Alternatively-Funded Graduate Fellowship Program

Program Overview

Graduate Fellowships at OSU are formalized appointments with specific policies and requirements. Some competitive and external awards do not meet all requirements to directly qualify as a fellowship appointment through OSU. However, it is the intent of the institution to ensure that an incentive remains for graduate students to seek competitive graduate fellowship support and for graduate fellows to be recognized and honored for the distinction that they bring to themselves and to the university as a result of their success.

In 2018, OSU developed a program to appoint Alternatively-Funded Graduate Fellowships. These fellows are supported by varying sources to meet minimum stipend and tuition support requirements, as outlined in Graduate Fellowship Policies.

Upon appointment, these alternatively-funded fellows will have tuition charged at the resident rate and will be eligible for the subsidized Graduate Employee Health Plan for the appointed fellow and respective dependents.

Meeting Requirements for Non-Qualifying Fellowships

In order to meet appointment requirements, the department of the graduate student must use internal resources to meet missing fellowship requirements.

When a graduate student is supported by external funding sources that do not meet the following requirements for the definition of a graduate fellow:

[4] Be awarded a graduate fellowship and/or traineeship with a stipend that is administered in part or in full by Oregon State University, and that throughout the fellowship award period meets or exceeds the prevailing recommended minimum rate for .49 FTE graduate appointments as established annually by the Graduate School; and

[5] Be awarded a graduate fellowship and/or traineeship that provides funding for the cost of the minimum required tuition enrollment. The student may still be appointed through the Alternatively-Funded Graduate Fellowship Program. In order to qualify for the program, the funding support for the student must be:

  • Provided by an established award, such as a Fulbright or other “portable” fellowship; or either
  1. Part of a formal educational experience sponsored by a U.S. government/federally funded organization such as Fulbright, NSF, NASA, EPA, NIH, USDA, Veterans Administration, or those in partnership with the National Academies of Sciences; or National Lab; OR
  2. A formal educational experience sponsored by a country’s government institution, ministry, commission, secretariat, or research center. This named institution must provide full funding to support a student whose objectives broadly align with “international research distinction in areas of competitive advantage”, as outlined in OSU’s Prosperity Widely Shared Strategic Plan 2024-2030.

In order to satisfy fellowship appointment requirements, the department and/or college of the graduate student must provide documentation to meet [4] and [5] above:

  • [4] Stipend must meet the minimum rate for a .49FTE graduate appointment established annually by the Graduate School. The portion of the stipend that is paid by the funding source program must be at least 50% of this minimum salary rate, with the balance of the required stipend provided by other approved department resources.
  • [5] Fellowship and/or traineeship provides funding for the cost of the minimum required tuition enrollment at the resident rate for the student’s program. If partial or no tuition support provided through external funding source, the balance of the required tuition support must be provided by other approved department resources.

Alternatively-Funded Graduate Fellowship Setup

Upon department/college verification of meeting OSU Graduate Fellowship Requirements, including supplementary resources, if needed, to meet fellowship requirements [4] and [5]:

  1. Submit documentation of external funding award to [email protected]. The college/department must receive approval from the Graduate School prior to completing any Graduate Fellow paperwork. If an international award, also include documentation or a supporting narrative of how the student’s objectives broadly align with the Prosperity Widely Shared Strategic Plan.
  2. Confirm support available for top-up funding, if needed, for stipend support and/or a tuition scholarship.
  3. Upon approval, issue a Graduate Fellow letter of offer. If supplementary funding is required, be sure to also issue a stipend support letter of offer and/or a tuition scholarship letter of offer.
  4. Complete the relevant sections of the Graduate Fellowship Appointment form.
  5. Route fellowship appointment form, along with letter of offer, external award funding and supplementary resources, as specified on the fellowship appointment form.
  6. Upon setup within your department/college business center, verify funding allocations, if applicable, within OSU Scholarship Management System (GRRS), stipend payments, tuition scholarship, etc.

Flowchart to set up an alternatively-funded graduate fellowship

Resources for Setup