Questions
If you have questions, email
gradfellowships@utexas.edu.
Current fellowship recipients are required to be knowledgeable of the stipulations, registration requirements, as well as information regarding tuition, fees, insurance and taxes.
Tuition & Fees
Tuition Bill Help Guide
Many Graduate School fellowships come with a waiver that enables out-of-state students to pay in-state tuition rates. To determine if your fellowship includes a waiver, see the “Waiver of Non-Resident Portion of Tuition” row of the Fellowship Award Letter from the Graduate School.
Some fellowships also include funds to cover tuition itself. To determine if your fellowship includes funding for tuition, see the “Tuition Contribution” row of the Fellowship Award Letter from the Graduate School. If you need help interpreting your tuition bill, you can view this guide.
Payment Information
Fellowship payments are scheduled to be released by the University on the first day of each month in which you receive a fellowship (except for January, when funds are released on the 2nd). However, if the release dates fall on a weekend or University holiday, the funds will be released the next business day. Once the funds are released by the University, it may take a few days for your bank to make the funds available to you. We recommend checking with your bank so you know when you will have funds to pay your bills.
As a UT student, you are eligible to join the University Federal Credit Union (UFCU). The UFCU has an agreement with the University to make funds available to their customers the same day they are released by the University. If you want to be sure you can access your fellowship funds as soon as possible, you may want to open a free checking account with UFCU.
Non-stipend fellowships which pay out once per semester are scheduled to be released at the beginning of each semester during which you receive the award (September 1st, January 2nd, and June 1st). If your fellowship includes payment of tuition, the University will cover the tuition bill directly. If your fellowship includes a supplement for health insurance, you will receive the supplement at the beginning of each semester you are on fellowship (September 1st, January 2nd, and June 1st).
| Type of Payment | Fall | Spring | Summer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stipend | Monthly starting Sept. 1 | Monthly starting Jan. 2 | Monthly starting June 1 |
| Tuition | Paid directly to tuition bill before payment deadline | Paid directly to tuition bill before payment deadline | Paid directly to tuition bill before payment deadline |
| Insurance | Sept. 1 | Jan. 2 | June 1 |
| One-Time Payment | Sept. 1 | Jan. 2 | June 1 |
Example: If you have a fellowship in the fall and a work appointment in the spring, your last fellowship check will arrive on December 1, and your first check for the work appointment will arrive on February 1 and will be for the half month from January 15 to February 1.
Direct Deposit
Fellowships may be electronically deposited. Instructions for setting up direct deposit can be found here.
Health Insurance
Your fellowship may include an additional payment to offset the cost of medical insurance. Fellowships do not automatically enroll you in health insurance; you will need to enroll each semester you are on fellowship.
Insurance for Graduate Student Fellows
Please visit the Human Resources site on Insurance for Graduate Student Fellows for detailed information on your insurance options while on fellowship. Fellowships with an insurance supplement do not provide any additional funding towards dependent coverage.
UT provides you with two options for health insurance, namely the Academic Blue Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) and UT Select, summarized in the table below.
| AcademicBlue (Student Health Insurance Plan) | UT Select (Employee Health Insurance Plan - fellowship must be at least $10,000) |
|---|---|
| Full year of Medical - $3,313 | Full year of Medical - $8,102 |
| Dental - $264/year | UT Select Dental - $106 - $737/year (3 plans available) |
| Add-on Vision Plan -$180 - $300 (3 plans available | Superior Vision Plus - $60 - $92/year (2 plans available) |
Texas Global Insurance Information
If you are an international student with an F- or J- visa, you will be automatically enrolled in Academic Blue. The fees are included in your tuition bill. Please visit the Texas Global site on insurance for more information.
Registration Requirements
As a Fellow, you must be registered as a full-time graduate student, namely for 9 semester credit hours if you are receiving a fellowship during Fall or Spring semesters or 3 semester credit hours if you are receiving a fellowship during the Summer semester.
Registration must be completed and your tuition bill paid before any fellowship payments will be released. This means it is important to be pre-registered or the initial fellowship payment for a semester might be delayed.
Social Security Number
If a student does not have a valid taxpayer number (SSN or ITIN) on file with student records, they will be required to either take the SSN card to the registrar's office or self-report their tax number on UT Direct.
Working While on Fellowship
If you have a full fellowship that includes a monthly stipend, tuition and an additional payment for health insurance, the Graduate School expects that this will be your sole source of support to allow you to focus on your research and scholarship and thus does not generally allow work appointments in addition to fellowships.
Your Fellowship Award Letter notes whether there are restrictions on whether you can take on additional work appointments. Please contact the Graduate School at gradfellowships@utexas.edu with questions.
Selective Service Requirements
Texas Education Code Section 51.9095
If you are a male student between the ages of 18 and 25, Texas Education Code Section 51.9095 requires that you register for Selective Service in order to receive fellowship funding.
Government Loans and other Financial Aid
If you receive government loans, your receipt of a fellowship may affect your eligibility for those loans. Contact Texas One Stop office to determine how this other resource may affect their financial aid award.
Federal & State Income Tax
Although there is no state income tax in Texas, fellowship stipends as well as any health insurance supplement are subject to federal income tax. (Tuition is not subject to tax). However, taxes will not be withheld automatically from your fellowship payments. You are responsible for paying taxes on your fellowship directly to the IRS.
You should set aside money each month for taxes and submit your taxes to the IRS four times per year (January 15, April 15, June 15, September 15).
IRS page on scholarships, fellowship grants and other grants
Please consult the IRS’s page on scholarships, fellowships and grants for more information. The IRS’s Publication 505 (Chapter 2) has information on paying estimated taxes.
If you are an international student and your home country does not have a tax treaty with the United States, the University will withhold 14% for federal income tax from your fellowship payments.
Tax Considerations for Graduate Students
More information about taxes can be found on the linked page above.
Change of Status
If you change your name, change your address, receive an additional fellowship, or accept external employment for more than 30 hours per week, wish to change your major, or you have any other plans that may affect your fellowship, please contact the Graduate School at gradfellowships@utexas.edu.
If you wish to defer your fellowship to a future semester or year, you must request a deferral by the 12th day of class (4th class day of the first session of summer) or the semester funding is forfeited.
Transitioning from a Fellowship to a Work Appointment
If you will be transitioning to a TA, AI or GRA appointment after your fellowship, please plan for the fact that fellowship payments happen on the first of the month but paychecks for work appointments (TA, AI, GRA) are issued on the last day of the month. This means that there will be a two-month interval between the last fellowship check and the first work appointment check. Be sure to save money so you can pay bills during that interval.