HSC Doctoral Training Funding Policy
WVU HSC PhD Student Stipend
The WVU Health Sciences Center (HSC) policy is that graduate students enrolled full-time in its PhD programs are provided stipend support (currently $30,000) and associated fringe benefits, such as insurance, for the duration of their didactic curriculum and dissertation research. The student’s stipend during the first year of doctoral studies is paid for by the HSC Office of Research and Graduate Education (ORGE) from the first day on campus through approximately August 1st of the following year. After this time, the financial responsibility lies with the student’s faculty advisor. The stipend support for PhD students at the HSC will be primarily through students’ appointment as WVU Graduate Research Assistants (GRA). Students are also encouraged to compete for other sources of support, including WVU Graduate Fellowships, WVU Graduate Training Program (T32) Trainee Appointments, Graduate Teaching or Service Assistantship (GTA or GSA), and extramural pre-doctoral fellowship awards. If a student is awarded a competitive fellowship paying less than the HSC stipend level, the ORGE will pay the differential to ensure the student maintains a stipend of $30,000.
Effective August 1, 2024, the HSC Office of Research and Graduate Education (ORGE) provides the stipend and associated fringe benefits to all incoming HSC PhD students for their first full year of study.
Student Placement with Dissertation Mentor
For a faculty member to be officially considered as the dissertation mentor for a PhD student placement, the following are the minimum requirements:
- Active Regular Graduate Faculty appointment (review current members here)
- No current students on stipend gap coverage from ORGE
- No student in Year 7 or beyond
- If a student is in Year 6, a specific plan and timeline toward completion must be outlined.
- Current funding that will be active and available to cover PhD Years 2 and 3
A faculty advisor interested in accepting graduate students must budget for graduate student stipend support in grant applications. For faculty to accept new students, official documentation of adequate financial means to provide their PhD students' Years 2 and 3 stipend is required.
A financial responsibility agreement will be completed for each student before a graduate student and faculty member declares a mentee-mentor commitment. This agreement, facilitated by the ORGE, is a contractual agreement by the faculty member to assume the responsibility for the continuity of financial support for the PhD students’ stipend support on August 1st, 2025, and a confirmation that the primary faculty advisor/mentor has sufficient
resources available to enable completion of the anticipated dissertation project. The chairperson’s signature confirms their knowledge of this placement and their support of this mentor/mentee match.
Financial support provided to the student during or after the first 12 months may be supplemented or fully covered by various internal or external funding sources such as external predoctoral fellowships, training grant appointments, or other sources referenced above. Mentors are expected to work with their students to pursue these opportunities. If a student earns a position on a T32 or a fellowship during their first year, this will replace the ORGE funding as an alternate funding source.
When student stipend funding cannot be maintained after Year 3 through faculty, department, or other resources, the ORGE provides a Stipend Gap Coverage (SGC) program in partnership with the various departments and institutes. Faculty members, with the support of their department chair, may apply annually for SGC. Please note that the SGC policy is updated annually, and details of the financial partnership with the departments and institutes will be provided in the 2025 policy version as the university transitions to its new budget model.
NEW in 2024: The university provides tuition waivers for up to 6 years to full-time PhD students; after that time, the student or faculty mentor must pay tuition. In extenuating circumstances, a request for consideration for additional waivers and stipend support can be made to ORGE and then the Office of Graduate Education and Life, respectively.
NOTE: Doctoral student funding is contingent on the student remaining in good academic standing and demonstrating acceptable progress as evaluated by their advisory committee.
