Fellowship Aid

Non-service fellowships provide a stipend and scholarship for exceptional students to focus primarily on their degree coursework in the first year and fifth years with no departmental research or teaching responsibilities. Students awarded non-service fellowships must enroll in a full load of academic courses as determined by the department.

The scholarship is credited directly to your student account and covers tuition costs up to 18 credits/semester for courses needed to fulfill degree requirements plus mandatory fees (Student Services Fee and Health & Wellness Fee).

Important Note: Non-Service Stipends (Year 1 and Year 5) are paid on the fourth Friday of each month. For US citizens and resident aliens, these stipends are not considered earned income and therefore Boston University does not withhold taxes from the payments and the stipend will not be listed on a W-2 form. Nevertheless, students are responsible for reporting the stipend to the IRS.

Stipend Amount	$13,133.50/Semester (effective Sept 1, 2023)
Payment Period	Fall: September-December (4 Months)Spring: January-April (4 Months)
Payment Structure	Stipend is paid on the 4th Friday of each month in the semester
Taxes	The portion of financial aid that exceeds the expense of tuition, books, and fees maybe subject to income tax. For U.S. citizens and permanent residents, this stipend is not subject to tax withholding by the University; however, it is your responsibility to report it accurately to the IRS and make payments on the taxable portion of your award. For international students, you will be required to apply for a Social Security Number and your stipend will have a taxation rate of 14% unless you are claiming exempt under a tax treaty.
Health Insurance	The University will provide for the cost of your participation in the University’s basic student health insurance plan. You may opt to enroll in the PLUS plan; however, the difference in cost between the two plans.

A Service Teaching Fellowship provides a stipend and a full scholarship and an opportunity for graduate students to gain classroom experience under the close supervision of the faculty members who have the formal responsibility for the courses to which the teaching fellows are assigned. Your obligation in this fellowship would include instructional duties assigned by your department. Instructional and other duties total approximately 20 hours per week. Fellows register for no more than 18 credits per semester.  In some departments or programs, the 18-credit maximum may include a 2-credit teaching course. Credits for this teaching course will not be counted toward degree requirements, but will appear on the transcript as evidence of instruction and evaluation in teaching. Specific questions regarding teaching courses may be directed to individual departments.

The scholarship will be credited directly to your student account and covers tuition costs only for courses needed to fulfill degree requirements (and the 2-credit teaching course if required by your program) plus mandatory fees (Student Services Fee and Health & Wellness Fee).  There is no service required in return for the scholarship portion of this fellowship.

Important Note: Service Stipends (Year 2-4) are paid weekly. For tax purposes, service stipends are considered earned income and the university will withhold and report the earnings per IRS guidelines.  Withholdings are based on students’ W4 selections and will vary.  Students receive a W2 at the end of the calendar year.

Stipend Amount	$13,133.50/semester (effective Sept 1, 2023)
Payment Period	Fall: September-December (17 weeks) Spring: January-April (18 weeks)
Payment Structure	Stipend/salary is paid weekly on Fridays
Taxes	The portion of financial aid that exceeds the expense of tuition, books, and fees is subject to income tax. This stipend is subject to tax withholding by the University who is required to report the stipend portion of the award as income to the federal government.
Health Insurance	The University will provide for the cost of your participation in the University’s basic student health insurance plan. You may opt to enroll in the PLUS plan; however, the difference in cost between the two plans.

Cost of Attendance for 2023-2024

To determine your total Cost of Attendance (or budget), add the cost of tuition and fees (as either a full-time or a part-time student) to the Standard Living Expenses listed below.  If you enroll in the BU Student Health Insurance Plan, you may also add this cost to the total.  Additional information regarding insurance can be found at Student Accounting Services.

The Cost of Attendance (COA), also referred to as the student’s budget, is used to determine the maximum amount of financial aid (scholarships, grants, loans, etc.) a student can receive for any given award period. The Cost of Attendance does not represent actual charges to the student’s account. You can easily view all of your actual charges by using the MyBU Student Portal.

