Redistribution of NSF GRFP Cost of Education Allowance

[hydromath]

Is there any precedent for the redistribution of an institution's COE allowance (for academic travel, experiments, etc) to the awardee?

Thanks!

[guttata]

No. The cost of education allowance is a tuition payment directly to the university, is it not?

[Eigen]

Yes, there are precedents. I don't remember the schools offhand, but I found at least a handful of schools that put at least some of the COE into a grant account for the student.

Mine does not, sadly, although there was discussion on the issue. NSF's position is that it's the school's money and they can do whatever they want with it. My department chair was in favor of it going to me as a grant, since the school was paying my tuition before anyway, but.... That didn't fly with higher tiers of administration.

That said, all of your fees should be getting paid out of the COE in addition to your tuition. By that, I mean that any "required fees normally assessed to students of your standing" should be getting paid, even if they weren't before.

[Eigen]

Here's one of the schools I was thinking of- Oregon State advertises redistribution of the fees as a perk to NSF fellows.

http://oregonstate.edu/dept/grad_school/NSF_Incentives.php

[Scrabble2]

Does anyone know any other departments that allow students to utilize the education allowance to pay for insurance and/or research expenses? I am at an ivy league university that may allow me to do so, but I need precedents to make my case.

 

Any info or advice would be greatly appreciated.

[JessicaM]

I'm actually curious about this.  My CO is new and doesn't seem so sure but mentioned I'd get the difference of my tuition/fees and COE.  However reading the NSF GRFP FAQ it states they can't charge me the difference between tuition and COE.  So I'm very confused.

[Eigen]

They can't charge you, but the point of the COE is to pay as much of them as possible. The rest has to be funded by the department/school.

The only times I've ever seen kickbacks are when the cost of education (tuition and fees) are less than the COE (12k). I don't think there are many places where full time tuition and fees is much less than that.

[JessicaM]

Thanks! Maybe that's what he meant.  For one semester this fall my tuition is more than 12K and next semester tuition is expected to be even more.  I'm guessing the COE is handled through the actual department and the NSF CO really has little control over it.

 

Do you know if tuition is paid for during summer semesters?  The GRFP handbook seems pretty vague on that.  My assumption is you still get a stipend for the summer but have to pay tuition even if you're just signed up for research credits?

[Eigen]

You don't have to pay tuition as long as you're getting NSF funding, including summers. Nor do you have to pay any required fees. 

 

How the institution handles paying that is up to them- NSF supplies the 12k once per year, the institution has to come up with the rest of it. 

 

My Dept Chair tried to convince our Dean that since I already had a tuition waiver, I should get the CoE for research costs, less required fees, but it didn't fly. 

 

Getting money from a school that they don't have to give you is hard!

 

Your CO will have no influence over it, at all. NSF is very clear that the CoE goes to the school, and the school decides what to do with it.