Definition
NIH Fellowships support predoctoral and postdoctoral training of individuals to undertake biomedical, behavioral, or clinical research. The most common types of NIH Fellowships at the UW include:
- F30: Predoctoral training which leads to the combined MD/PhD and other dual Clinical/Research degrees.
- F31: Predoctoral training that provides individuals with supervised research.
- F32: Postdoctoral training to broaden scientific background.
This web page refers to NIH's Grants Policy Statement (GPS). Requirements for NIH Fellowships are located in Section 11.2 Individual Fellowships. For non-NIH Fellowships, review the terms of the Award and any sponsor-specific regulations.
Components
Stipends
See NIH GPS 11.2.9.2.
A stipend is provided to help defray living expenses during the fellowship. It is not provided as a condition of employment with the UW. Stipends must be paid in accordance with stipend levels established by NIH at the time of appointment, which are based on a 12-month appointment.
Stipends are paid twice a month in accordance with standard UW payroll transactions. In the event of early termination, the stipend will be prorated according to the amount of time expended.
Stipends are only paid over the course of the appointment period. For example, a fellow cannot be paid the value of 12 months of stipends over nine months. Any unused stipend funds must be returned to the federal sponsor.
Stipends may be taxable (see NIH GPS 11.2.10.6), but UW does not withhold taxes. Trainees are responsible for paying any necessary income taxes. Refer to UW’s Tax Office guidance on stipends for additional information.
Stipend Object Codes
F30 & F31 Fellowships:
01-9x: Includes a fringe benefit charge to 07-03 Graduate Student Health Insurance for health insurance which will be charged to the institutional allowance budget. No other fringe benefit is allowed.
08-02: Does not include fringe benefits.
F32 Fellowships:
01-5x: Includes a fringe benefit charge to 07-10 Health Care for health insurance which will be charged to the institutional allowance budget.
08-02: Does not include fringe benefits.
Stipend Supplements
See NIH GPS 11.2.10.1.
Stipends may be supplemented by non-federal funds provided there is no additional obligation for the fellow. Supplementation policies must be consistently applied to all individuals in a similar status regardless of the source of funds.
Tuition
See NIH GPS 11.2.9.5.
F30 & F31 Fellowships: For individual predoctoral Fellowships, tuition is awarded at an amount equal to 60% of the level requested by UW, up to $16,000 per award year. If the program supports formally combined dual-degree training (e.g., MD/PhD, DDS/PhD), the amount provided will be up to $21,000 per award year.
F32 & F33 Fellowships: For individual postdoctoral and senior Fellowships, tuition is awarded at an amount equal to 60% of the level requested by UW, up to $4,500 per award year. If the program supports postdoctoral individuals in formal degree-granting training, the amount provided will be up to $16,000 per award year. For postdoctoral Fellows, costs associated with tuition are allowable only if they are required for specific courses in support of the research training.
Tuition Object Code
08-05: Tuition & Fees
Institutional Allowance
See NIH GPS 11.2.9.4.
This fixed amount is intended to defray expenses for the individual Fellow, such as research supplies, equipment, travel to scientific meetings, and health insurance, and to otherwise help offset appropriate administrative costs of training. Funds are paid directly to and administered by the UW. For more information, see PAFC's Institutional Allowance page.
Limitations
F&A Costs
F&A is not allowed on NIH Fellowships.
Part-time Employment
See NIH GPS 11.2.10.2.
Fellows may spend on average an additional 25% of their time (10 hours per week) in part-time employment in research, teaching, or clinical activities, so long as those activities do not interfere with, or lengthen, the duration of their fellowship.
Compensation may not be paid from a research grant that supports the same research that is part of the fellow's planned training experience as approved in the fellowship application.
Rebudgeting
See NIH GPS 11.2.9.8.
Fellowship awards are restricted to the specific budget category of the award and cannot be rebudgeted without prior written approval from the federal sponsor.
Stipends must be expended using the stipend level provided in the award. No funds can be rebudgeted into the stipend category to accommodate a stipend level different from the established NIH level. If a Fellowship terminates early, any unexpended stipend funds must be returned to the sponsor and cannot be rebudgeted into any other budget category.