1

HIGHER EDUCATION ACT OF 1965

TITLE VII – GRADUATE AND POSTSECONDARY

IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMS

PART A – GRADUATE EDUCATION PROGRAMS

Subpart 2 – Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need

PROGRAM REGULATIONS
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[Code of Federal Regulations]

[Title 34, Volume 3]

[Revised as of July 1, 2009]

From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access

[CITE: 34CFR648.1]

TITLE 34--EDUCATION

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

PART 648--GRADUATE ASSISTANCE IN 

AREAS OF NATIONAL NEED

Subpart A--General

Sec. 648.1 What is the Graduate Assistance 

in Areas of National Need program?

 The Graduate Assistance in Areas of National 

Need program provides fellowships through 

academic departments of institutions of higher 

education to assist graduate students of superior 

ability who demonstrate financial need.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1135, 1135a)

[58 FR 65842, Dec. 16, 1993, as amended at 64 

FR 13487, Mar. 18, 1999]

Sec. 648.2 Who is eligible for a grant?

 (a) The Secretary awards grants to the 

following:

 (1) Any academic department of an institution 

of higher education that provides a course of 

study that--

 (i) Leads to a graduate degree in an area of 

national need; and

 (ii) Has been in existence for at least four 

years at the time of an application for a grant 

under this part.

 (2) An academic department of an institution 

of higher education that--

 (i) Satisfies the requirements of paragraph 

(a)(1) of this section; and

 (ii) Submits a joint application with one or 

more eligible non-degree-granting institutions 

that have formal arrangements for the support of 

doctoral dissertation research with one or more 

degree-granting institutions.

 (b) A formal arrangement under paragraph 

(a)(2)(ii) of this section is a written agreement 

between a degree-granting institution and an 

eligible non-degree-granting institution whereby 

the degree-granting institution accepts students 

from the eligible non-degree-granting institution 

as doctoral degree candidates with the intention 

of awarding these students doctorates in an area 

of national need.

 (c) The Secretary does not award a grant 

under this part for study at a school or 

department of divinity.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1135, 1135a)

Sec. 648.3 What activities may the Secretary 

fund?

 (a) The Secretary awards grants to institutions 

of higher education to fund fellowships in one or 

more areas of national need.

 (b)(1) For the purposes of this part, the 

Secretary designates areas of national need from 

the academic areas listed in the appendix to this 

part or from the resulting inter-disciplines.

 (2) The Secretary announces these areas of 

national need in a notice published in the 

Federal Register.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1135, 1135a)

Sec. 648.4 What is included in the 

grant?

 Each grant awarded by the Secretary consists 

of the following:

 (a) The stipends paid by the Secretary through 

the institution of higher education to fellows. 

The stipend provides an allowance to a fellow 
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for the fellow's (and his or her dependents') 

subsistence and other expenses.

 (b) The institutional payments paid by the 

Secretary to the institution of higher education to 

be applied against each fellow's tuition, fees, and 

the costs listed in Sec. 648.62(b).

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1135c, 1135d)

Sec. 648.5 What is the amount of a grant?

 (a) The amount of a grant to an academic 

department may not be less than $100,000 and 

may not be more than $750,000 in a fiscal year.

 (b) In any fiscal year, no academic department 

may receive more than $750,000 as an aggregate 

total of new and continuing grants.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1135)

Sec. 648.6 What is the duration of a grant?

 The duration of a grant awarded under this 

part is a maximum of three annual budget 

periods during a three-year (36-month) project 

period.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1135)

Sec. 648.7 What is the institutional matching 

contribution?

 An institution shall provide, from non-Federal 

funds, an institutional matching contribution 

equal to at least 25 percent of the amount of the 

grant received under this part, for the uses 

indicated in Sec. 648.63.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1135b, 1135c)

Sec. 648.8 What regulations apply?

 The following regulations apply to this 

program:

 (a) The Education Department General 

Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) as 

follows:

 (1) 34 CFR part 74 (Administration of Grants 

to Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals, 

and Nonprofit Organizations).

 (2) 34 CFR part 75 (Direct Grant Programs).

 (3) 34 CFR part 77 (Definitions that Apply to 

Department Regulations).

 (4) 34 CFR part 79 (Intergovernmental 

Review of Department of Education Programs 

and Activities).

 (5) 34 CFR part 82 (New Restrictions on 

Lobbying).

 (6) 34 CFR part 85 (Governmentwide 

Debarment and Suspension (Non-procurement) 

and Government-wide Requirements for DrugFree Workplace (Grants)).

 (7) 34 CFR part 86 (Drug-Free Schools and 

Campuses).

 (b) The regulations in this part.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1135)

Sec. 648.9 What definitions apply?