If you enroll in Boston University’s Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP), you may also add this cost to the total. The premium for the 2023-2024 academic year is $3,280 for the BASIC plan and $4,403 for the PLUS plan. Additional information regarding insurance can be found at Student Accounting Services.

To determine your total cost of attendance, add the cost of tuition and fees (as either a full-time or a part-time student) to the Standard Living Expenses listed below. Example: The Cost of Attendance for a full-time graduate student enrolled in the basic Student Health Insurance Plan is $89,322 ($63,798 in tuition, $914 in fees, $3,280 for insurance, and $21,330 for standard living expenses).

Full-Time Students (12-18 credits per semester)

Tuition	$31,899 per semester; $63,798 for the academic year
Student Services Fee	$200 per semester (full-time and certified full-time); $400 for the academic year
Health & Wellness Fee	$257 per semester (full-time and certified full-time);  $514 for the academic year

Part-Time Students (less than 12 credits per semester)

Tuition	$1,994 per credit
Student Services Fee	$60 per semester

Standard Living Expenses (9 months, September to May)

Standard Living Expenses are not billed to the student; they are an estimate of average educational and living expenses and are used to determine the amount of financial aid a student can receive.

Housing and Food	$15,450
Personal	$3,292
Transportation	$1,120
Books and Supplies	$1,264
Direct Loan Fees*	$204
TOTAL Standard Living Expenses	$21,330

* An average of the origination fees for the Federal Direct Loan that applies to all students regardless of whether the loan is borrowed.

As part of your fellowship award, the University will cover the cost of your individual participation in the Boston University Basic Student Health Insurance Plan ($3,280 in AY23-24). Students who opt to purchase the Boston University Student PLUS Plan ($4,403 in AY23-24) will be responsible for payment of the difference in the premium amount ($1,123 in AY23-24) by the payment deadline for the Fall semester. Please refer to Student Health Services for more information. The University will not cover any health insurance costs for dependents. Family coverage is available at an additional cost to the student.

Health insurance coverage extends from August 15, 2023 through August 14, 2024 for students who are enrolled in the Fall semester 2023. Please note that coverage takes effect once fall registration has been processed or on August 15, whichever is later.

Students who are required to have health insurance are automatically enrolled in the Boston University Basic Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP).

Who is required to have health insurance?

Under the laws of Massachusetts, the following students are required to participate in a qualifying health insurance plan:

• Students certified as full-time
• Students who are registered for 75% or more of a full-time course load (nine or more credit hours for most schools)
• International students (students who are not U.S. citizens and who do not have approved refugee or permanent resident status)

Part-time students are not automatically enrolled but can request to be enrolled. If a student wishes to waive the insurance, a health insurance waiver form must be submitted. For more information about insurance coverage and deadlines for enrollment/waivers, please consult Student Health Services.

Graduate students receive an insurance credit of half the cost ($1,640 in fall 2023/$1,640 in spring 2024) in each semester that they receive a stipend of at least $5,000 (refer to insurance credit info for service stipends and non-service stipends). Students who do not receive a stipend of at least $5,000 in both fall and spring may be responsible for the payment of any remaining balance by the payment deadline. Students who graduate in January or who go part-time in spring can enroll in fall only coverage before December 31; in this case, the coverage will end on December 31 but they will not have to pay the full annual premium.

For questions about your insurance credit, please email CFA Financial Aid at grsaid@bu.edu (and include your BU ID).  For questions about enrollment in student health insurance, please contact the Student Health Insurance Team at insmed@bu.edu.

Students have the option to purchase Dental Care through the University, which is not included in the fellowship award.

We are happy to continue supporting our PhD students who meet qualifying income and financial aid requirements by providing an opportunity to apply for a childcare subsidy. Our childcare subsidy amounts to $600 to help offset the cost of childcare. More detailed information and application can be found here.

Fellowships will continue for the duration of the five-year commitment if the student is making satisfactory academic progress each year, as outlined by the school/college.

Additional detailed information can be found here.