Childcare Grant for PhD students
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 Fall 2024 (award period window of September 2024–December 2024) are as follows:
- Student-parents need to be enrolled as a full-time student PhD, during the period of application and award.
- Student-parents must be within the first six years of study, during the period of application and award.
- Student-parents must be fully supported by fellowships, grants, or other appointments in the 6000, 6002, 6004, and/or 6006 appointment categories.
- Student-parents must be making satisfactory progress in their academic program.
- 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.
- If your spouse or partner also qualifies as a PhD student at the University of Rochester, your household can only apply for one grant.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 window will open in December and run into January. Stay tuned for more information about specific dates and deadlines.
Fall 2024 key dates
The Fall 2024 grant application window has closed. Additional key dates for the Fall 2024 grant cycle are outlined below.
Application Review
August 15–September 16, 2024: Review and evaluation of submitted applications based on eligibility criteria and determines grant recipients.
Notification of Results
September 20, 2024: Successful applicants are notified via email about the outcome of their grant application. Unsuccessful applicants are also notified.
Grant Disbursement
Late September – early October, 2024: 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.
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.