 (a) Definitions in EDGAR.. The following 

terms used in this part are defined in 34 CFR 

77.1:

Applicant Equipment

Application Grant

Award Nonprofit

Budget Project period

Budget period Secretary

Department Supplies

EDGAR

 (b) Other definitions. The following 

definitions also apply to this part:

 Academic department means any 

department, program, unit, or any other 

administrative subdivision of an institution of 

higher education that--

 (i) Directly administers or supervises postbaccalaureate instruction in a specific discipline; 

and

 (ii) Has the authority to award academic 

course credit acceptable to meet degree 

requirements at an institution of higher 

education.

 Academic field means an area of study in an 

academic department within an institution of 

higher education other than a school or 

department of divinity.

 Academic year means the 12-month period 

commencing with the fall instructional term of 

the institution.
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 Application period means the period in 

which the Secretary solicits applications for this 

program.

 Discipline means a branch of instruction or 

learning.

 Eligible non-degree granting institution

means any institution that--

 (i) Conducts post-baccalaureate academic 

programs of study but does not award doctoral 

degrees in an area of national need;

 (ii) Is described in section 501(c)(3) of the 

Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and is exempt 

from tax under section 501(a) of the Code;

 (iii) Is organized and operated substantially to 

conduct scientific and cultural research and 

graduate training programs;

 (iv) Is not a private foundation;

 (v) Has academic personnel for instruction 

and counseling who meet the standards of the 

institution of higher education in which the 

students are enrolled; and

 (vi) Has necessary research resources not 

otherwise readily available in the institutions in 

which students are enrolled.

 Fees mean non-refundable charges paid by a 

graduate student for services, materials, and 

supplies that are not included within the tuition 

charged by the institution in which the student is 

enrolled.

 Fellow means a recipient of a fellowship 

under this part.

 Fellowship means an award made by an 

institution of higher education to an individual 

for graduate study under this part at the 

institution of higher education.

 Financial need means the fellow's financial 

need as determined under title IV, part F, of the 

HEA for the period of the fellow's enrollment 

in the approved academic field of study for 

which the fellowship was awarded.

 General operational overhead means noninstructional expenses incurred by an academic 

department in the normal administration and 

conduct of its academic program, including the 

costs of supervision, recruitment, capital outlay, 

debt service, indirect costs, or any other costs 

not included in the determination of tuition and 

non-refundable fee charges.

 Graduate student means an individual 

enrolled in a program of post-baccalaureate 

study at an institution of higher education.

 Graduate study means any program of postbaccalaureate study at an institution of higher 

education.

 HEA means the Higher Education Act of 

1965, as amended.

 Highest possible degree available means the 

highest possible degree available in a course of

study at the institution.

 Institution of higher education (Institution) 

means an institution of higher education, other 

than a school or department of divinity, as 

defined in section 1201(a) of the HEA.

 Inter-discipline means a course of study that 

involves academic fields in two or more 

disciplines.

 Minority means Alaskan Native, American 

Indian, Asian American, Black (AfricanAmerican), Hispanic American, Native 

Hawaiian or Pacific Islander.

 Multi-disciplinary application means an 

application that requests fellowships for more 

than a single academic department in areas of 

national need designated as priorities by the 

Secretary under this part.

 Project means the activities necessary to 

assist, whether from grant funds or institutional 

resources, fellows in the successful completion 

of their designated educational programs.

 Satisfactory progress means that a fellow 

meets or exceeds the institution's criteria and 

standards established for a graduate student's 

continued status as an applicant for the graduate 

degree in the academic field for which the 

fellowship was awarded.

 School or department of divinity means an 

institution, or an academic department of an 

institution, whose program is specifically for 

the education of students to prepare them to 

become ministers of religion or to enter into 

some other religious vocation or to prepare 

them to teach theological subjects.

 Students from traditionally 

underrepresented backgrounds mean women 

and minorities who traditionally are

underrepresented in areas of national need as 

designated by the Secretary.

 Supervised training means training provided 

to fellows under the guidance and direction of 

faculty in the academic department.
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 Tuition means the charge for instruction by 

the institution of higher education in which the 

fellow is enrolled.

 Underrepresented in areas of national need

means proportionate representation as measured 

by degree recipients, that is less than the 

proportionate representation in the general 

population, as indicated by--

 (i) The most current edition of the 

Department's Digest of Educational Statistics;

 (ii) The National Research Council's 

Doctorate Recipients from United States 

Universities;

 (iii) Other standard statistical references, as 

announced annually in the Federal Register 

notice inviting applications for new awards 

under this program; or

 (iv) As documented by national survey data 

submitted to and accepted by the Secretary on a 

case-by-case basis.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1135-1135d)

Subpart B--How Does an Institution of 

Higher Education Apply for a Grant?

Sec. 648.20 How does an institution of higher 

education apply for a grant?

 (a) To apply for a grant under this part, an 

institution of higher education shall submit an 

application that responds to the appropriate 

selection criteria in Sec. 648.31.

