Types of Awards
Fellowship awards may be paid in several different ways. The difference depends both on the source of the award as well as the associated benefits you wish to or are required to provide.
Fellowship with health (GAIP coverage) benefits
Fellowship awards may provide GAIP eligibility to graduate students. In some cases, the source of the funding might require that you provide such health care coverage, while in other cases you may simply wish to provide the same benefit that RAs and TAs in your unit receive. In all cases, a payroll load rate is assessed against the budget paying the monthly fellowship amount.
Fellowship awards that provide GAIP eligibility also automatically provide the awardee with a waiver of the non-resident differential (NRD) portion of tuition costs when applicable.
Fellowship with only a non-resident tuition waiver
If you will not provide GAIP eligibility through a fellowship award, you may still wish to provide a student with a waiver of the NRD (non-resident differential) portion of tuition costs IF they can benefit.
Fellowship lump sum payments with no associated benefits or waiver
If you do not plan to provide GAIP eligibility to a fellowship awardee, and if the awardee would not benefit from an NRD waiver, then you should pay the award in one lump sum over the Student Database. Unless the source of the funding requires it, do not make these awards over the payroll system.
Further information regarding the benefits associated with fellowship appointments is provided in the Fellowship Benefits and Budget Charges section.
Award Terms
Fellowship awards vary dramatically based on the source of funding. They can be small awards to very large awards. They can provide a regular monthly stipend or a one-time quarterly amount. The terms of the award, along with any benefits you could provide, will determine the way in which you need to pay the award.
Fellowship recipients must be enrolled in 10 credits to be eligible for the NRD waiver and/or GAIP insurance (or may petition to reduce enrollment, if they meet the criteria to do so).
Paying Appointments Through UW Payroll
Fellowship awards should be paid through the UW’s payroll system when the awarding unit wishes the student to receive GAIP benefits and/or a non-resident differential (NRD) tuition waiver. In addition, different source budgets or sponsors may require that recipients receive regular monthly payments, and those may only be done through the payroll system.
If you determine that you need to pay a fellowship award through the payroll system, two different job class codes apply as follows:
- Fellowship with health (GAIP coverage) benefits – use job code 21191, with period activity pay type PA02-Stipend with Benefits.
- Fellowship without GAIP coverage but requiring regular monthly payment amounts and/or NRD eligibility – use job code 21192, with period activity pay type PA01-Stipend.
To be eligible for GAIP benefits and/or an NRD waiver, the payroll appointment must be for a minimum amount of pay periods in a given quarter and a minimum monthly stipend amount as follows:
- A minimum of five full pay periods in autumn, winter and spring quarters, and a minimum of two consecutive pay periods in summer quarter as defined by the quarter dates listed below; and
- A minimum of $500/month (or $250/pay period) for an NRD; or
- A minimum of $800/month (or $400/pay period) for GAIP eligibility
Payroll quarter dates are different than academic quarter dates. Payroll quarters consist of six pay periods and the dates are:
- Autumn: September 16–December 15
- Winter: December 16–March 15
- Spring: March 16–June 15
- Summer: June 16–September 15
When paying fellowship awards through the payroll system, please note that there is no FTE attached to the appointments since there is no work effort involved in such an appointment. The monthly ‘salary’ should be assigned through period activity pay; please reference the Workday User Guides for assistance with setting up pay. The period activity pay should align with pay period dates.
Paying Fellowship Awards Through the Student Database
Many fellowships are paid in one lump sum directly to the student, particularly when they are not set up to provide health insurance or tuition. Such payments should not be made through the payroll system. Instead, they should be made through the student account screens of the Student Database.
Student Fiscal Services provides a great deal of training and information regarding payments over the Student Database.
More information about Fellowship Benefits and Budget Charges