Graduate Student Tuition and Fees on Sponsored Projects

It is Wake Forest University practice to budget funds for graduate student tuition in all sponsored project proposals when allowed by sponsor guidelines. The amount budgeted is based on a percentage (shown below) of full time graduate student tuition. These amounts should be included in all proposals that also request funding for graduate student stipends, regardless of the total of the direct costs requested. Please note total tuition is flat each year ($38,650) and the percent charged to the grant increases instead. Tuition should be requested for each graduate student included in the budget.

*Modified total direct costs are total direct costs less, equipment, graduate tuition, participant support costs, and the portion of each subaward in excess of $25,000

The amounts above will be reviewed periodically and may be changed in order to comply with the NIH limit on maximum total compensation to a graduate student. In cases where an award is recommended but a sponsor imposes a percentage cut to the requested budget, this percentage cut can be applied to the tuition request.

For proposals that request less than full-time salary support for graduate student Research Assistants, the Research Assistant’s percentage effort will be applied to the tuition request amount. For example, a 50% time Research Assistant would include a request for 50% of our current full-time graduate student tuition cost.

Fees

The following fees also need to be included in proposal budgets that request funding to support graduate students. Effective July 1, 2025, these fees per student, per year are:

Health Insurance $2,842

Student Health Fee $584

Technology Fee $150