> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://ismms-gs.gitbook.io/graduate-student-handbook/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://ismms-gs.gitbook.io/graduate-student-handbook/chapter-2/administrative-and-financial-policies/funding-package-and-direct-compensation.md). # Funding Package and Direct Compensation This section applies only to students in the PhD program in Biomedical Sciences or Neuroscience, and to students in the MD/PhD program. ### General Information * Students in the PhD and MD/PhD in Biomedical Sciences or Neuroscience programs will receive a comprehensive funding package, which includes direct compensation, tuition remission, and a student health insurance plan. (Note that this direct compensation is sometimes referred to informally as a “stipend.”) * Exceptions to this financial support package occur when a student has an external award in place that provides for such fundings, in which case funds from the external source may replace part or all of the institutionally-provided financial package. * Continuation of the financial package is contingent upon maintaining satisfactory progress in the program at all times. The absence of such progress may result in discontinuation of financial support and dismissal from the program. * For PhD program students, direct compensation will end on the day the student’s dissertation is deposited, and health insurance coverage will end on the last day of the term in which the student deposits. For MD/PhD students, direct compensation will end on the day the student receives their final degree. * In the case of a research mentor change requiring a new rotation (as outlined in Part II, Chapter 1 “PhD in Biomedical Sciences and Neuroscience"), the mentee will receive up to 3 months of stipend support from the GSBS to pursue rotations prior to selecting a new laboratory. ### Funding Sources Students will be provided with direct compensation, health insurance and 100% tuition coverage throughout their training—typically five years—provided that they maintain satisfactory progress in their education and research training and that federal funding practices and institutional policies remain unchanged. * During the first year, while students complete general program requirements and select a research mentor and Multidisciplinary Training Area, the Graduate School funds 100% of the package. * After completing core courses and following declaration of the laboratory, the preceptor is financially responsible for 75% of the total stipend, health insurance, and tuition through the end of the second year of the PhD. * Thereafter, for the remainder of the student’s time in the PhD program, the preceptor is responsible for 100% of this package for the duration of the student's thesis research. Research mentors who encounter unexpected difficulty in supporting a trainee’s funding package may contact the Graduate School at about its bridge funding policy. ### Additional Funds Upon Receipt of External Fellowships * Students who apply for and receive an NIH “F” grant, or who receive a federal or non-federal fellowship of comparable stature (e.g. AHA, HHMI, , will receive from the Graduate School an additional $2,000 annually, for the period the award is in effect. * Research mentors are encouraged to match this $2,000 with an additional $2,000 if lab funding allows. (Matching funds from research mentors must come from a funding source that permits such payments.) * Students who receive such fellowships should email the Graduate School at [gs-admin@mssm.edu ](mailto:gs-admin@mssm.edu)to request such payment, attaching the notification of the award and cc-ing their faculty research mentor.