Guidance for Tuition Support For Doctoral or PhD Research Associates

Overview

This guide sets forth the expectations on how ORSP will comply with University policy https://www.utep.edu/hoop/section-4/chapter-10-tuition-benefit-for-doctoral-research-associates.html. In agreement with the Uniform Guidance (UG), 2 CFR 200.431(j) and 2 CFR 200.466, tuition is an allowable direct cost on grants provided such benefits are distributed on an equitable basis to all non-federal entity activities. The allowability to direct charge tuition support to individual sponsored agreements may vary based on individual granting agency terms and conditions and/or type of sponsored awards.

Type of Sponsored Awards

1. A "training/research training grant" (T/RTG) as normally defined by funding agencies, which requires the budgeting of scholarships or stipends, tuition, and other costs to support a student with participant support funds. NOTE: Students receiving participant support funds on a T/RTG are not eligible to be student employees.
2. A standard grants and contracts where there is a requirement for students to be employees because of an employer/employee relationship. These type of contracts and grants can be coded research, instruction, other (such as public service or outreach as defined by function code 100 and 300).

Process

1. Effective immediately, Research Administrators (RA) are required to include Tuition Support on all standard contract and grants, unless prohibited by funding source, providing there is a budget for salaries for 50% effort of a PhD Graduate Research Associate related to the sponsored project.
2. PhD GRA must be appointed no less than 2.5 month at 50% (or equal, i.e. 5 months @ 25%) to be eligible for a pro-rated tuition support amount.
3. Tuition Support (effective Fall 2022) are $2,000 per semester for eligible doctoral research students taking 9 semester credit hours (SCH), or $1,000 per semester for eligible students taking less than 9 SCH, provided they are enrolled in dissertation.
4. RA will budget tuition support under participant support costs, not subject to F&A, awarded through a SNOA.
5. Upon funding of a proposal, PIs are required to coordinate eligibility of a PhD GRA with department heads and the Graduate School. Graduate School administration will submit the SNOA for the contracts and grants funded tuition support for PhD GRA.
6. The tuition benefit program will become fully effective beginning fall semester 2022.
7. During the transition period (December 2021 through August 2022), if grant funds to support tuition for PhD GRA’s are already available/funded by agencies, SNOA’s should be processed starting the support in the Spring Semester 2022.
8. Further, if a PI for an ongoing project wants to reallocate current budget (providing funds are available) to include tuition support for PhD GRA’s for Spring Semester 2022, that is also allowable, unless agency disallows.
9. Advice Principle Investigator (PI) that if allowable and tuition is not budgeted, the PhD GRA will not be eligible for tuition support through the Graduate School either.

For additional information on tuition support not available through sponsored projects, please contact the Graduate School and review eligibilities and rules at https://www.utep.edu/graduate/funding/doctoral-tuition-benefits.html.