Information for Current Fellows

Your appointment letter will specify the fellowship start and end dates, as well as your payment schedule. If a payment amount appears incorrect, or if you do not receive an expected payment, please contact your graduate program’s payroll coordinator or the campus fellowship coordinator for assistance.

If you receive an overpayment, you are required to return the excess funds.

To receive your stipend, you must authorize direct deposit of your check to a bank or credit union. Update your direct deposit information using the Payroll Information module in Workday. If you already have a direct deposit authorization on file, your stipend check will be deposited directly into your bank account. Please note that this is different from eRefund, which is used for payments processed through your student account.

Most fellowships cover the full cost of tuition and segregated fees during the fellowship period. If you have a 9-month fellowship appointment (September through May), and you wish to take credits during the summer following your fellowship period, you will be responsible for paying the in-state tuition rate and segregated fees for those credits if you do not have a qualifying appointment in the system. If you have a 12-month fellowship, your full summer tuition and fees will be covered by the fellowship.

For tuition rates, see Tuition and Segregated Fees for Academic Programs.

Fellows with appointments lasting at least one semester (4.5 months) are eligible to receive health insurance for the fellowship period. If you have had graduate student health insurance at UW–Madison immediately preceding your fellowship appointment, those benefits will automatically continue. If you have not had graduate student health insurance benefits and would like to start them, you can learn more about your health insurance options on the benefits website.

You must sign up for benefits within 30 days of the start of your appointment. Enroll in benefits through My Insurance Benefits in Workday. Once your health insurance has been activated, your monthly premium will be deducted from your stipend check.

If you have a nine-month fellowship and anticipate that you will hold an appointment eligible for benefits (e.g., graduate assistantship) in the fall following the fellowship period, your health insurance will be continued over the summer. Additional premiums to cover the summer months will be taken out of your checks in the spring. Any questions about health insurance coverage or the premium pre-payment option should be directed to the benefits coordinator in your graduate program.

You must enroll full time during all terms in which you have a fellowship appointment. If you do not enroll by the end of the first week of classes, your stipend check may be held.

Full-time enrollment requirements (Policy UW-1208) for fellows are:

• Non-Dissertators:
  • Fall and spring semester: 8 graded credits taken at 300 or above (excluding pass/fail and audit)
  • Summer term: 2 graded credits taken at 300 or above (excluding pass/fail and audit) during the general 8-week summer session (DHH)
• Dissertators: 3 credits taken at 300 or above (excluding pass/fail and audit) during each semester payrolled as a fellow (fall, spring, and summer)

Fellows must make satisfactory progress (Policy UW-1218) toward their graduate degrees. Satisfactory progress is at the discretion of a student’s program, the Graduate School, and a student’s faculty advisor. At a minimum, the Graduate School requires that students maintain a graduate GPA of at least 3.00 in all graduate-level work. Incomplete (I) grades are unsatisfactory if they are not removed during the subsequent semester of enrollment or an earlier instructor-imposed deadline.

University faculty and staff are not authorized to provide tax advice. For general guidance, please review available tax resources or consult a qualified tax professional.

Domestic Students

Fellowship stipends are not considered wages, although they may be treated as taxable income. Because they are not wages, the university does not withhold taxes from stipend payments made to domestic students. As a result, some individuals may need to make quarterly estimated tax payments directly to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Wisconsin Department of Revenue. Please consult the IRS, the Wisconsin Department of Revenue, or a qualified tax professional for guidance regarding your personal tax obligations. Domestic students will receive a fellowship information letter summarizing their stipend payments to assist with annual tax preparation.

Nonresident Aliens (NRA)

Fellowship stipends paid to nonresident aliens are subject to 14% federal tax withholding on nonservice income (such as scholarships, fellowships, and awards). Some NRAs may qualify for benefits under an applicable tax treaty, which may reduce or eliminate federal tax withholding on fellowship income. Nonservice payments to NRAs, along with any taxes withheld, are reported on Form 1042‑S. For questions related to tax treaty eligibility or tax residency status, please contact glacier@ohr.wisc.edu.

Fellows can hold a concurrent appointment as a teaching assistant (TA), research assistant (RA), project assistant (PA), or student hourly with their fellowship within the limits set out in the current university policy. Whenever assistantships (TA, RA, or PA) are combined with fellowships or traineeships, total compensation cannot exceed the department’s full-time RA rate that was reported to the Graduate School for the current year. See the Concurrent Appointments policy.

For externally funded fellowships, concurrent appoint policies will vary across agencies/donors. Please review the terms and conditions of the externally funded fellowship to know what the specific policy is about concurrent appointments. For example, students with National Science Foundation (NSF) fellowships may not hold concurrent appointments funded by federal dollars.

If you have questions about holding multiple fellowships at one time, check with your graduate coordinator about the program’s policy pertaining to holding multiple fellowships. For specific questions about concurrent appointments, contact the Graduate School at funding@grad.wisc.edu.

If you are applying for financial aid, be aware that your fellowship could affect your eligibility or your financial aid offer. You must inform the Office of Student Financial Aid (finaid@finaid.wisc.edu, 608-262-3060) and any granting agency of all types of support you receive, including fellowships. This is to ensure appropriate calculation of financial need.

Additional financial resources include:

• Emergency support from the Office of Student Financial Aid
• Basic Needs Student Support
• $500 short-term, no-interest crisis loans from the Office of Student Assistance and Support