R/PPS 03.08 - Participant Support on Sponsored Programs (Including Tuition/Fees and Subsistence)

POLICY STATEMENT

Texas State University is committed to ensuring all participant support on sponsored programs complies with state and federal law.

1. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

   1. The purpose of this policy is to define and establish procedures for support payments made to sponsored program participants.

   2. Federal Requirements – For federal grants, the cost of scholarships, fellowships, and other means of student financial aid are allowable when costs are approved by the sponsoring agency.

   3. Coordination with Financial Aid and Scholarships – Subsistence and scholarship payments for students enrolled at Texas State University must be coordinated with Financial Aid and Scholarships to assure compliance with federal and state regulations.

   4. Tuition and fees are not paid directly to the student but are directly paid by the sponsored program to the university. The payment is credited to the student’s account in the Student Information System (SIS). Students enrolling late can still be paid in this manner.

   5. Payments for services cannot be paid under this policy. Refer to UPPS No. 03.04.10, Contracts and Agreements for consulting services and payroll policies for employee payments.

2. DEFINITIONS

   1. Participant Support – payments made to participants in sponsored programs as incentives, miscellaneous expenses, tuition and fees, and for other grant-related expenses.

   2. Subsistence Payments – payments made to support educational or training expenses, living costs, and other incidental expenses, which will enhance the individual’s level of competence in a particular area. Subsistence payments are payments for which no services are rendered or required.

3. PROCEDURES FOR PAYMENT TO PARTICIPANTS

   1. Subsistence Payments to Participants

      1. A Form AP-2 Participant/Subsistence Payments must be completed each time a payment is to be made to a participant. If payments will be made one time per month, the AP-2 form must be completed monthly.

      2. A form must be submitted to the Division of Research (DoR) for approval at least seven working days prior to when the check is to be issued.

      3. If payments meet the terms of the award, DoR will approve the form and forward a copy to Financial Aid and Scholarships and send the original form to Accounts Payable for payment.

      4. If payment does not meet the terms of the award, DoR will contact the principal investigator.

   2. Tuition and Fee Payments to Participants

      Payments for tuition and fees must be requested through Student Business Services (SBS), Tuition Adjustments. Reimbursements cannot be made from Accounts Payable for this type of payment. If a student has already paid their tuition personally, they will be reimbursed through the following tuition adjustment process:

      1. Establishing an Account – To establish a third-party chargeable account in SIS, an account manager must complete a Grant Tuition Application form and forward it to DoR for approval. This form must be submitted to DoR for processing at least 11 business days prior to the payment deadline to ensure all processing can be completed. This is the required processing time by SBS to set up the authorization in the SIS to allow tuition payments to be applied to the student’s tuition bill. When approved by DoR, the form will be forwarded to SBS, Attn: Tuition Adjustments.

      2. Request Payment – The account manager must complete a Grant Tuition Payment form and deliver it to DoR for review and approval. DoR, upon approval, will forward the completed form to SBS, Attn: Tuition Adjustments, for processing.

      3. If payment does not meet the terms of the award, DoR will contact the principal investigator. The principal investigator is responsible for all student communication associated with payment from their individual sponsored project accounts.

   3. Participant support can impact the amount of financial aid awarded to students. For questions regarding possible impact, contact Financial Aid and Scholarships.

4. REVIEWER OF THIS PPS

   1. Reviewer of this PPS includes the following:

      Position	Date
      Director, Post-Award Support Services	March 1 E4Y

5. CERTIFICATION STATEMENT

   This PPS has been approved by the following individuals in their official capacities and represents Texas State Research policy and procedure from the date of this document until superseded.

   Director, Post-Award Support Services; senior reviewer of this PPS

   Vice President for Research