Approaching the first year of Graduate school
Dear 1st Yr PhD Students,
As your period of support from the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University on the Training Grant or RF Fellowship continues or comes to an end, we'd like to refresh you on details relevant to the transition. We went over these when you were accepted into the program, but that was a gazillion years ago and for most of you the below information would not have been relevant enough at the time to remember through to this point.
All of you have been "Fellows" (i.e., not employees, RAs, GAs, or TAs) so far. We ask graduate programs, advisors, and departments to try to keep you in this status if at all possible.
Fellowship status requires IDC / RF non-federal funds rather than State or NIH non-training grant funds (e.g. RO1s).
The preferred funding approach during GS years will be:
GS1:
Fellow Status: SOM RF Fellowship (~80% of stipend), supplemented with PI research funds (RF) or Departmental IDC/Royalty funds (~20% of stipend) – The supplement must be from Non-Federal funds.
GS2 - GS end:
Fellow Status: PI Non-Federal research funds (RF) or Departmental IDC/Royalty funds
Fellow Status: Individual NRSA Student Fellowship supplemented with PI Non-Federal or departmental funds as above
RA Status: PI Research funds (RF) using Federal funds (e.g. R01 award)
Please check your status with your Grad Program Coordinator or PI. If you are being paid as an RA, taxes will be taken out and you will see a decrease in your paycheck.
Your stipend for 2021-2022 will be $30,500, and the stipend paperwork will be handled by your Graduate Program coordinator and/or PI, from whom you can get further details. If you apply for an individual fellowship and it gets funded, you may be eligible for a 10% salary bonus increase during your PhD years. If the fellowship continues beyond the re-entry into the 3rd MD year, then the fellow will be awarded a 10% Dean's bonus to his / her stipend for as long as the fellowship is active.
For the remainder of your PhD years, the following will apply:
Tuition - will be covered by the PhD Program Grad School tuition scholarship and PI
Fees - MSTP program is responsible for fees during GS1 and students are responsible for fees during GS2 - GS end.
Health Ins. - part of fringe benefit package
Full Stipend - paid by advisor
Please make contact with your Graduate Program Coordinator well in advance to arrange being transferred from the training grant or Dean's funding to your advisor's funding and to enroll in the RF Graduate School health insurance or CSHL / BNL Ins. plans.
In order to continue and to avoid a lapse in your stipend, Human Resources requires all forms to be filled out and be in payroll five to three weeks prior to your new appointment date. Please be aware that once you come off a training grant / RF fellowship, your status may change from a fellow to employee and your stipend may be taxed (while you were on the Training grant or Dean's funding, taxes were not being taken from your paycheck; please be prepared to see a slight decrease in your paycheck if your status changes from a fellow to employee.
