Summer funding for students

To: Student Services Managers, GradStar Users and Fellowships and Funding contacts

From: The Graduate School, Office of Scholarships and Student Aid, Office of University Registrar

Date: April 30, 2021

Re: Summer funding for students

Beginning last summer, departments are required to provide all non-service funding to students (including fellowships, scholarships, grants, and non-service stipends) using the GradStar system in the term for which the funding is intended, including summer. In the past, you may have used the ConnectCarolina finance system (accounts payable) to create a voucher or entered a summer payment in the spring term in GradStar for some students because they were not enrolled in a summer course and were therefore not eligible for summer term activation in GradStar. A new process has been instituted to overcome that challenge.

For students who are enrolled in a course for credit, the process is no different than before and you will continue to enter their awards in GradStar in the appropriate summer term.

For students who are not enrolled in a typical course for credit, the Office of the University Registrar has created a zero-credit placeholder course that confers eligibility for receiving summer financial awards. This course will carry no tuition and fee charges.

The process for enrolling your eligible students into this placeholder is as follows:

• The departmental manager will compile the list of students needed to be enrolled in this placeholder course. Please ensure each student is active and has not submitted a cancellation. If the student has been discontinued for any reason during the term you intend to award funds, they must separately contact the Registrar’s Office to resolve this conflict before you add them to the list to be enrolled in the placeholder course.
• Please contact Jade Ruddy, jruddy@email.unc.edu with a copy to registrar@unc.edu, to receive an invitation to the shared OneDrive document to post your student enrollment requests; Subject Line: 2021 SUOP Invitation Request.
• Once access has been granted to the OneDrive document you may enter student enrollment requests, for active students only, on the corresponding tab (Summer Session I or II) and complete the required fields exactly as the example has been formatted; this format is being used to reduce processing time and remain consistent across the board with any incoming requests. The file will remain accessible until the last day of classes. After the last day of class for the term, a post semester add form with the appropriate signatures will be required. You can access that form from the department or by reaching out to the Registrar’s Office.
• The Registrar’s Office will enroll each student into the SUOP placeholder:
  
  • GRAD SUOP 700-001 class# 2539 for Summer session I for graduate students
  • UGRD SUOP 193-001 class# 1164 for Summer session I for undergraduate students.
  • GRAD SUOP 700-001 class# 2894 for Summer session II for graduate students
  • UGRD SUOP 193-001 class# 2855 for Summer session II for undergraduate students.
• Once completed, the Registrar’s Office will update the field on the excel labeled “Completed?” You can check back periodically to see if your requests have been completed by reviewing the “completed” column.

Once registration has taken place, you can enter the award in GradStar. The award will route to the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid and then to the Cashier’s Office for final disbursement. If you need assistance with registration, you may contact the Office of the University Registrar.

This change is a positive step towards keeping the university in compliance with federal regulations relating to student aid and will allow us to better understand graduate student funding throughout the year Thank you to the Office of the University Registrar and the Office of Scholarship and Student Aid for their guidance and support of this project.