All funded PhD students are expected to register each term to maintain active, full-time student status (this includes fall, spring, and summer). Students who are not sure what they should register for in a given term should contact their advisor or college administrator for guidance. 

Stipended Graduate Assistantship (SGA) appointments include a service requirement, and students will be assigned as Teaching Assistants, Research Assistants, or similar. Fellowship appointments do not include a service requirement. For more detailed information about a specific SGA appointment, students should reach out to their program administrator or advisor. 

Find details about SGAs and Fellowships in the dropdown sections at the bottom of the PhD Network’s Helpful Dates & Funding Information page and on Student Employment’s Graduate Assistants & Fellows page. 

Students cannot generally receive funding beyond the standard base stipend from multiple sources at once. If, for example, a student is participating in a funded internship, they cannot be paid by the internship and also receive funding as a TA/RA or receive fellowship funding from either an internal or external source. For guidance on specific situations, students should reach out to their program administrator or advisor or submit a question using the PhD Student Funding Questions Form.

Funded PhD students may receive one source of funding at a time and cannot, for example, be on an SGA and Fellowship at this same time, two SGAs at the same time, or a Fellowship and PTL at the same time.  

This extends to Industry PhD students who are funded via an academic agreement between their employer (our partner) and Northeastern and whose full-time employment with our partner is their one source of funding. Because they are receiving their one source of funding from their employer (our partner), they cannot also hold another appointment, such as a PTL or SGA. 

PhD students on leave other than parental leave (see the Policy on Parental Leave for Graduate Students) will not receive funding for the terms they are on leave. Northeastern’s Conditions of Admission and Assignment Responsibility, stipulate that, as a PhD student, you are “required to enroll full-time in the program and must be available on campus if necessary to support the terms of your position for its duration, from the first day of a semester to the last… Failure to fulfill these requirements will result in the termination of your award. ” Because students on leave will not be enrolled/registered, they will not receive funding during that time. 

Students supported on Stipended Graduate Assistantships (SGAs) receive funding semi-monthly and can find paystubs in Workday (or in Banner for paystubs issued before 1/1/2022). See instructions from SFS.

Students supported on Fellowships receive funding twice per semester and these disbursements are not tracked in Workday or Banner. For confirmation of specific fellowship payments, students can reference the deposit history in their bank account or submit a request for a letter confirming payments using the PhD Student Funding Questions form at the bottom of the PhD Network’s Helpful Dates & Funding Information webpage.

A student’s Admission Letter may be sufficient confirmation of funding in some cases. Students who are renewing their visa should consult with the Office of Global Services on specific documentation needed for renewals. For other types of confirmations, submit a request using the PhD Student Funding Questions Form at the bottom of the PhD Network’s Helpful Dates & Funding Information webpage. 

Students should enroll in direct deposit through the Student Hub. Instructions for enrollment can be found on Student Employment’s Graduate Assistants & Fellows page and Student Financial Services maintains a Direct Deposit FAQs page. Note that direct deposit stays active for one year from the last deposit transaction processed. To confirm that your direct deposit is set up, log in to the Student Hub and open the Direct Deposit Form. Confirm that your bank information is present. 

Students on Stipended Graduate Assistantships (SGAs) usually receive their stipend on the 15th and the last day of each month.  

Students on Fellowship appointments have stipends disbursed twice per semester: 

• Fall: Sept 15 and Nov 1 

• Spring: Jan 15 and March 1 

• Summer: May 15 and July 15 

Find more details on the PhD Network’s Helpful Dates & Funding Information page (see the SGA and Fellowship sections at the bottom) and on Student Employment’s Graduate Assistants & Fellows page. 

In a semester when a student is appointed to an SGA, the semi-monthly disbursements will have taxes withheld at the time of payment and the student will receive a W-2. In a semester when a student is appointed to a non-SGA (Fellowship) appointment, the twice-per-semester disbursements will not have taxes taken out at the time of payment, but may still be taxable income (students may want to consult the IRS website for guidance). It’s the student’s responsibility to file taxes and to disclose stipends received, as appropriate.   

