Research Policy Handbook

Indirect Cost Waivers on Undergraduate Student Salaries Charged to Sponsored Projects (RPH 3.11)

Current version: April 15, 1999

Summary:

States the University's commitment to waive indirect costs for undergraduate student salaries charged to sponsored projects, as an incentive to provide research-related experiences for undergraduate students. Reference to fringe benefits removed in April 1999. Except for Graduate Student Assistantships, registered Stanford students have no benefits charge applied against their salaries.

In December 1990, former Dean of Research Robert L. Byer announced that indirect costs would be waived on all Stanford undergraduate students' salaries charged to sponsored projects, as an incentive for faculty to increase undergraduate participation in research.

Undergraduate participation in faculty members' research activities not only enriches students' education, it can provide them with a persuasive introduction into academic careers. With more than 2,000 active sponsored research projects underway at any given time, Stanford offers many opportunities for our undergraduate students to participate in research that pushes at the frontiers of human knowledge.

Stanford's subsidization of the indirect costs in these cases recognizes the importance of integrating teaching with research. We only ask that undergraduate RAships be designed to ensure that the students have meaningful research experiences and that their participation constitutes a legitimate contribution toward the work statement of the project.

Please note that in most cases undergraduate support should be treated as salaries. However, in the specific case of the NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates, NSF has agreed that payments to undergraduates may be in the form of stipends, i.e., student aid, which is outside the MTDC base and not subject to indirect costs under normal University policy. On most other sponsored research projects, however, payments to undergraduate students should be treated as a salary item, with indirect costs on that item waived.

Please call the Office of Sponsored Research (OSR) if you have questions.