Stipend and Salary Payments

Please be aware that we update this webpage on a regular basis. Nevertheless, you should always refer to correspondence you receive directly from GSAS via email for the most up-to-date stipend information that applies to you.

Below, please find information regarding stipends; salary payments; additional compensation; the stipend and payroll student hotline; and tax reporting.

Annual and academic-year salary rates for student officers of instruction and research are set by the contract negotiated with SWC-UAC.

All students are strongly encouraged to arrange for direct deposit of their stipends and/or salaries by following the steps outlined below.

The standard nine-month fellowship stipend for the 2023-2024 academic year is $34,324. 

The GSAS Office of Financial Aid disburses stipends to registered students whose fellowship does not contain a service component in two payments: during the registration periods at the beginning of the fall and spring semesters (late August/early September and January).  The fall payment will equal 4/9ths of the standard nine-month fellowship stipend and the spring payment will equal the remaining 5/9ths.  GSAS will provide a stipend adjustment so that there will be no difference in the total compensation for fully-funded students who are appointed for the fall and receiving fellowship stipends in the spring and the reverse.

Fellows supported through non-service awards who withdraw during a semester or who are terminated must return a prorated portion of the award to the University. The GSAS Office of Financial Aid determines this prorated amount.

The standard nine-month salary for student officers of instruction or research for the 2023-2024 academic year is $35,010.

Students holding student officer of instruction or research appointments receive their compensation as semi-monthly salary paid on the fifteenth and last day of the month. Students may review and print their monthly salary statements through the MyColumbia portal.

Students appointed as student officers of instruction or research who withdraw during a semester, who resign from their appointments, or who are terminated from their appointments will have pay suspended as of the next semi-monthly pay date following their withdrawal, resignation, or termination.

GSAS strongly encourages all students who receive stipend and/or salary payments to enroll in direct deposit. Instructions for how to enroll may be found here. Please note that there are separate instructions for stipends and salaries. 

Students with US bank accounts may enroll in direct deposit for stipends at any time, including prior to matriculation. Entering students who are unable to establish a US bank account and enroll in direct deposit before the beginning of August will receive their stipends as a paper check. Once on campus, students should register for direct deposit as soon as possible.

In order for a stipend payment to be disbursed via direct deposit in a particular term, students must already be registered for that term when payment is initially processed. For fall stipends, students must be registered by the first week in August, and for spring stipends, before the end of the December registration period.

Domestic students who have not enrolled in direct deposit information will receive a paper check mailed to the recipient’s domestic U.S. address in SSOL.  If students do not have a domestic U.S. address in SSOL, the check will be mailed to the Payments and Deposits office located at 210 Kent Hall. 

Continuing international student stipends without direct deposit information will be mailed to the recipient's home address in PAC. International students who receive stipends for the first time will have the check mailed to the SSOL domestic U.S. address.  If students do not have a domestic U.S. address in SSOL, the check will be mailed to the Payments and Deposits office located at 210 Kent Hall. 

Update home address in SSOL

Please following the following steps to update your home address in SSOL:

  1. Log into SSOL;
  2. Select Addresses: View and Update;
  3. Click Update under the Local Address section to make any changes

Update home address in PAC

Stipends for international students are processed through the University Payroll System. Please follow the following steps to update your home address in PAC:

  1. Log in to My.Columbia.edu;
  2. Select View or Update Your Personal Information on the Faculty and Staff page;
  3. Scroll down to the Resources section and click on the Personal Data Tab;
  4. Update your home address by clicking on View and/or Update your Personal Data

Student officers may receive additional compensation (also known as "add comp") as long as the total service they are rendering the University does not interfere with their studies and the total hours associated with their appointment and those associated with the activity for which they will receive additional compensation does not exceed twenty hours per week. Students who are not US citizens or permanent residents should check with the International Students & Scholars Office to determine if the additional work is permitted by the terms of their visa. The payment of additional compensation to student officers requires the prior approval of the Dean of GSAS, the department chair and/or the dean of the unit in which they are providing the additional services, the dean or vice president of the unit within which they hold an appointment, and the Provost.

As part of the University’s ongoing enhancement of student-service operations, Columbia’s Human Resources and Finance divisions have implemented a hotline to resolve student questions related to payroll and stipend payments and about the timing of disbursements: (212) 854-5000.

As an alternative, you may put in a ticket here. Both options reach the same team.

This resource is meant to complement the help that you would typically seek from your departmental administrator or the GSAS Office of Financial Aid.

The Student Service Center remains available for inquiries related to student accounts, tuition and fees, refunds, and transcripts.

Information about tax reporting may be found here.