FAQ, Training Guide, and Deadlines

Starting Summer 2024, the Graduate College introduced several new policies regarding graduate fellowships, and we modified our fellowship processing operation in several ways. To assist departments with these changes and with general fellowship-related questions, we have created two documents, available below. The first is a comprehensive set of FAQs covering multiple aspects of fellowship administration.  The second is a training guide intended for all departmental staff members who submit requests not only for fellowships but also for traineeships, courtesy waivers, and stand-alone waivers.  We invite departments to review these materials and then contact us with any follow-up questions.

Regarding our new policies and procedures, here are some highlights:

• Concurrent appointment limit. The Graduate College has raised its limit on concurrent employment for fellowship holders from 50% to 67%, and Grad Hourly positions will no longer count toward the limit. (Note, however, that any lower limits set by funders, departments, government agencies, etc. will still apply.)
   
• Supplemental Fellowships replaced with Small Fellowships. Until now, fellowships designated as “Supplemental Fellowships” required that awardees have a concurrent waiver-generating appointment. We have replaced Supplemental Fellowships with “Small Fellowships,” and these no longer require a concurrent waiver-generating appointment.  This allows departments to award such fellowships to a wider range of students.
   
• Full-time registration requirement. For students with waiver-generating fellowships, full-time registration during the fall and spring semesters of the fellowship period is now required.
   
• New NOAs. To improve clarity of important fellowship appointment details, we have revised the Notice of Appointment that awardees receive.
   
• New notifications to departments. We have revised the notifications we send to departments regarding their fellowship requests to make clearer what departments need to do next.
   

FELLOWSHIP FAQ and TRAINING GUIDE

Fellowship Processing Deadlines

The Fellowships Office welcomes requests for fellowship appointments, traineeship appointments, courtesy waivers, and stand-alone waivers and has set the following deadlines for 2024.  Departments should submit their requests through the Fellowship Processing System by these dates, if not earlier.  The Fellowships Office appreciates early submissions!

April 5	Summer 2024 fellowship appointments beginning May 16 for continuing students.
April 19	Summer 2024 fellowship appointments beginning May 16 for new students.
April 19	Summer 2024 Block Grant summer appointments.
May 15	Summer 2024 courtesy waiver and stand-alone waiver requests.
May 17	Summer 2024 fellowship appointments beginning June 16 (excludes Block Grant appointments).
June 15	Fall 2024 fellowship appointments and stand-alone waivers for all students.
July 15	Fall 2024 courtesy waiver requests.
December 2	Spring 2025 requests for all appointments: fellowships, courtesy waivers, and stand-alone waivers.

If you have questions, contact the Fellowships Office at GradFellowships@illinois.edu.