review panel overseen by the awarding agency or organization.

Stipend: A Stipend is an allowance provided by either an Institutional Training Grant or a Nationally Competitive Fellowship intended to support living expenses of the graduate student supported by the award.

POLICY STATEMENT

The University may provide tuition and health insurance subsidies to bridge the gap between an Institutional Allowance associated with Institutional Training Grants or Nationally Competitive Fellowships and a graduate student’s total cost of tuition and health insurance. To qualify for the tuition and health insurance subsidies available under this policy the following conditions apply:

1. Institutional Training Grants: Students supported on the Institutional Training Grants listed below will receive subsidies for tuition and health insurance if the Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Dean of The Graduate School has approved the Institutional Allowance in the budget request associated with the grant proposal before the grant has been submitted. The faculty member or team must apply for the maximum Institutional Allowance available under the award. Graduate students supported on Institutional Training Grants not listed below may receive subsidies at the discretion of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Dean of The Graduate School provided the Institutional Allowance associated with the grant covers a substantial fraction of the total cost of tuition and health insurance and the faculty applied for the maximum Institutional Allowance available under the award.

• • Department of Education – Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need
  • National Institutes of Health – Ruth L. Kirschtein Institutional Awards (T32, )
  • National Science Foundation – National Research Traineeship
  • National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) – Training Grants
  • Department of Agriculture – National Needs

2. Nationally Competitive Fellowships: Students supported on the Nationally Competitive Fellowships listed below will receive subsidies for tuition and health insurance. Students supported on other nationally competitive fellowships may receive subsidies at the discretion of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Dean of The Graduate School provided the fellowship offers an annual Stipend equal to or greater than Level I graduate assistantship (9-month) Stipend as well as an Institutional Allowance determined to be adequate by the VP and Dean.

• • National Defense Science & Engineering Grad Fellowships (NDSEG)
  • National Institutes of Health - Ruth L. Kirschstein Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award (F31)
  • National Science Foundation – Graduate Research Fellowship

3. Notification Requirement: Faculty teams leading an Institutional Training Grant and the home departments of students holding a Nationally Competitive Fellowship must notify the Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Dean of The Graduate School of all supported students at least six weeks before the beginning of each semester.
4. Graduate Students: Graduate students receiving subsidies must register as full-time students. They are responsible for mandatory fees associated with enrollment unless the award specifically mandates that the Institutional Allowance is intended to cover fees as well as tuition. Graduate students must also pay a portion of the health insurance premium equivalent to that charged to graduate assistants in similar circumstances.

ENFORCEMENT

Violations of this policy may result in appropriate disciplinary measures in accordance with University By-Laws, General Rules of Conduct for All University Employees, applicable collective bargaining agreements, and the University of Connecticut Student Code.

POLICY HISTORY

Policy created:   06/27/2024 Approved by the Senior Policy Council and the President

Revisions:                         

Replaces:  Policy on Competitive Federal Graduate Fellowship Awards; Policy on Competitive Non-Federal Graduate Fellowship Awards