Notice Number: NOT-OD-16-047
Key Dates
Release Date: January 20, 2016
NOT-OD-18-181
NOT-OD-16-062
NOT-OD-16-046
NOT-OD-16-044
NOT-OD-16-045
NOT-OD-15-048
NOT-OD-17-075
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-15-048, and establishes stipend levels for fiscal year (FY) 2016 Kirschstein-NRSA awards for undergraduate, predoctoral, and postdoctoral trainees and fellows, as shown in the table below. The Training Related Expenses and the Institutional Allowance for postdoctoral trainees and fellows have been increased. The Training Related Expenses and Institutional Allowances for predoctoral trainees and fellows and the Tuition and Fees for all educational levels remain unchanged. This Notice reflects the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 (Public Law 114-113), signed into law on December 18, 2015. See NOT-OD-16-045.
The budgetary categories described in this Notice apply only to Kirschstein-NRSA awards made with FY 2016 funds. All FY 2016 awards previously issued using FY 2015 stipend levels will be revised to adjust stipends to the FY 2016 level. Appointments to institutional training grants that have already been awarded in FY 2016 must be amended to reflect the FY 2016 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, 2015 are not permitted.
Stipends
Effective with all Kirschstein-NRSA awards made on or after October 1, 2015, the following annual stipend levels apply to all individuals receiving support through institutional research training grants or individual fellowships, including the Maximizing Access to Research Career (MARC) program.
Undergraduates in the MARC Program: For institutional training grants (T34), one stipend level is used for undergraduates in the Junior and Senior years.
Career Level |
Stipend for FY 2016 |
Monthly Stipend |
Juniors/Seniors |
$12,336 |
$1,028 |
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 2016 |
Monthly Stipend |
Predoctoral |
All |
$23,376 |
$1,948 |
Postdoctoral: For institutional training grants, (T32, 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.
Career Level |
Years of Experience |
Stipend for FY 2016 |
Monthly Stipend |
Postdoctoral |
0 |
$43,692 |
$3,641 |
|
1 |
$45,444 |
$3,787 |
|
2 |
$47,268 |
$3,939 |
|
3 |
$49,152 |
$4,096 |
|
4 |
$51,120 |
$4,260 |
|
5 |
$53,160 |
$4,430 |
|
6 |
$55,296 |
$4,608 |
|
7 or More |
$57,504 |
$4,792 |
Senior Fellows (F33 only): The stipend level must be commensurate with the base salary or remuneration that would have been paid by the institution with which the individual is permanently affiliated when the award is issued, but cannot exceed the current Kirschstein-NRSA stipend limit set by the NIH for those with 7 or more years of experience. 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 for tuition do not change but the Training Related Expenses and the Institutional Allowance for postdoctoral trainees and fellows are increased by $1,000 with the implementation of the FY 2016 budget in accordance with recommendations in the Biomedical Workforce Task Force Report.
A. Tuition and Fees
- Undergraduate and 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, 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 2016 funds.
- Predoctoral Trainees: $4,200
- Postdoctoral Trainees: $8,850
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 2016 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: $8,850
- 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: $7,750
Inquiries
See Frequently Asked Questions 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:
Division of Biomedical Research Workforce
Office of Extramural Programs
Office of Extramural Research
Website: https://researchtraining.nih.gov
Email: NIHTrain@mail.nih.gov
and Human Services (HHS)
