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VPGE Fellowship Policies

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Jump to: Enrollment Requirements - Progress to Degree - Leaves of Absence - Fellowship Reserve Status - Taxes - Supplemental Appointments - Health Insurance Subsidy - Fellowships in addition to VPGE Fellowships

Enrollment Requirements

Fellows must review their degree program's enrollment requirements, as they may differ from VPGE policy.

SGF, CCSRE, Zhang (enrollment required all four quarters)

Fellows must enroll in a minimum of eight units (unless they are in TGR or graduation quarter tuition status) all four quarters to receive their fellowship funds. If a degree program requires a higher enrollment rate than is provided by a VPGE fellowship and additional funds are needed to satisfy degree program enrollment requirements, fellows should consult with their degree program’s student services administrator. ***Fellows who are in TGR or graduation quarter tuition status MUST enroll in a zero unit TGR course***

Fellows who do not enroll in the required number of units can request to put their fellowship support on reserve for future use if eligible; otherwise the support for that quarter is forfeited.

Please note that, by default, the SGF, CCSRE and Zhang are budgeted for TGR tuition support during the fifth year of graduate study.

Lieberman, DARE (enrollment required all four quarters)

These fellowships provide tuition support at the TGR rate regardless of whether a student has moved to TGR status. If a fellow has not yet moved to TGR tuition status and additional funds are needed to satisfy degree program enrollment requirements, they should consult with their degree program’s student services administrator. ***Fellows who are in TGR or graduation quarter tuition status MUST enroll in a zero unit TGR course***

Fellows who do not enroll will forfeit VPGE tuition and stipend support for that quarter. Banking is not permitted.

SIGF (enrollment required all four quarters)

Fellows must enroll in a minimum of eight units during the academic year, e.g., autumn, winter, and spring quarters, for the first two years of the fellowship (unless they are in TGR or graduation quarter tuition status) to receive their fellowship funds. The SIGF provides tuition support for three units of enrollment for the first two summer quarters and fellows must enroll in a minimum of three units to receive their fellowship funds during these two summers. During the third year of the fellowship, tuition support equal to the TGR amount is provided. If a degree program requires a higher enrollment rate than is provided by a VPGE fellowship and additional funds are needed to satisfy degree program's enrollment requirements, fellows should consult their degree program’s student services administrator. ***Fellows who are in TGR or graduation quarter tuition status MUST enroll in a zero unit TGR course***

ARCS (enrollment required autumn, winter and/or spring quarter)

ARCS Fellows are required to be enrolled in a minimum of eight units for autumn and winter or TGR for autumn, winter and spring quarter of the academic year of their fellowship. If a degree program requires a higher enrollment rate than is provided by the VPGE fellowship and additional funds are needed to satisfy the degree program's enrollment requirements, fellows should consult their degree program’s student services administrator. ***Fellows who are in TGR or graduation quarter tuition status MUST enroll in a zero unit TGR course***

Fellows who do not enroll in the required number of units will forfeit VPGE tuition and stipend support for that quarter. Banking is not permitted. All quarters of support must be used in the fiscal year of the fellowship award.

EDGE

Autumn quarter stipend - fellows must be enrolled in a minimum of eight units in order to receive their autumn quarter stipend.

Research stipend (summer quarter) - fellows must follow their degree program’s enrollment policy in order to receive their research stipend.

RAISE (enrollment required during quarter of fellowship use)

If using RAISE funding during the academic year (autumn, winter, spring), fellows must enroll in a minimum of 8 units (unless they are in TGR or graduation quarter tuition status). If using the RAISE funding in summer quarter, fellows must enroll in a minimum of 1 unit, but may enroll in up to 10 units.

Summer Start

SGF, SIGF, CCSRE, Zhang and Lieberman fellowship recipients may begin tenure early, during summer quarter, when approved by the recipient's degree program and VPGE staff. Fellows must note that the current fiscal year’s stipend rate will apply.  

Practical Training

International students may not use VPGE fellowship funds while enrolled in Practical Training (CPT or OPT).

Progress to Degree

All VPGE fellowship recipients are expected to continue to make satisfactory progress towards their degree, otherwise VPGE support may be suspended or canceled.

SGF, CCSRE, RAISE and Zhang

Each year, degree programs are asked to report on the progress of fellows with remaining SGF/CCSRE/RAISE/Zhang support. Support for the following academic year will be released for the fellow’s use, except where there is unsatisfactory progress, or identified milestones are not completed, as described below.

Unsatisfactory Progress: For fellows not making satisfactory progress, fellowship support may be released on a quarter-by-quarter basis, or depending on type and length of issues, the fellowship may be suspended or remaining quarters of the award may be canceled.

