If I receive a large scholarship (i.e. greater than $20,000), should my supervisor top up the award? If so, do I simply ask my supervisor, or is a top-up seen as a "gift"?
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3Can you define "top-up," please?– Mad JackJul 21, 2015 at 15:39
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Top-up equates to additional money.– ShinobiiJul 21, 2015 at 15:59
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3Top it up to what? Is there a minimum salary requirement in your country/university for graduate students?– Bill BarthJul 21, 2015 at 16:31
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1Could you define "should", please?– JeffEJul 21, 2015 at 18:48
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Should meaning: Is this common practice, i.e. you save your supervisor from spending $25,000 on the students stipend, so he "tops up" the award to a total of $30,000. Thus, he only pays $5000 out of his grants for the students stipend. Keep in mind, the supervisor has already taken the student on and the student is required to have a minimum stipend.– ShinobiiJul 23, 2015 at 16:13
1 Answer
This really depends on the graduate department.
At a minimum, however, you should not expect to come up "short" on funding because you brought in an external fellowship. Someone should offer up additional money to bring your total package up to the standard level given to your colleagues in your department. Whether or not the funds come from your supervisor or from the department is for them to decide.
The exact mechanism also varies by department. For instance, in the departments I applied to as a graduate student, one gave a sizable bonus for bringing in an external fellowship (an extra $8,000 per year), while others "topped off" the stipend up to 110% of the stipend of students' normal stipend.