NSF GRFP - RIT FAQs

 NSF GRFP FAQ

Fellows and their advisors are encouraged to review the  NSF GRFP website and read the  NSF GRFP manual , updated versions may be posted from time to time.

NSF and institutional activation

1. Who is RIT’s NSF GRFP Coordinating Official (CO)
   • Jason Polito (jmpsrs@rit.edu) of Sponsored Research Services is currently the CO for Rochester Institute of Technology.
   • Fellows apply directly to the fellowship program and declare their institution and status
     • GRFP Program
     • GRFP application
   • Once fellows have been approved and awarded, they may reach out to the CO to confirm status in the system or verify by logging in themselves.
2. Does the CO confirm in the NSF system that the fellow is affiliated with RIT and enrolled appropriately (‘On Tenure’; ‘On Reserve’; ‘Medical/Military Leave’; ‘Completed’; ‘Terminated’ or ‘Forfeited’)?
   • The CO can verify that the student is enrolled and affiliated, but the fellow declares/changes their status as necessary.
   • If necessary, the CO can update the student’s status with confirmation from the fellow’s advisor and the fellow.
   • Fellow’s must inform their advisor and the CO of any changes that require the stipend payments to stop/be put on hold.
3. Are there any institutional deadlines, certifications, fellowship-status submissions, or payment requests that RIT must complete before NSF will make the stipend and Cost of Education funds available?
   • The Program cycle windows are published in the NSF GRFP Administrative Guide (see pg. 20) – https://nsf-gov-resources.nsf.gov/files/nsf25033.pdf
   • As long as a fellow is active in the system and affiliated with RIT and in an eligible status, funds are made available to RIT for each fellow awarded in a given academic year. NSF has made the following link available to check for active fellows - GRFP fellow list
4. Are there any actions or forms from RIT that fellows or advisors need to complete before the fellowship can be administered?
   • Appropriate department forms for the stipend and Cost of Education (CoE) must be completed by the department/college administrator in concert with the fellow and their advisor – see instructions below.
   • All fellows are required to have a Mentorship Plan. This should be developed in conjunction with the fellow's advisor.
   • Additional resources are available here - Mentoring
5. What are the official start and end dates of an NSF GRFP fellowship?
   • Fellowships are annual and run from September 1^st to August 31^st of the following year.

 Workday account and GRFP funding setup

1. Will the fellow’s stipend and the Cost of Education allowance be administered through Workday?
   • Workday is the accounting system that will be used to manage both the cost of education and the stipend. Each college and department at RIT runs and staffs their academic program in a manner that is most conducive to their faculty and student body, so the process may vary slightly among colleges and departments.
   • Sponsored Programs Accounting (SPA) will establish the necessary account(s) and provide the advisor and the dept/college’s designated staff assistant with this information. It is the responsibility of the college and department’s admin to prepare and submit the forms necessary to initiate the stipend payments and the CoE benefits.
2. Who will initiate the Workday grant account or worktag needed to administer a fellowship?
   • Sponsored Research Services and Sponsored Programs Accounting establish the award at RIT, with SPA establishing the necessary Workday accounts for stipend and CoE.
   • The fellow’s advisor will have access to two (2) Workday project accounts. One for the fellow’s stipend and one for the fellow’s Cost of Education.
   • Stipend payments for the fellow should be setup to charge the 'stipend Workday' account assigned to the fellow’s advisor
   • Tuition and fees must be charged to the advisor’s 'CoE Workday' account. Until tuition and mandatory fees are covered, no other charges should be applied to the CoE account.
   • Setup procedures will vary among departments, but whatever the procedure, the stipend is issued through Accounts Payable and the Cost of Education through Student Enrollment using the respective Workday account to cover the associated costs.
3. When should we expect the relevant Workday account be active?
   • Shortly after the award has been released to RIT

Stipend administration

1. Which RIT office administers fellowship stipends?
   • IMPORTANT The student must be added to Payment Works (see Payment Works resources)  to receive stipend payments. The student can then elect how they wish to receive payment (check or direct deposit). This process is detailed in the training available here (must be logged in)  -  Participant Support: Managing Recurring Stipends in Workday. 
   • Stipends are administered at the college/department level
2. What will the stipend payment schedule be?
   • Stipends are issued through Accounts Payable bi-monthly (twice a month). 
   • The college/department must set this up following the steps outlined in the Participant Support training referenced above.  
   • For stipend payment purposes, a month is defined as any calendar month in which a Fellow was On Tenure for 14 or more days at RIT.
3. My college’s stipends are usually handled by the PhD office, is this also the case for GRFP stipends?
   • This is college/department dependent and whether the candidate is a Master's level or PhD level.
4. Is there any additional paperwork that a fellow must complete before stipend payments can begin?
   • The college/department must complete necessary forms and the fellow must be set up in Payment Works.