Milestone Completion: fellows are expected to complete degree program-qualifying procedures and be admitted to candidacy prior to the start of their third year as a Stanford graduate student. SGF/CCSRE/Zhang support will be suspended until the quarter following completion of the milestone. RAISE fellows who are in year 3 of graduate study or beyond must be admitted to candidacy prior to the quarter during which they plan to use their RAISE support. This policy overrides any extensions for milestone completion approved by degree programs.

For degree programs where the usual time to advance to candidacy is not before the start of the third year of graduate school, support for autumn quarter of the third year will be released for the fellow's use. Subsequent support will be suspended until the quarter following completion of the milestone.

Any suspended SGF/CCSRE/Zhang support is reserved for later use, provided it can be used in the first five years of graduate studies; otherwise it is forfeited. If a fellow has a five-year award, the SGF supplement to the outside fellowship will be forfeited. Suspended support for RAISE fellows can be moved to a future academic year, provided that the support is used during the 3-year RAISE tenure and provided that the fellow has not previously banked RAISE support.

Leaves of Absence

All fellows must comply with University Leave of Absence Policy and procedures, as well as any degree program requirements. Please note that fellows on a leave of absence are not eligible to receive VPGE fellowship support during the quarters of leave.

Once a leave of absence is approved by a degree program, fellows must contact the VPGE office to indicate the quarter the leave begins and the quarter in which the fellow will resume studies (including summer quarters without enrollment before or after the leave of absence).

If a fellow does not return after four consecutive quarters of leave (including summer quarters without enrollment before or after the leave of absence), the remainder of the fellowship will be cancelled. Once a student has taken a total of four quarters of leave, any additional leave may result in the cancellation of their VPGE Fellowship.

If the leave of absence is due to serious illness or other medical condition, or active military service, and will result in an absence of more than four consecutive quarters without enrollment, contact the VPGE office regarding fellowship arrangements.

Read the GAP Policy 5.3, regarding leaves of absence

SGF, CCSRE and Zhang

Support for the first four quarters related to an approved leave of absence is automatically reserved for later use, provided the support can be used within the first five years of graduate study.

The period considered the first five years of graduate study for the use of the fellowship is extended up to four quarters related to an approved leave of absence.

Any summer quarter without enrollment that precedes or follows an approved leave is counted as one of the four quarters.

SIGF

Support for the first two quarters related to an approved leave of absence are automatically reserved for later use, provided the support can be used within the first six years of graduate study.

The period considered the first six years of graduate study for the use of the fellowship is extended up to two quarters related to an approved leave of absence.

Any summer quarter without enrollment that precedes or follows an approved leave is counted as one of the two quarters.

Fellowship Reserve Status

For VPGE fellowships that require enrollment for four quarters each year, interruptions in the use of a VPGE fellowship will result in the forfeiture of the affected quarter(s) unless a request to put the support on reserve is approved based on the policies of the applicable fellowship program.

Who Can Put a Fellowship on Reserve?

SGF, CCSRE and Zhang recipients who do not already have support budgeted through the fifth year of graduate study are eligible to put their fellowships on reserve. SGF, CCSRE and Zhang fellowships must be used within the first five years of graduate study, which includes summer quarter of the fifth year. Please note that, by default, the SGF, CCSRE and Zhang are budgeted for TGR tuition support during the fifth year of graduate study.

SIGF recipients can put up to a maximum of two quarters of support on reserve provided that all SIGF support is used within the first six years of graduate study, which includes summer quarter of the sixth year. Quarters put on reserve will retain the same tuition support, i.e., a summer quarter of reserved support that provides three units of tuition support will be rebudgeted for later use with three units of tuition support.

Who Can Not Put a Fellowship on Reserve?

Lieberman and DARE Fellows are not permitted to put their support on reserve.

Reserve Procedures

Please note that degree programs may augment the VPGE reserve procedures with other requirements, so fellows should check with their student services administrator for local procedures and deadlines. In all cases, fellows are encouraged to discuss funding plans with their advisors and degree programs, even when official advisor approval is not necessary.

Advisor Approval Required

Faculty advisor approval is required for reserve requests when the student intends to be supported by that faculty member or when planning to not enroll (e.g., 50% research appointment, Practical Training, internship etc.). The director of graduate studies or degree program chair/director can substitute for the faculty advisor, when necessary.

Advisor Approval Not Required

Faculty approval is not required if a student wishes to put their fellowship on reserve for a teaching appointment (CA, TA, or TF) or use of a training grant, but fellows must still submit a reserve request form to notify VPGE to update the VPGE fellowship record.

Reserve Deadline

It is advisable to submit requests before the start of the quarter for which a reserve period is requested so the fellow can avoid the receipt of, and the need to repay, a stipend. The final deadline for submitting a reserve request to VPGE is the final study list deadline for the quarter for which reserve period is requested. Please refer to Stanford’s Academic Calendar for specific dates.