See Student Employment’s Finding Tax Forms webpage. 

Students with questions about the 1098-T should submit a Student Financial Services Inquiry Form so that Student Accounts can assist them. There is also general information on the IRS Form 1098-T webpage in the Billing & Payments page of the Student Financial Services website. 

Please note that Northeastern University cannot provide tax advice to students. Students with specific tax questions should refer to IRS resources, including the Tax information for students, or consult a tax professional.

Some resources that students might find helpful include: 

• The PhD Network’s Helpful Dates & Funding Information page (see the SGA and Fellowship sections at the bottom) 

• Student Employment’s Graduate Assistants & Fellows and Finding Tax Forms pages 

• For international students, the Office of Global Services Tax Information page 

• The IRS Tax information for students and Topic no. 421, Scholarships, fellowship grants, and other grants pages 

Students who are On Tenure and using their NSF GRFP funding are assigned to Fellowship appointments and, as with all Fellowship appointments, will have their stipend disbursed twice per semester. Find more information about Fellowship appointments and Fellowship stipend disbursements on the PhD Network’s Helpful Dates & Funding Information page (see the Fellowship section at the bottom) and on Student Employment’s Graduate Assistants & Fellows page. 

In a semester when a student is appointed to a Fellowship (non-SGA) appointment, the twice-a-semester disbursements will not have taxes taken out at the time of payment, but it may still be taxable income. It is the student’s responsibility to file taxes and to disclose stipends received, as appropriate. Students are encouraged to consult the IRS Tax information for students and Topic no. 421, Scholarships, fellowship grants, and other grants webpages. 

The NSF GRFP cost-of-education (COE) allowance is paid to the university and then disbursed to the awardee’s college. In part, the COE allowance covers tuition and student fees (including activity, recreation, health center fee, etc.) when the student is On Tenure. Additional funds from the COE allowance may be made available to the student at the discretion of the college. For information about if and how those funds are available, students should contact their college administrator. 

All Fellows supported by NSF are required to receive appropriate training and oversight in the Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research. Visit the NU-RES Responsible Conduct of Research Program webpage (see the NSF Awardees section) for information about fulfilling this requirement through in-person or online Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training provided by Northeastern. 

Students cannot be appointed as an SGA while On Tenure and using GRFP Fellowship funding. GRFP funding is intended to provide students with relief from appointments requiring service so that they can focus full-time on their own research and scholarship. 

Students can participate in an internship while On Tenure, however, if the internship provides funding, Northeastern does not allow students to receive both pay from an internship and the GRFP Fellowship stipend at the same time. If the internship is paid and you would like to receive that pay, you will lose your GRFP stipend during the internship. 

GRFP Fellows with fellowships awarded in Fall 2024 can reference NSF Grant DGE-2439018 in their acknowledgements. 

GRFP Fellows with fellowships awarded prior to Fall 2024 should reference DGE-1938052 in their acknowledgements. 

Generally, professional development funding can be used to reimburse students for purchases related to their academic progress, such as books, professional membership fees, computers used for academic work, or travel to academic conferences. Reimbursement for the purchase of personal items is not allowed. All reimbursements must comply with university policies (see specifically the Policy on Travel & Expense Reimbursement). Students with questions about allowable expenses should reach out to their college or program administrator. 

Students are encouraged to track how much of their professional development funding they have used. To confirm the remaining balance, students can reach out to their college or program administrator or submit a request using the PhD Student Funding Questions Form at the bottom of the PhD Network’s Helpful Dates & Funding Information webpage. 

The PhD Network offers travel funding to enable PhD students to present research in venues that will provide professional development and visibility to enhance careers. Find more information and the application on the PhD Network’s Travel Funding webpage.