Students

70.10     Scholarships, Fellowships, Assistantships and Stipends                                                      Updated: March 22, 2002

1.     Definitions

        1.1   Scholarships or Fellowships

                A scholarship or fellowship is an amount paid to an undergraduate or graduate student
                to aid them in the pursuit of study or research. To qualify as a scholarship or
                fellowship, there can be no obligation of the student other than to remain enrolled in a
                degree plan and maintain qualifying requirements (e.g. minimum grade point average)
                of the award.

        1.2    Assistantships

                An assistantship is an amount paid to a graduate student to aid them in their pursuit of
                study or research and carries with it obligations beyond that of a scholarship or
                fellowship.  Teaching or research assistants and graduate assistants (non-teaching) are
                normally assigned to specific duties by a principal investigator, project leader,
                department head, etc.

        1.3   Wages

                Wages are compensation for work performed. Student wages may carry the
                requirement that the student be enrolled and maintain a minimum grade point average
                as a condition of employment; however, they are wages never-the-less because they
                represent payment for services. The University has two classifications of student
                wages:  College Workstudy and Student Hourly.

        1.4   Stipends

                The term stipend has been used on research grants and university administered
                financial aid as a different type of payment. However, in actuality they fall within one of
                the above categories and thus, must be properly reclassified.

2.     Payments

        Payments for the above forms of student financial assistance will be made as follows:

        a.     Wages and Assistantships - paid through the payroll system
        b.     Scholarships and Fellowships - paid through the student information system
        c.     Stipends - reclassify to correct category and process accordingly
        d.     Payments from grants and contracts - treat as assistantships or wages and process
                according. 

3.     Payment Initiations

        Payments will be initiated as follows: 
 

Contact Person:     Director of Student Financial Aid