Notice Number: NOT-OD-15-048
Key Dates
Release Date: December 30, 2014
NOT-OD-16-062
NOT-OD-16-047
NOT-OD-15-050
NOT-OD-15-049
NOT-OD-14-046
Issued by
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA)
Purpose
This Notice supersedes NOT-OD-14-046, and establishes stipend levels for fiscal year (FY) 2015 Kirschstein-NRSA awards for undergraduate, predoctoral, and postdoctoral trainees and fellows, as shown in the table below. The Tuition and Fees, Training Related Expenses for trainees, and the Institutional Allowance for individual fellows remain unchanged. This Notice addresses the recommendation of the Biomedical Research Workforce Working Group of the Advisory Committee to the Director, NIH, and reflects the Consolidated and Further Continuing appropriations Act, 2015 (H.R. 83/Public Law 113-235), signed by President Obama on December 16, 2014.
The budgetary categories described in this Notice apply only to Kirschstein-NRSA awards made with FY 2015 funds. All FY 2015 awards previously issued using FY 2014 stipend levels will be revised to adjust stipends to the FY 2015 level. Appointments to institutional training grants that have already been awarded in FY 2015 must be amended to reflect the FY 2015 stipend levels once the training grant award has been adjusted by the NIH. Amended appointments must be submitted through xTrain in the eRA Commons. Retroactive adjustments or supplementation of stipends or other budgetary categories with Kirschstein-NRSA funds for an award made prior to October 1, 2014 are not permitted.
Stipends
Effective with all Kirschstein-NRSA awards made on or after October 1, 2014, the following annual stipend levels apply to all individuals receiving support through institutional research training grants or individual fellowships, including the Minority Access to Research Career (MARC) program.
Undergraduates in the MARC Program: for institutional training grants (T34): Two stipend levels are used for undergraduate candidates--Freshmen/Sophomores, and Juniors/Seniors.
Career Level |
Stipend for FY 2015 |
Monthly Stipend |
Freshmen/Sophomores |
$8,640 |
$720 |
Juniors/Seniors |
$12,096 |
$1,008 |
Predoctoral: for institutional training grants (T32, T35, T90, TL1) and individual fellowships (F30, F31): One stipend level is used for all predoctoral candidates, regardless of the level of experience.
Career Level |
Years of Experience |
Stipend for FY 2015 |
Monthly Stipend |
Predoctoral |
All |
$22,920 |
$1,910 |
Postdoctoral: for institutional training grants (T32, T90) and individual fellowships (F32): The stipend level for the entire first year of support is determined by the number of full years of relevant postdoctoral experience when the award is issued. Relevant experience may include research experience (including industrial), teaching assistantship, internship, residency, clinical duties, or other time spent in a health-related field beyond that of the qualifying doctoral degree. Once the appropriate stipend level has been determined, the fellow must be paid at that level for the entire grant year. The stipend for each additional year of Kirschstein-NRSA support is the next level in the stipend structure and does not change mid-year.
Career Level |
Years of Experience |
Stipend for FY 2015 |
Monthly Stipend |
Postdoctoral |
0 |
$42,840 |
$3,570 |
|
1 |
$44,556 |
$3,713 |
|
2 |
$46,344 |
$3,862 |
|
3 |
$48,192 |
$4,016 |
|
4 |
$50,112 |
$4,176 |
|
5 |
$52,116 |
$4,343 |
|
6 |
$54,216 |
$4,518 |
|
7 or More |
$56,376 |
$4,698 |
Senior Fellows (F33 only): the amount of the Kirschstein-NRSA stipend to be paid must be commensurate with the base salary or remuneration that the individual receiving the award would have been paid by the institution with which he or she has permanent affiliation on the issue date of the fellowship award. In no case shall the stipend award exceed the current Kirschstein-NRSA stipend limit set by NIH. The level of Kirschstein-NRSA support will take into account concurrent salary support provided by the institution and the policy of the sponsoring institution. NIH support does not provide fringe benefits for senior fellows.
Relevant Policies
Current stipend levels are to be used in the preparation of future competing and non-competing NRSA institutional training grant and individual fellowship applications. They will be administratively applied to all applications currently in the review process.
NRSA support is limited to 5 years for predoctoral trainees (6 years for dual-degree training, e.g., MD/PhD, DO/PhD, DDS/PhD, AuD/PhD, DVM/PhD), and 3 years for postdoctoral fellows. The NIH provides eight levels of postdoctoral stipends to accommodate individuals who complete other forms of health-related training prior to accepting a Kirschstein-NRSA supported position. (The presence of eight discrete levels of experience, however, does not constitute an endorsement of extended periods of postdoctoral research training.)
It should be noted that the maximum amount that NIH will award to support the compensation package for a graduate student research assistant remains at the zero level postdoctoral stipend, as described in NOT-OD-02-017.
Tuition and Fees, Training Related Expenses, and Institutional Allowance for Kirschstein-NRSA Recipients
The NIH will provide funds for Tuition and Fees, Training Related Expenses, and Institutional Allowance, as detailed below. Those amounts do not change with the implementation of the FY 2015 budget.
A. Tuition and Fees
- Predoctoral Trainees and Fellows: For institutional training grants (T32, T34, T35, T90, TL1) and individual fellowships (F30, F31), an amount per predoctoral trainee equal to 60% of the level requested by the applicant institution, up to $16,000 per year, will be provided. If the trainee or fellow is enrolled in a program that supports formally combined, dual-degree training (e.g., MD/PhD, DO/PhD, DDS/PhD, AuD/PhD, DVM/PhD), the amount provided per trainee or fellow will be 60% of the level requested, up to $21,000 per year.
- Postdoctoral Trainees and Fellows: For institutional training grants (T32, T90, TL1) and individual fellowships (F32, F33), an amount per postdoctoral trainee or fellow equal to 60% of the level requested by the applicant institution, up to $4,500 per year, will be provided. If the trainee or fellow is enrolled in a program that supports postdoctoral individuals in formal degree-granting training, an amount per postdoctoral trainee or fellow equal to 60% of the level requested by the applicant institution, up to $16,000 per year, will be provided.
B. Training Related Expenses on Institutional Training Grants
- For institutional training grants (T32, T34, T35, T90, TL1), these expenses (including health insurance costs) for predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees will be paid at the amounts shown below for all competing and non-competing awards made with FY 2015 funds.
- Predoctoral Trainees: $4,200
- Postdoctoral Trainees: $7,850
C. Institutional Allowance for Individual Fellows
This allowance for predoctoral and postdoctoral fellows will be paid at the amounts shown below for all competing and non-competing awards made with FY 2015 funds.
- Institutional Allowance for individual fellows (F30, F31, F32, F33) sponsored by non-Federal Public, Private, and Non-Profit Institutions (Domestic & Foreign, including health insurance):
- Predoctoral Fellows: $4,200
- Postdoctoral Fellows: $7,850
- Institutional Allowance for individual fellows (F30, F31, F32, F33) sponsored by Federal and For-Profit Institutions (including health insurance):
- Predoctoral Fellows: $3,100
- Postdoctoral Fellows: $6,750
Inquiries
See Questions and Answers Related to NRSA Tuition, Fees, and Health Insurance Policies: https://grants.nih.gov/training/nrsa_tuition_q&a.htm.
Specific questions concerning this notice or other policies relating to training grants or fellowships should be directed to the grants management office in the appropriate NIH Institute or Center, AHRQ, or HRSA.
General inquiries concerning NRSA stipend and tuition policies should be directed to:
NIH Research Training Office
Email: [email protected]
and Human Services (HHS)
