Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Stipends, Tuition/Fees and Other Budgetary Levels Effective for Fiscal Year 2012

Notice Number: NOT-OD-12-033

Update: The following update relating to this announcement has been issued:

  • February 10, 2014 - See Notice NOT-OD-14-046. Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Stipends, Tuition/Fees and Other Budgetary Levels Effective for Fiscal Year 2014.
  • May 8, 2013 - See Notice NOT-OD-13-064. NIH Fiscal Policy for Grant Awards FY 2013.

Key Dates
Release Date: January 20, 2012

Issued by
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), (http://www.ahrq.gov/)
Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA), (http://www.hrsa.gov/)

Purpose

This Notice supersedes NOT-OD-11-067, and establishes new stipend levels for fiscal year (FY) 2012 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, and are also provided below.

The budgetary categories described in this Notice are effective only for Kirschstein-NRSA awards made with FY 2012 funds. All FY 2012 awards issued using FY 2011 stipend levels will be revised to increase the stipend category to the FY 2012 level. For institutional training grants already awarded in FY 2012, if trainees have been appointed to the FY 2012 budget period, the grantee institution must amend those appointments to reflect the FY 2012 stipend level once the revised award is received. 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, 2011 are not permitted.

Stipends

Effective with all Kirschstein-NRSA awards made on or after October 1, 2011, 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) and Career Opportunities in Research (COR) programs.

Undergraduates in the MARC and COR Programs:

Career Level

Stipend for FY 2012

Freshmen/Sophomores

$8,304

Juniors/Seniors

$11,628


Predoctoral and Postdoctoral:

Career Level

Years of Experience

Stipend for FY 2012

Predoctoral

All

$22,032

Postdoctoral

0

$39,264

1

$41,364

2

$44,340

3

$46,092

4

$47,820

5

$49,884

6

$51,582

7 or More

$54,180


These 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, 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.

Stipend Levels:

Predoctoral for institutional training grants (T32, T34, T35, T90, TL1) and individual fellowships (F30, F31): One stipend level is used for all pre-doctoral candidates, regardless of the level of experience.

Postdoctoral for institutional training grants (T32, T35, T90, TL1) 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.

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.

Tuition and Fees, Training Related Expenses, and Institutional Allowances for Kirschstein-NRSA Recipients:

The NIH will provide funds for tuition, fees, health insurance, and training related expenses, as detailed below.

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., M.D.-Ph.D, D.D.S.-Ph.D.), 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, T35, 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 2012 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 2012 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:

Rodney Ulane, Ph.D.
NIH Research Training Officer
National Institutes of Health
6705 Rockledge Drive, Room 3516
Bethesda, Maryland 20892-7963
Phone: (301) 451-4225
FAX: (301) 480-0146
Email: NIHTrain@mail.nih.gov