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Childcare Grant for PhD students

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The University of Rochester is implementing a pilot childcare grant program for full-time PhD students, on University appointments, who are parents of children, newborn through age 6 (“student-parents”). The objective of this program is to provide some financial assistance to Rochester PhD students with childcare expenses.

Learn more about the program on this page, including eligibility requirements, how to apply,  and frequently asked questions.

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 2022–23 (award period window of January 2023–May 2023) 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.
  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
  9. Students with family adjusted gross income under $100k as indicated on their 2021 federal tax return are eligible. Students with family AGI of $100,00 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: When and how do I apply for the grant program?

The deadline for the January 2023–May 2023 application cycle has passed. This website will be updated with details on future grant application cycles once they’re available.

Award notification for current applicants will occur on February 15, 2023. Once an application is approved, students will receive the payment of their grant. The childcare grant is taxable and will be processed as an additional fellowship/assistantship amount out of our payroll system and included in your regular paycheck. It may take up to 6 weeks to complete the process.

If you have questions, please contact Gretchen Briscoe at childcaregrant@rochester.edu.

Frequently asked questions

This pilot period will allow us to gauge the approximate number of potentially eligible students for this program for future planning. Given this we are unable to specify the exact amount of the childcare grant that will be provided to each eligible student-parent. Future iterations of this program will allow us to be more explicit with grant amounts available throughout the application process.

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

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

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.

During application cycles, an online form will be shared on this website that you can use to apply for the grant. Applications are no longer being accepted for the award period covering January 2023–May 2023.

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.

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.

The most recent award issued covers January 2023–May 2023. Details on how to apply for future awards will be shared on this website once available.

Still have questions?

Contact us for help

If you have questions about the program application, 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.

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