Make a Reserve Request

Fellows may initiate the reserve process in one of three ways:

  1. Electronic Reserve Request Form (preferred method): The fellow completes and submits this online form. An email is then sent to the faculty advisor (when applicable) and to VPGE. The advisor can submit an approval via the URL in the automated email.
  2. Download, print and complete a hard copy of the Reserve Request Form. The fellow obtains their faculty advisor's signature when applicable, then submits the form to the VPGE.
  3. Email: The fellow sends an email to their faculty advisor (when applicable), copies vpgefellowships@stanford.edu and includes the following information: (a) fellow's name; (b) quarter(s) for which the reserve period is requested; (c) a brief description of the fellow's activity; and (d) a short explanation of how the activity contributes to the fellow's PhD program. When applicable, the faculty advisor "replies all", indicating her/his approval.

Reserve Confirmation from VPGE

For all three reserve request methods listed above, VPGE will confirm approval via email to the fellow, faculty advisor (if applicable) and degree program student services administrator after reviewing the request.

RAISE Reserve Policy

By default, RAISE fellowship funding is budgeted for summer quarters during the three years of RAISE fellowship tenure. Students may request to use their RAISE support during an alternate quarter during the same academic year by emailing Joanne Tien tienj@stanford.edu and vpgefellowships@stanford.edu. Students may also request to move one quarter of RAISE funding to a different academic year, as long as all RAISE funding is used within the three year period of the RAISE fellowship and at least one quarter of funding is reserved for the final year of the fellowship. For requests to move funding to a different  academic year, please include the justification for the reserve request in the email.

Taxes

As indicated in university policy, fellowship stipends are taxable, but are not subject to withholding (except for non-resident aliens from a country without a tax treaty). Fellows should be sure to budget accordingly for any tax responsibilities. For non-resident aliens only, a 1042-S is issued in early March.

Read the GAP Policy 7.2, 1.7 regarding the taxability of stipends

Find more information regarding taxes on the Student Services website

Supplemental Appointments

Please note: university policies apply to all fellows unless their school or degree program has a more restrictive policy. Fellows should contact the degree program’s student services administrator for more information. University policy, as outlined in the Graduate Academic Policies & Procedures handbook (GAP), allows that students supported by a full fellowship (i.e., SGF, CCSRE, Zhang, Lieberman, DARE, SIGF and ARCS/RAISE-during quarters of use) may be employed for an additional eight hours of hourly employment or may hold a supplemental teaching appointment (e.g., TA, CA) or research appointment (RA) from a minimum of four hours to a maximum of ten hours a week. If a student has a combination of hourly work and a supplemental teaching or research appointment, the total commitment may not exceed eight hours per week. During summer quarter ONLY, University policy allows fellows to add a supplemental teaching or research appointment of up to 50% to their fellowship or up to 16 hours of hourly work.

Read the GAP Policy 7.3, regarding supplemental appointments

Health Insurance Subsidy

Cardinal Care is a university sponsored health insurance option and the insurance premium is billed over three quarters (autumn, winter, spring). As is provided for any graduate student who has a fellowship paying a non-tuition stipend at or above the minimum salary for a 25% assistantship (SGF, CCSRE, Zhang, Lieberman, DARE, SIGF, RAISE, and ARCS fellows are eligible), fellows receive the University Cardinal Care Subsidy which is equal to the full cost of the insurance premium for each quarter that they are enrolled and are using their fellowship.

Read the GAP Policy 7.1.1 regarding the Cardinal Care Subsidy

Fellowships in addition to VPGE Fellowships

VPGE fellows are obligated to notify VPGE if they receive support from additional fellowships, so that their fellowship can be reconfigured if needed.

For SGF, CCSRE and Zhang fellows, additional fellowships generally extend the length of the VPGE fellowship up to a maximum of five years. On occasion and with degree program approval, small one-time honorary stipends may be retained in additional to the VPGE fellowship.

If a fellow is awarded a multi-year nationally competitive portable fellowship (e.g., NSF, Hertz Foundation, NDSEG), a three-year SGF fellowship may be converted to a five-year combination award. Please see an example configuration for a newly admitted student in receipt of a SGF and a NSF.

NSF-SGF dual award exampleYear 1, 2, 3NSF supplemented by SGF to total SGF levels
 Year 4, 5Full SGF support

Lieberman, DARE- Additional fellowships do not extend DARE or Lieberman fellowship support. Additional fellowships reduce the funds paid by the VPGE fellowship.

Please note that Knight-Hennessy Scholars are not eligible to be nominated for a Stanford Graduate Fellowship (SGF), CCSRE Graduate Fellowship, or Zhang Fellowship – three-year fellowships that have a competing recruitment component, but they are eligible for EDGE, RAISE, and other VPGE and university fellowships, including later-stage doctoral fellowships that would be awarded after Knight-Hennessy funding has been expended. Recipients of VPGE fellowships (with the exception of EDGE) are not eligible to apply for the Knight-Hennessy Scholars program.

Read the University's complete fellowship policy in the GAP

Related Links

Graduate Student Funding