Stipend information

The program requires a two-term commitment. Students are expected to devote the equivalent time and effort to what they would for an academic class (approximately 100 hours per term, based on 7-12 hours per week for 10 weeks). Students who successfully complete this requirement are eligible for:

• Term 1: $1200 stipend
• Term 2: $1200 stipend OR academic credit as Independent Study

Stipend information:

• Stipends are paid as a lump sum at the end of each term of research.
  • Payment of stipends is contingent on confirmation by the student and faculty mentor that the student has fulfilled the requirements of the program.
  • When students submit their confirmation forms, an email will be automatically generated to the faculty mentor. That email will contain a link to the faculty confirmation form.
  • Students who do not meet the requirements of the program will not receive a stipend for that term. Partial stipends are not an option.
• Students do not submit timesheets since payments are stipends rather than hourly wages.
  • It is strongly recommended that students keep a document tracking the time spent on the research and the tasks accomplished as this may be important in resolving any issues that arise during the confirmation process.
  • Maintaining a tracking document is critical for international students as these hours may be considered work by the U.S. government.
• Students may not receive additional funding or wages for the same research that is being conducted for the Presidential Scholars program.
  • If faculty want to pay students hourly wages for research beyond the requirements of the program, it cannot be for the same types of tasks. The IRS specifies that research conducted for a fellowship stipend is primarily for the academic benefit of the student, whereas research compensated via hourly wages is primarily for the benefit of the employer (in this case, the faculty mentor).

Academic credit

• This is an option only for term 2 of the assistantship
• The Independent Study must be arranged in advance with your faculty research mentor and approved by the relevant academic department or program.
• Some departments have specific requirements and pre-requisites for approval of research for credit, and students must satisfy these requirements in order to be eligible for independent study credit. 
• If the Independent Study is approved by the academic department or program, you must register for the course as you would for any other class.
• If you opt for Independent Study credit, you are NOT eligible for a stipend. 

Initial stipends are issued prior to the start of the term of research, once the student has submitted the Acknowledgement & Release form.

• $100 of the award is withheld for awards of $1000 and over.
• Students will be issued the final $100 at the end of the term after they submit the confirmation form and final report.

Students are eligible to receive no more than the total amount of funding specified in the UGAR award letter.

• For example, faculty cannot pay students wages for the UGAR-funded research.

Honors thesis grants are awarded for expenses directly related to honors thesis research and not for cost of living or an individual stipend or wages. 

The payment will be issued directly to you, so if your honors thesis expenses will be processed through your faculty mentor or their academic department (for example, lab supplies), you will need to work with your faculty mentor to figure out how best to transfer the funds to their research account. If you DO NOT accept the electronic payment, a check will be sent to you and you can sign that check over to the college. If you DO accept the electronic payment, you will need to write a check yourself or get a bank check. Either way, the check needs to be payable to 'The Trustees of Dartmouth College' and given to the department administrator to deposit to your faculty mentor's research account. 

Contact the Arts and Sciences Finance Center if you have questions.

Conference grants are awarded for expenses related to attendance at a conference at which you will be presenting your faculty-mentored research. 

The payment will be issued directly to you. If any of your travel expenses will be processed through your faculty mentor or their academic department, you will need to work with your faculty mentor to figure out how best to transfer the funds to their research account. If you DO NOT accept the electronic payment, a check will be sent to you and you can sign that check over to the college. If you DO accept the electronic payment, you will need to write a check yourself or get a bank check. Either way, the check needs to be payable to 'The Trustees of Dartmouth College' and given to the department administrator to deposit to your faculty mentor's research account. 

Contact the Arts and Sciences Finance Center if you have questions.