Awards Glossary
academic competitive scholarship
A scholarship awarded on the basis of academic performance as indicated by GPA, test scores, or other measurement. Non-residents of Texas pay resident tuition rates as part of the scholarship.academic merit
The scholarship is being awarded because the recipient has met the GPA or other academic goals required by the department or awarding unit.academic year
The time during which students attend one school year. The academic year typically runs from Sept. 1 of one year to Aug. 31 of the following year and includes three semesters: fall, spring, and summer. Scholarships for an academic year may be awarded as early as Aug. 15 of the preceding academic year and as late as the last few days of the current academic year in late August, depending on fiscal year-end processing deadlines.account name
The title of the budget group that the subaccount belongs to.advisor's toolkit
An online application for counselors and administrators to assist students with advising matters. Secure Academic Notes (SANs) also appear in the Advisor's Toolkit.cancel scholarship
The action to take in order to cancel all payments or any remaining payments on a scholarship.cash prize
A prize given to winners of a competition. Services, either paid or voluntary, cannot be required of the recipient. If the recipient is an employee, the prize must not be work'related. Notice of the competition must be sent to scholarshipdesk@austin.utexas.edu and should include eligibility requirements and award amounts for each prize level (first, second, third place, etc.).citizenship types
- U.S. citizens are born in the United States or are naturalized through taking the immigration service test. Tax is not withheld from scholarships for U.S. citizens. Citizenship displayed in FRMS Scholarship/Fellowship is U.S. Citizen.
- Permanent Residents have applied to stay in the United States indefinitely, but they are not U.S. citizens. Tax is not withheld from scholarships for permanent residents. Citizenship displayed in FRMS Scholarship/Fellowship is Permanent Resident Alien.
- Residents for tax purposes are noncitizens who have been in the U.S. long enough to pass the "substantial presence test," which temporarily allows the person tax-free scholarship payments. Every year, the calculation of time spent in the United States is evaluated in order to determine qualification for tax residency. Citizenship displayed in FRMS Scholarship/Fellowship is Non-U.S. Citizen.
- Nonresident Aliens (NRA) are non-U.S. citizens living in the United States. Tax is usually withheld at a rate of 14 percent for scholarships/fellowships and 30 percent for personal services and prizes. If the recipient's travel or study location is outside the U.S., or if the recipient's country of residence has a tax treaty with the U.S. and the recipient has a W-8BEN on file, no tax will be withheld from scholarships/fellowships. Generally, before scholarship funds can be distributed, Social Security Number (SSNs) must be provided by individuals working in the United States, or Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs) must be provided by nonworking individuals who have previously filed U.S. tax returns. NRAs must file tax returns for any years in which they receive scholarship payments. The International Office will assist students with filing U.S. tax returns and applying for ITINs, if necessary. Citizenship displayed in FRMS Scholarship/Fellowship is Non-U.S. Citizen.
copy scholarship
A function that allows creators to copy scholarship/fellowship documents to quickly create a new document. The new document will import all information except for the recipient's EID.department codes
Codes added to documents by departments to indicate how funds are being used. After the document is saved, department codes can be added to the document in the Accounts section.direct updates
Direct updates are changes made directly to the scholarship that do not require approval. These include distribution method, payment schedule, and document comments.distribution method
The method of disbursing the funds to the recipient. If the recipient has direct deposit on file, it will be the default method.document notes
Information about the document on which the notes exist. The Notes link is located in the header near the top of the document, and they can be added at any time by anyone who has access to the document. After the document is verified, new notes will become visible in the upper left corner of the routing widget. Document notes are not stored on the scholarship ID record.EASI
The Employee Access to Student Information (EASI) is the admissions system that provides access to student records for university employees with authorization to access the system. Scanned admission documents such as application, essays, and transcripts can be found here.endowment details
Information provided by the Development Office that lists the donor criteria to be met for scholarships paid from 30-account funds.financial aid semester
The semester to which a student's financial aid payment is applied. Financial aid years begin June 1 and end May 31 of the following year.fiscal year
A twelve-month period for which budgets, employee appointments, and external financial reporting are done. The University of Texas fiscal year begins on September 1 and ends on August 31. Scholarship/Fellowships - The year in which a recipient's payment is scheduled to be disbursed. Fiscal years begin Sept. 1 and end Aug. 31 of the following year.modify scholarship
An action which can be taken on any approved scholarship/fellowship document. These actions allow the updating of information on a scholarship such as account information, registration requirements, purpose of payment, and travel questions. Modify Scholarship requires approvals from the creator and one other approver.payment schedule status
Indicates the current status of each scholarship payment. Status can be held, not held, or paid. Payment Schedule status may only be viewed from the Scholarship tab.pending document
Any document prior to final approval. Pending document IDs are listed in the Pending Document column of the Search tab, and they show a status of created.pool balance
The remaining amount of unencumbered funds left in the group of funds that the account belongs to. This amount will need to be equal to or more than the amount being encumbered by the scholarship document.post-doctoral fellowship
Post-doctoral fellowships are awarded to individuals who are conducting academic or scholarly research after they have completed their doctoral studies and are usually given within the five years following receipt of the Ph.D. They are renewable for up to five years and are intended to deepen expertise in a specialized subject, including research skills and methodology.
Post-doctorate research may be funded through an appointment with a salary or through an appointment with a stipend from the sponsor. Depending on the type of appointment, post-doctoral researchers may work independently or under the supervision of a principal investigator. All post-doctoral researchers must have a designated mentor. For more information, please contact the Office of Graduate Studies.public competition
An open contest that is publically advertised. The announcement includes the rules of the competition and the prize amounts by placement. Winners are announced and paid at the end of the competition.recipient tax eligibility
The rate at which a recipient's payment is taxed. This is determined by citizenship, immigration status, and location of the educational activity.routing widget
The tan box on the Document tab that shows the routing history, the document notes, and available actions (Verify Document and/or Approve Document)
scholarship comments
A section at the bottom of the document for comments about the scholarship. This section can be used to keep track of any information that is relevant to the scholarship, and the comments can be updated before final approval. Upon final approval, the comments will be stored on the scholarship ID record, and authorized users can add comments using direct updates.scholarship ID
A five-character alpha-numeric identification that is generated whenever a scholarship/fellowship is created. The Scholarship ID is used to track the history and status of a scholarship and groups all documents associated with a scholarship, including the creation document and any modify documents.scholarship status
Scholarships have several different statuses, including created, ready to pay, paying, paid in full, held, and deleted.scholarship summary
A short description of purpose of the document. The summary can be edited by the creator prior to final approval. The scholarship title and recipient name are often used in this field.secure academic note (SAN)
An application that allows for the secure communication of sensitive information to students or other employees. SAN is more secure than e-mail because it requires a UT EID and password to send or receive messages.study abroad
Designates whether or not the payment is for study outside the U.S. The creator can select between course credit (the student will be completing class hours while abroad) or independent study (the student will not be completing specific class requirements while abroad). For more information, please contact the International Office.tax treaty
International students may be eligible for tax treaties that allow them to receive tax-free scholarship/fellowship payments, based on their countries of residence. The recipients must go to the International Office for assistance with treaty benefits.tuition residency
Texas residency for the purpose of assigning tuition rates is determined by the Office of Admissions. Most students eligible for Texas residency must meet residency requirements. However, some non-Texas resident students may be eligible for tuition waivers, resulting in net tuition amounts equal to resident rates.