The purpose of granting a fellowship stipend and tuition assistance is to enhance the academic research experience of the fellow and enrich the university. Generally, a granting agency supports the fellow with the university's Office of Post Award Administration acting as an accounting liaison. For assistance or more information, contact the Fellowship Coordinator in the Office of Post Award Administration.

In most cases, the fellow must be matriculating through a university which is part of the Oregon University System in order to receive a stipend. Generally, a student must be enrolled full time (9 graduate hours or 12 undergraduate hours) to receive a stipend. However, post-doctoral and visiting university faculty who are receiving stipends do not have to be registered for credits. Graduate students who are planning on receiving stipends in the summer months should consult the Graduate School and pay particular attention to the Continuous Enrollment Policy.

What exactly is a stipend?

STIPENDS - Expenditure in the form of subsistence allowances paid to students engaged in training or a sponsored program. The student/fellow should expect to perform services to receive a stipend payment. This payment is not a salary and is made primarily to defray general living expenses. (Stipend recipients are not considered OSU employees).

Department Responsibilities

  • The Office of Post Award Administration (OPAA) must have the award letter in its possession in order to initiate a stipend payment.

  • Be aware of minimum enrollment requirements by sponsoring agencies (see links below).

  • If a fellow is to receive three stipend payments or fewer, initiate payment through the department using the payment request form. However, if the stipend recipient is a non-resident alien, all payments must be made by the OPAA. In some cases, stipends paid to non-resident aliens may be subject to federal tax withholding.  Please also provide VISA status information to OPAA in this case.

Contact the Office of Post Award Administration if:

  • A fellowship is to be initiated. Fill out the New Stipend Checklist and return to the OPAA.

  • A fellow is to receive tuition and/or fees on an existing grant.

  • A fellow is, for one reason or another, to cease receiving a stipend check before the scheduled award period has ended.

Information for Fellows

Stipends

  • Stipend payments are generally made at the beginning of the month for the upcoming month.
  • Let the OPAA know if you have moved (even if you have updated your address elsewhere) since failure to do so may result in a lost check.
  • If your have not received your check after 10 days into the stipend period, fill out a replacement check request and return it to the OPAA..
  • Taxes are not taken out of your stipend (see exception below). However, if you are a post-doctoral fellow, visiting faculty, or attending a non-OUS university, your stipends are 1099 reportable. Consult the IRS website for more information about tax reporting.
  • Stipends to non-resident alien fellows MAY be taxable, depending on the fellow' country of origin and the existence (or lack thereof) of U.S. tax treaties with that nation. Any stipends paid to non-resident aliens MUST be paid by and routed through OPAA and must be paid on a 28632 account code.

Direct Deposit is an Option

The option of direct deposit of your fellowship check directly into your banking account is available for your convenience. If this is something you would like to participate in:

  1. Please fill out, sign, and date the bottom of the direct deposit memo.

  2. Please fill out, sign, and date the bottom of an ACH form.

  3. Please include a voided check if depositing into your checking account.

Send all three pieces to:

Office of Post Award Administration
Attn: Fellowships
306 Kerr Administration Building
Corvallis, OR 97331

Keep in mind that this process may take a couple of months to initialize. Please realize that if you opt to have your fellowship stipend placed into your banking account as a direct deposit all reimbursements paid to you from Oregon State University will become direct deposits.

Tuition

If the OPAA is paying your tuition and/or fees, please check your student account after the second week of the term to see if those payments have posted.

Although some agencies may require you to be registered for a minimum number of credits per term, if you are receiving tuition relief from the Graduate School, you must be registered for at least 12 credit hours per term.

Insurance Reimbursement

Some postdoctoral fellows and graduate students under certain circumstances are allowed to receive insurance reimbursements through an agency's award. If this is the case, you will need to provide verification of this and send it, along with proof of payment (copy of cashed check, etc) and the insurance carrier's invoice to the Office of Post Award Administration.

Links to various agencies