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Current Fellows and Trainees

Congratulations on receiving a fellowship or traineeship for your study at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign! The links below should assist you with questions about the benefits and obligations associated with the award. If you have any questions, please contact the Graduate College Fellowships Office, GradFellowships@illinois.edu, or (217) 333-0036.

Campus Fellowship Policies

The policies related to holding a fellowship or traineeship are outlined in the Graduate College Handbook.

Enrollment

Fellows and Trainees will be required to register during each term of the fellowship or traineeship, but the full-time registration requirement will end. Please note that some external funding agencies and sponsors require that students confirm and maintain full-time status. Compliance with such terms is the responsibility of the student.

Concurrent Appointments

Fellows are prohibited from holding two major awards concurrently (fellowship, traineeship, grant, tuition payment award or comparable support from any government agency, state, federal or foreign, or from any foundation, corporation or similar organization). Any award offer should be reported immediately to the Graduate College Fellowship Office, where the determination will be made whether the two awards may be held concurrently.

Unless otherwise restricted by the granting agency or unit, fellows may, at the discretion of their department and with prior approval of the Graduate College, carry additional appointments as graduate hourlies or assistants of up to 50 percent time, providing they conform to the minimum registration requirements. Questions about concurrent appointments should be directed to both the department and the Graduate College Fellowship Office.

With the expectation that trainees are pursuing their research training on a full-time basis, trainees are restricted in the concurrent appointments (assistantship or hourly) they can hold while receiving traineeship support.  The campus uses the policy established for trainees supported on NIH training grants as the guide for reviewing requests for concurrent appointments.

Tuition Coverage

For full information on tuition and fee coverage for students with waiver-generating fellowship or traineeship appointments, see the Tuition Waiver Policy

Loan Eligibility and Fellowships

Students with fellowships and/or traineeships who apply for direct loans will have their eligibility reduced by the amount of the fellowship and/or traineeship.  For more information about financial aid for graduate students, see www.osfa.illinois.edu/aid/loans.

Tax Information

Fellowship and traineeship stipends may be subject to income taxes. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has ruled that universities are not responsible for withholding or reporting income taxes on fellowship payments for U.S. citizens or permanent residents. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) requires that universities withhold taxes from the fellowship payments of international students on temporary visas. All Fellows and Trainees should be aware of the laws regarding reporting of fellowship and traineeship stipends. See the appropriate document for more information.

Graduation for Fellows and Trainees

When preparing to graduate, Fellows and Trainees should contact the Fellowship Office before depositing their thesis or dissertation, as that event may trigger the end of those appointments. For more information consult the Thesis Deposit/Degree Conferral and Fellowship Appointment End Dates.