Student Funding

This guidance is intended to provide additional information with regard to changes in graduate compensation and support packages for academic year 2024-2025. Please take time to carefully review this guidance including the linked reference materials and policies. Upon review of this guidance, the key contacts listed are available for any additional questions. 

Key Contacts: 
The Graduate School: Dr. Julie Goodliffe, Assistant Dean for Funding and Research
Division of Research: Peter Szanton, Director of the Office of Research Services (ORS)
Academic Affairs: Holly Durham, Associate Provost for Academic Budget

Reference Communications: 
GASP_MTART_12Mar2024 from Provost Jennifer Troyer
StipendIncrease_22Mar2023.pdf from Interim Associate Provost Pinku Mukherjee

Reference Policies and Resources: 
GASP Policies | The Graduate School | UNC Charlotte
FAQs for Funding Compensation Policy | The Graduate School | UNC Charlotte
2024-2025 Graduate Student Compensation Packages
University Policy 601.8: Appropriate Use of University Funds
Uniform Guidance for Federal Awards

GASP: Graduate Assistant Support Plan
RA: Research Assistant
MTART: Masters TA Resident Tuition
TA: Teaching Assistant

What is changing for the 2024-2025 academic year? 

• The Graduate School and colleges will be operating on a fixed budget for GASP/MTART. As such, colleges will bear responsibility for new institutionally-funded RAs and TAs.
• For all grant-funded doctoral RAs, the proposal budget must include the full non-resident tuition and health insurance costs effective 7/1/24 (where the funding agency allows). Proposals written before 7/1/24 may also include this change as it will benefit the doctoral RA program. 
• Scholarship awards to doctoral students to offset the cost of student fees will be discontinued and this amount will be rolled into increased stipends. 
• Stipends for all TAs and RAs on assistantships for the academic year will be increased, based on student eligibility and prorated based on a 20-hour per week assistantship, as follows:
  • $1,500 to doctoral students on an assistantship
  • $250 to master’s students on an assistantship.
• Summer research fellowships will be contingent upon funding availability. 

Stipend Increases for Graduate Students

A permanent increase in graduate compensation will be instituted for the 2024-2025 academic year, impacting approximately 1,250 graduate students with an investment of $1.15 million annually. The full amount of the increase has been budgeted centrally (general funds) and will be distributed to colleges and units in the new fiscal year. Preliminary information on additional funding for 2024-2025 has been shared with colleges and units impacted. This is one step in what we intend to be a continued investment in graduate compensation in the coming years, as resources allow. 

How will the stipend increases for the 2024-2025 academic year be funded?

• Stipends for graduate assistantships are funded from various sources and this may impact how your college or unit implements the stipend increase for your students. Allocation of centrally budgeted (general) funds may not happen immediately on July 1st, however this should not delay implementation of the stipend increases for graduate students.  
• For this round of stipend increases, colleges and units will not be expected to absorb the cost of the increase and general funds will be available to fund the differential, meaning that stipends may be paid on multiple funds. 
• Budget planning must include this new compensation level for graduate students and should incorporate projected increases for future years. 
• If you have already budgeted additional awards to offset the cost of fees for doctoral students (discontinued for 2024-2025), the amount should be rebudgeted to the student’s stipend, if possible. 
• If you have already budgeted for a stipend increase for 2024-2025, the amount of that budgeted increase can be factored into your planning, however the increase must meet the minimum of $1,500 for doctoral and $250 for master’s students on academic year assistantships. 
• Note that these funds are dedicated to increasing graduate compensation in the form of stipends and new general funds allocated must be used for that purpose. No fund swaps will be allowed. 

Ensuring Compliance with University and Federal Guidelines

• Under Federal Uniform Guidance, only certain student fees can be charged to federal grants. At Charlotte, student fees identified as eligible to be charged to federal grants are: (1) the Health Services Fee and (2) the Education & Technology Fee.
• However, these two fees can only be charged to federal grants if they are actual institutional costs, meaning they are paid consistently for similarly employed students regardless of funding source.
• Because we are currently unable to cover student fees on institutional funds, we cannot charge federal awards for these fees. 

Additional Guidance for External Funding from the Division of Research

Tuition

• To comply with Graduate School policy, effective July 1, 2024 all proposals must budget full non-resident tuition for doctoral students, if permitted by the sponsor. For those that do not, along with approved unique circumstances, there will be a mechanism to request university support. 
• PIs are encouraged to begin to budget for full non-resident tuition for doctoral students immediately.
• If you budgeted for non-resident tuition and end up hiring an in-state student, you can reallocate the difference to other parts of your award budget. Note: If the sponsor requires that we obtain approval from them for budgetary changes, we will still have to obtain that approval prior to reallocating the funds.
• We encourage programs to consider approaches for recruiting a balanced resident/non-resident portfolio of high-quality students as a strategy. 

Fees

• Effective immediately, fees can no longer be included in proposal budgets or paid for students on active awards (reference the “Ensuring Compliance” section above).

Stipends

• Effective immediately, proposal budgets for awards that would begin on or after July 1, 2024 must include the updated stipend levels listed in the Graduate Student Compensation Packages 2024-2025.
• Effective July 1, 2024, all graduate students on all awards will be paid based on the Graduate Student Compensation Packages 2024-2025.
• Pre-existing proposals and awards as of July 1, 2024 will incorporate the new stipend rates into their awards through rebudgeting when possible. This is similar to a situation when a faculty receives a pay increase and rebudgeting is done to pay the appropriate amount of summer salary. 
• If rebudgeting is not possible, there will be a process for accessing funds from your college or unit to cover stipend increases up to $1,500 for doctoral and $250 for masters students on assistantships.
• Effective immediately, all graduate student stipends will include a 3% annual escalation in proposal budgets to accommodate for possible future increases.

Rebudgeting

• As a result of these changes, award rebudgeting may be needed, and in some cases that will require formal sponsor review and approval. Please consult with the Office of Research Services (ORS) on the specific rebudgeting requirements for your award(s).