NRSA Stipends, Tuition, Fees, and Other Budgetary Levels Effective for Fiscal Year 2020

Announcement: The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has issued an official Guide Notice that establishes stipend levels for fiscal year (FY) 2020 Kirschstein-NRSA awards for undergraduate, predoctoral, and postdoctoral trainees and fellows. In addition, the Training Related Expenses and the Institutional Allowance for postdoctoral trainees and fellows have been increased. The Training Related Expenses and Institutional Allowances for predoctoral trainees and fellows and the Tuition and Fees for all educational levels remain unchanged.

The budgetary categories described in the Notice apply only to Kirschstein-NRSA awards made with FY 2020 funds. All FY 2020 awards previously issued using NOT-OD-19-036 will be revised to adjust funding to the FY 2020 levels. Appointments to institutional training grants that have already been awarded in FY 2020 must be amended to reflect the FY 2020 stipend levels once the training grant award has been adjusted by the NIH. Amended appointments must be submitted through xTrain in the eRA Commons. Retroactive adjustments or supplementation of stipends or other budgetary categories with Kirschstein-NRSA funds for an award made prior to October 1, 2019 are not permitted.

Stipends
Effective with all Kirschstein-NRSA awards made on or after October 1, 2019, the following annual stipend levels apply to all individuals receiving support through institutional research training grants or individual fellowships.

Postdoctoral Trainees and Fellows
For institutional training grants, (T32, T90, TL1) and individual fellowships (F32), the stipend level for the entire first year of support is determined by the number of full years of relevant postdoctoral experience when the award is issued. Relevant experience may include research experience (including industrial), teaching assistantship, internship, residency, clinical duties, or other time spent in a health-related field beyond that of the qualifying doctoral degree. Once the appropriate stipend level has been determined, the trainee or fellow must be paid at that level for the entire grant year. The stipend for each additional year of Kirschstein-NRSA support is the next level in the stipend structure and does not change mid-year.