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Childcare Grant for PhD students

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The University of Rochester currently offers a childcare grant program for full-time PhD students, on University appointments, who are parents of children, newborn through age 6. We use the term “student-parents” throughout and for the purposes of this grant program.

The objective of this program is to provide some financial assistance to Rochester PhD students with childcare expenses.

Explore this page for more details about application review cycles and grant disbursement.

Upcoming grant cycles

  • Spring 2025: The Spring 2025 application portal will be open the month of January. Stay tuned to this page for specific dates, details, and access to the application form.

 

Overview: How does the program work?

PhD student-parents can receive a taxable grant based on the dollar amount of grant funds available and their ability to meet eligibility requirements.

As noted on this page, eligibility depends on the student-parent’s academic status, household income, and the age of the child. In the spirit of meeting the objective of serving as many PhD student-parents as possible, and given the finite pool of funds available, awards will be made to all applicants who meet the eligibility criteria submitted by the stated deadline.

Funding amounts will be dependent upon the number of eligible applications received and the availability of funds.

Eligibility: Who is eligible for the grant?

The eligibility requirements for University of Rochester Student-Parent Dependent Care Grant for Spring 2025 are as follows:

  1. Student-parents need to be enrolled as a full-time student PhD, during the period of application and award.
  2. Student-parents must be within the first six years of study, during the period of application and award.
  3. Student-parents must be fully supported by fellowships, grants, or other appointments in the 6000, 6002, 6004, and/or 6006 appointment categories. 
  4. Student-parents must be making satisfactory progress in their academic program.
  5. Student-parents must be the custodial parent or legal guardian of a child (newborn through age 6) during the academic year. Please reference our FAQs for understanding how age of child is considered.
  6. If your spouse or partner also qualifies as a PhD student at the University of Rochester, your household can only apply for one grant.
  7. If your spouse or partner is employed by University of Rochester as a benefits-eligible employee, you are not eligible for the student grant. In this circumstance, please apply for the faculty/staff grant program. Families can not apply to both programs.
  8. The child(ren) must reside full-time in your local residence while you are completing your academic program. Awards may be pro-rated for student-parents who have a child(ren) in full-time custody during only part of the academic year.
  9. Students with family adjusted gross income under $100k as indicated on their 2023 federal tax return are eligible. Students with family AGI of $100,000 or more are not eligible.
  10. There is no requirement that the student-parent’s spouse/partner be engaged in activity outside of the home (i.e. work, student, or volunteer).

Application timeline and process: When and how do I apply for the grant program?

A link to an application portal will be made available on this website when applications are being accepted.

Spring 2025 key dates

The Spring 2025 grant application portal will be open from Wednesday, January 1st until Friday, January 31, 2025. Stay tuned for more information about specific dates and deadlines.

Additional key dates for the Spring 2025 grant cycle are outlined below.

Application Review

January 3-January 31, 2025: Review and evaluation of submitted applications based on eligibility criteria and determine grant recipients.

Notification of Results

February 5-6, 2025: Successful applicants are notified via email about the outcome of their grant application. Unsuccessful applicants are also notified.

Grant Disbursement

Mid-February to Late-February, 2025: Grant funds are disbursed to the selected recipients.

Please review our FAQs to discover more information. If you still have questions, contact us via email at childcaregrant@rochester.edu.

Frequently asked questions

How much will I be awarded per student-parent?

The Child Care Grant funds are distributed based on the number of eligible students in each award period.

What age does my child need to be to qualify?

Children that are newborn through age 6 at the start of the award period are eligible.

Eligible children are born on or before the application deadline for the respective cycle.

How do I know if I am fully funded?

Fully funded PhD students receive a 100% tuition scholarship and stipend in the appointment codes 6000, 6002, 6004, 6006 from the University.

How do I know my appointment code?

Your job/appointment category can be found under your job/appointment title on your paystub (available in HRMS). That job title is associated with an appointment code for our graduate students. 6000 is Grad Fellowship/Stipend, 6002 is Grad Assistantship, 6004 is Grad Assistant, Add-on, and 6006 is Grad Teaching Assistant, Add-on. If you have additional questions about your category, you may also consult your graduate coordinator or the staff responsible for hiring you if you have an add-on position in another department. Note that while your graduate coordinator can provide information about your category, University of Rochester employees should not be considered tax professionals and are not authorized to provide you with tax advice.

How do I apply?

A link to the application portal will be made available on this website when applications are being actively accepted.

Who can I contact if I have questions or need assistance?

Please email childcaregrant@rochester.edu.

Will this affect my financial aid?

We will be sharing information about those that are awarded grants with financial aid office. Please contact your financial aid counselor to understand if there will be any impacts to your award.

Will this payment be subject to tax withholding?

Payment of the childcare grant to students who are non-resident aliens for tax purposes may be subject to U.S. federal tax withholding. Withholding will depend on whether you are eligible for tax treaty benefits based on your country of residence and whether you have completed and submitted the necessary paperwork (generally, Form W-8BEN) to the University payroll office in connection with your University fellowship/assistantship.

What is the period of award?

The award period for the Fall 2024 grant is September through December 2024. Award periods for future grant cycles will be shared on this website if and when available.

What documents can I submit to show gross income?

There are three different forms that can be submitted to show gross income for the previous year. The applicant need only submit one:

  • Form 1040- NR
  • Form 1040
  • If first year in the program and no tax forms exists for the previous year, a copy of your admissions letter with stipend listed can be submitted.

Still have questions?

Contact us for help

If you have questions about the program, please email us at childcaregrant@rochester.edu. You can also reach out to your financial aid counselor to understand if there will be any impacts to your award.