Graduate School

Graduate Student Stipend Information

The Graduate School offers incoming doctoral and MFA students financial packages intended to support excellence in graduate education and to enable students to devote themselves full time to their research and scholarship.

All recommendations for graduate student funding are made at the program level. Eligibility and awards are determined annually and are always conditional on students making satisfactory progress toward their degrees. Students with questions or concerns regarding Brown funding — including eligibility, awards, or renewals — should discuss them with the program’s Director of Graduate Study.

Brown's funded degree programs are residential programs that require full-time dedication in order to reach the goals of superior scholarship envisioned for all students. The Graduate School recognizes that training opportunities outside of regular appointments can play an important role in preparing graduate students for their careers and, for supported graduate students in good standing, the Graduate Council is supportive of such additional, paid training opportunities, as long as they do not exceed 12 hours per week. Additional details can be found on the Activities Outside of Stipended Appointments webpage and in the Graduate School Handbook.

    Stipend Information

    2023-2024 Stipend Amounts

    FY24 Doctoral Base Stipends (July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024)

    Fall and Spring 
    Base Stipends
    Summer 
    Base Stipend
    Total 12 Month
    Base Stipend
    Monthly
    Base Stipend
    $17,137.13 $11,424.75 $45,699 $3,808.25

    2024-2025 Stipend Amounts

    FY25 Doctoral Base Stipends (July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2025)

    Fall and Spring 
    Base Stipends
    Summer 
    Base Stipend
    Total 12 Month
    Base Stipend
    Monthly
    Base Stipend
    $18,379.50 $12,253 $49,012 $4,084.33

    2025-2026 Stipend Amounts

    FY26 Doctoral Base Stipends (July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026)

    Fall and Spring 
    Base Stipends
    Summer 
    Base Stipend
    Total 12 Month
    Base Stipend
    Monthly
    Base Stipend
    $19,574.25 $13,049.50 $52,198 $4,349.83

    Where to Find Stipend Information

    Students receive an appointment letter through Self Service Banner (SSB) each term (fall, spring, and summer). You can find your appointment letters in SSB by logging in with your Brown username and password, then clicking on the 'Student' tab and selecting ‘Graduate Student Appointment Details’ at the bottom of the list. The appointment letter provides: 

    • The appointment type and a general description of duties 
    • The start and end dates of the appointment 
    • The department in which the appointment is assigned 
    • The total stipend amount for the term 
    • Whether the appointment in the bargaining unit or not and union-related steps to take prior to the appointment starting

    Calculating Monthly Amount

    All stipended graduate students will receive their regular stipend payment at the end of each month (see the Student Employee FAQ section on the Controller’s Office General Information/FAQ webpage). Your Appointment Letter provides the total amount you will receive for that term and from that you can determine approximately how much you will receive at the end of each month (please note this is a pre-tax amount).

    Fall and Spring Terms

    The fall and spring funding periods are both 4.5 months in length. Fall runs September 1 - January 15 and spring runs January 16 - May 31 (these dates are detailed in your Appointment Letter). To determine how much you will receive each month, divide the stipend amount from your Appointment Letter by 4.5 months. 

    Example: Your Fall 2023 Appointment Letter shows a stipend amount of $16,421.63. 
    $16,421.63/ 4.5 months = $3,649.25 per month, pre-tax.

    Summer Term

    The summer term runs June 1 - August 31 and straddles two fiscal years. Students receiving a summer stipend will receive one month of stipend payment (June) at the rate of the fiscal year that is ending and two months of stipend payment (July and August) at the rate of the fiscal year that is starting. This means that the payment amount in June may be different from the amounts in July and August (though it will generally be the same as the amount from the previous July and August).

    Example: Your Summer 2024 Appointment Letter shows a stipend amount of $11,976.91. The 2023-2024 monthly stipend rate is $3,808.25 and you will receive that amount, pre tax, in June 2024 (the portion of the summer in the 2023-2024 fiscal year). The 2024-2025 monthly stipend rate is $4,084.33 and you will receive that amount, pre tax, in both July and August 2024 (the portion of the summer in the 2024-2025 fiscal year).

    Effects of Appointment Type

    A general overview and description of duties for student appointments can be found in the Graduate School Handbook. Appointment types not only affect the type of work a student is performing during a term, but may also affect how the student’s stipend is taxed and will determine whether or not they are in the bargaining unit. For example, students appointed to fellowships do not generally have taxes taken out of their payments and are not in the bargaining unit, while students on assistantship appointments such as RA, TA, or Proctor, do have taxes withheld at the time of payment and are in the bargaining unit (and so must pay the GLO Membership Fee or the GLO Fair Share Fee). See the Tax Information and Graduate Student Union Information webpages for more information.

    Steps Required to Receive Payments

    I-9

    All students must complete the I-9 process in order to receive payment from Brown. Students will be required to complete this process upon matriculating as well as anytime they return to active student status after taking a leave of absence. 

    The I-9 process includes:

    • Submitting the I-9 Form and completing all onboarding tasks in Workday (instructions can be found on the I-9 Forms webpage
    • Visiting the HR Service Center, in person, (Page-Robinson Hall, Room 213) to present original, unexpired documentation for the I-9 Form. Please refer to the List of Acceptable Documents for guidance on the types of documents required. 

    Sprintax Calculus

    All international students are required to enter data pertaining to immigration and tax status in Sprintax Calculus each calendar year and if they extend their stay at Brown University. Students are also required to notify their department and foreignnationaltax@brown.edu each time they leave the U.S. with their location and possible return date, and then again when they re-enter the country, regardless of the length of time they were away. Current information is required to ensure that correct taxes are applied. More information is available on the Controller’s Office Foreign National Payments and Taxation webpage. Note that the university previously used FNIS for this process, but has recently transitioned to Sprintax Calculus.

    Effects of Student Location

    A student’s location during the term (whether they are on campus or off campus in another state or country) plays a role in how the student’s payment is processed by Brown and may affect the taxes withheld. Students should let their program administrator know when they will be away from campus and international students should notify their department and foreignnationaltax@brown.edu each time they leave the U.S. with their location and possible return date, and then again when they re-enter the country, regardless of the length of time they were away. To ensure that student payments are in compliance with all relevant tax laws, students may get questions about their current location and travel dates from their program administrator, the Graduate School, or the Controller’s Office. 

    Receiving Stipend as Check or Direct Deposit

    Information about how to sign up for direct deposit is found on the Controller’s Office General Information/FAQ webpage. Note that students who sign up for direct deposit may still receive one more payment as a check if the direct deposit setup process is not fully completed prior to payments being disbursed. 

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