Cost of Education (Tuition and fees)

Before the CoE is made available to the fellow, the following form must be completed and sent to Financial Aid by the fellow's college or dept - Tuition Remission Worksheet

1. Is a Tuition Remission Worksheet required for each semester, or can one worksheet cover the full fellowship year?
   • The Worksheet must be done for each semester in which the fellow is eligible for stipend.
2. Who calculates the tuition and fees to be covered, and who processes the corresponding charges or credits on a fellow’s student account?
   • This is determined at the college/department level based on the fellow's level of academic engagement
3. Will the amount of the CoE be based on the fellow’s actual registration each semester?
   • The CoE is primarily used for tuition and mandatory fees. The exact costs should be determined by the fellow in conjunction with their advisor and college/dept. Once known, the tuition remission form must be used for appropriate reimbursement.
4. Can we receive an estimate of the fellow’s tuition and mandatory fees for the fellowship year?
   • This is individualized for each fellow. The fellow and their advisor should consult with enrollment, financial aid, and the college/department to determine these costs.
5.  If the fellow expects to complete most of their coursework during the fall semester, but is engaged in the spring semester, how will the Cost of Education allowance be applied.
   • The CoE will be applied first to any applicable fees related to enrollment.
   • As long as the student is actively enrolled as ‘On Tenure’ they are eligible for applicable CoE costs.
6. Which charges on a fellow’s account does RIT consider mandatory fees?
   • Any fees on the fellow’s tuition bill associated with enrollment are eligible
7. Is health-insurance allowable?
   • For PhD students, the university covers the cost of health insurance as long as the student is in good standing in the PhD program.  PhD level fellows must enroll in the health insurance annually. The fellow will receive an email when it is time to enroll in August. If enrolled in the health care plan, there is no cost to a PhD level fellow while in a PhD program
8. If a fellow currently has mandatory fees showing as due on their student account, should those be left unpaid while the fellowship account and tuition-remission process are being established? Will a fellow incur late fees or a registration hold while this is being processed.
   • Costs for the current fellow academic year are eligible expenses. Late fees should not be assessed.
9. If a fellow’s tuition and mandatory fees exceed the Cost of Education allowance during a fellowship year, how is the difference covered? Is the fellow personally responsible for tuition or mandatory fees exceeding the NSF allowance.
   • Each college has its own process for managing these costs. Please consult with the appropriate college/dept office.
   • Per terms of the GRFP, the Institution of Higher Education (IHE) may not hold a fellow personally responsible for additional CoE (tuition/mandatory fees).

 Use and tracking of the Cost of Education allowance

1. Is the Cost of Education allowance provided to each individual in an ‘On-Tenure’ status for 12 months?
   • As long as the fellow is active in the NSF GRFP system, actively enrolled at RIT, and in an eligible status, funds are made available to RIT for each fellow awarded in a given academic year.
2. How does RIT allocate this allowance among tuition, mandatory fees, required health-related expenses, and any other eligible costs? Are particular charges applied before others?
   • Tuition and mandatory fees are applied first.
3. If a fellow’s tuition and mandatory fees total less than the CoE, how does RIT handle the remaining amount? Does it remain centrally with RIT, carry forward within the institutional GRFP award, or become available for other allowable education-related expenses?
   • If there are remaining Cost of Education funds, potentially eligible expenses to support the fellow's education include books, supplies, research expenses, professional-development activities, conference registration, and travel:
     • These costs are only to be used for the designated fellow
     • The fellow’s advisor should use the CoE account provided for any of these costs.
     • These types of CoE expenses should use the process detailed here - Student Expense Form 
     • Depending on how these residual funds are allocated, there could be tax implications to the fellow. 
     • Should funds remain unused by the fellow, they are returned to RIT central.

Tax implications

• Stipend income received under the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) is generally taxable to the recipient. Although RIT is not required to withhold taxes from these payments, RIT will issue Form 1099-MISC reporting the total stipend income paid during the applicable calendar year. Accounts Payable processes stipend payments and is responsible for the related information reporting.

• The NSF GRFP Cost of Education (CoE) allowance is generally not taxable to the recipient because it is paid directly to RIT rather than to the fellowship recipient. However, payments or benefits funded by the CoE allowance that are used for nonqualified expenses may be taxable to the recipient.

• Additional tax resources for the RIT community are available through the RIT Tax Department here. RIT does not provide personal tax advice or opinions regarding individual tax matters. Fellowship recipients are encouraged to consult a qualified tax advisor regarding their specific circumstances.