myBama
Graduate School

Fellowship Administration

Which Payments are Processed Through the Graduate Stipend Administration and Reporting (G-STAR) System?

The Graduate Stipend Administration and Reporting (G-STAR) system is used to process student payments for fellowships, or other awards not associated with scholarships or compensation.This includes but is not limited to:

  1. Fellowship stipends
  2. Summer REU stipends for UA undergraduate students
  3. Conference travel and research awards awarded from the graduate school
  4. Awards that are to be dispersed monthly
  5. Other expenses incurred for the benefit of the student as defined by the Student Payment Policy & Procedures at https://studentaccounts.ua.edu/payments-to-student-policy/

Which Payments are not Processed Through G-STAR?

G-STAR should not be used for scholarships, compensation, or to reimburse a student for University business expenses. Please follow use the systems below for these payments:

  1. Scholarships (awards based on academic merit) should be processed through the Alabama Scholarship Award System (ASAS). 
  2. Compensation (payment for work performed) should be processed through Payroll via a Personnel Action Form (PA).
  3. Reimbursements for University business expenses should be paid through Concur.
  4. Summer REU stipends for non UA undergraduate students

What are the Minimum Registration Requirements for Students on Fellowships?

Please see the the Registration and Assistantships section of the Graduate Catalog.

Using G-STAR

When entering payments in G-STAR please use the following guidelines: 

  • For lump sum payment, please select the “Single Payment” option.
  • For installment payments, please select the “Monthly payment” option.

Graduate and law student payments will be routed through the appropriate approval channels based on the FOAPAL provided. They will be reviewed and approved through G-STAR.

Payments Procedures

Payment will be scheduled as indicated in the system for each option and as follows:

  1. Single payment awards will be processed twice a month and will appear on the student’s MyBama account on the dates indicated below.
  2. Monthly payment awards will be processed for payment no later than the 26th day of each month covered by the award period (earlier where public holidays or weekends impact).
    • Fall awards will be paid in 5 installments starting in August and ending in December.
    • Spring awards will be paid in 4 installments starting January and ending in April.
    • Summer awards will be paid in 3 installments starting May and ending in July.
    • Awards sent to the Graduate School during the semester will be processed in equal installments over the number of months left in the period e.g. a spring award received in February will be paid in three equal installments in February, March, and April.

For monthly payment awards, the properly completed and approved form must be delivered to the Graduate School no later than the close of business listed in the Fellowships Payment Schedule in order for payment to be guaranteed by the month end.

NOTE: Where the award is paid from funds used for the first time to make graduate payments and no Banner detail code is set up, the user will request a new Banner detail code from the Student Account Services ftdi@ua.edu . This may delay the processing and payment of the awards beyond regular schedules.

NOTE: For the academic year, A student must be or have been enrolled for the award period to receive the scholarship or award. If a student is selected for an award in a year subsequent to his or her last enrollment (e.g. Honors Day), and the student is not expected to return in the upcoming semester, then the award must be processed through Concur.

Submission Deadlines and Payment Dates 2024-25

The regular date for stipends to be applied to student accounts is set for around the 25th or 26th day of each month. This will assist students by ensuring that they have sufficient time to access available funds and deposit to a bank account before the end of each month. When this date falls on a weekend, payment will be made the preceding Friday.

Month Deadline for submission to Graduate School for single payments to be paid mid-monthDate when mid-month single payment stipends are applied to student accountDeadline for submission to Graduate School for monthly and single payments to be paid month-endDate when monthly and month-end single payment stipends are applied to student account
August 2024August 5August 9August 19August 26
September 2024September 4September 10September 20September 26
October 2024October 4October 10October 21October 25
November 2024November 4November 8November 19November 26
December 2024December 4December 10December 10December 17
January 2025January 6January 10January 20January 24
February 2025February 4February 10February 19February 26
March 2025March 4March 10March 20March 26
April 2025April 4April 10April 21April 25
May 2025May 5May 9May 19May 23
June 2025June 4June 10June 20June 26
July 2025July 3July 10July 21July 25

**In December, both submission deadline and payment dates are much earlier due to the UA Christmas closures.

All awards must be submitted to the Graduate School by the close of business on the deadlines listed above for payment to be guaranteed by the month end. This means that any forms which require additional approvals – especially Contract & Grant funded fellowships – MUST be submitted to the Contract & Grant Accounting Office before that date for them to approve and submit the forms to us by the deadline. This also includes any changes or updates for any award already in place, these must also be received in this office by the deadline for each month.

 This office will not be responsible for ensuring that students get paid on time if you do not submit the forms by the appropriate deadline.