 (b) In addition, an application for a grant 

must--

 (1) Describe the current academic program for 

which the grant is sought;

 (2) Request a specific number of fellowships 

to be awarded on a full-time basis for the 

academic year covered under the grant in each 

academic field included in the application;

 (3) Set forth policies and procedures to ensure 

that in making fellowship awards under this part 

the institution will seek talented students from 

traditionally underrepresented backgrounds;

 (4) Set forth policies and procedures to assure 

that in making fellowship awards under this part 

the institution will make awards to individuals 

who satisfy the requirements of Sec. 648.40;

 (5) Set forth policies and procedures to ensure 

that Federal funds made available under this part 

for any fiscal year will be used to supplement 

and, to the extent practical, increase the funds 

that otherwise would be made available for the 

purposes of this part and, in no case, to supplant 

those funds;

 (6) Provide assurances that the institution will 

provide the institutional matching contribution 

described in Sec. 648.7;

 (7) Provide assurances that, in the event that 

funds made available to the academic 

department under this part are insufficient to 

provide the assistance due a student under the 

commitment entered into between the academic 

department and the student, the academic 

department will, from any funds available to it, 

fulfill the commitment to the student;

 (8) Provide that the institution will comply 

with the requirements in subpart F; and

 (9) Provide assurances that the academic 

department will provide at least one year of 

supervised training in instruction to students 

receiving fellowships under this program.

 (c) In any application period, an academic 

department may not submit more than one 

application for new awards.

(Approved by the Office of Management and 

Budget under control number 1840-0604)

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1135b)

[58 FR 65842, Dec. 16, 1993, as amended at 64 

FR 13487, Mar. 18, 1999]

Subpart C--How Does the Secretary Make 

an Award?

Sec. 648.30 How does the Secretary evaluate an 

application?

 (a) The Secretary evaluates an application on 

the basis of the criteria in Sec. 648.31.

 (b) The Secretary awards up to 100 points for 

these criteria.

 (c) The maximum possible score for each 

criterion is indicated in parentheses.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1135, 1135b)
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Sec. 648.31 What selection criteria does the 

Secretary use?

 The Secretary uses the following criteria to 

evaluate an application:

 (a) Meeting the purposes of the program. (7 

points) The Secretary reviews each application 

to determine how well the project will meet the

purposes of the program, including the extent to 

which--

 (1) The applicant's general and specific 

objectives for the project are realistic and 

measurable;

 (2) The applicant's objectives for the project 

seek to sustain and enhance the capacity for

teaching and research at the institution and at 

State, regional, or national levels;

 (3) The applicant's objectives seek to institute 

policies and procedures to ensure the enrollment 

of talented graduate students from traditionally 

underrepresented backgrounds; and

 (4) The applicant's objectives seek to institute 

policies and procedures to ensure that it will 

award fellowships to individuals who satisfy the 

requirements of Sec. 648.40.

 (b) Extent of need for the project. (5 points) 

The Secretary considers the extent to which a 

grant under the program is needed by the 

academic department by considering--

 (1) How the applicant identified the problems 

that form the specific needs of the project;

 (2) The specific problems to be resolved by 

successful realization of the goals and objectives 

of the project; and

 (3) How increasing the number of fellowships 

will meet the specific and general objectives of 

the project.

 (c) Quality of the graduate academic 

program. (20 points) The Secretary reviews 

each application to determine the quality of the 

current graduate academic program for which 

project funding is sought, including--

 (1) The course offerings and academic 

requirements for the graduate program;

 (2) The qualifications of the faculty, including 

education, research interest, publications, 

teaching ability, and accessibility to graduate 

students;

 (3) The focus and capacity for research; and

 (4) Any other evidence the applicant deems 

appropriate to demonstrate the quality of its 

academic program.

 (d) Quality of the supervised teaching 

experience. (10 points) The Secretary reviews 

each application to determine the quality of the 

teaching experience the applicant plans to 

provide fellows under this program, including 

the extent to which the project--

 (1) Provides each fellow with the required 

supervised training in instruction;

 (2) Provides adequate instruction on effective 

teaching techniques;

 (3) Provides extensive supervision of each 

fellow's teaching performance; and

 (4) Provides adequate and appropriate 

evaluation of the fellow's teaching performance.

 (e) Recruitment plan. (5 points) The 

Secretary reviews each application to determine 

the quality of the applicant's recruitment 

plan, including--

 (1) How the applicant plans to identify, 

recruit, and retain students from traditionally 

underrepresented backgrounds in the academic 

program for which fellowships are sought;

 (2) How the applicant plans to identify 

eligible students for fellowships;

 (3) The past success of the academic 

department in enrolling talented graduate 

students from traditionally underrepresented 

backgrounds; and

 (4) The past success of the academic 

department in enrolling talented graduate 

students for its academic program.

 (f) Project administration. (8 points) The 

Secretary reviews the quality of the proposed 

project administration, including--

 (1) How the applicant will select fellows, 

including how the applicant will ensure that 

project participants who are otherwise eligible to 

participate are selected without regard to race, 

color, national origin, religion, gender, age, or 

disabling condition;

 (2) How the applicant proposes to monitor 

whether a fellow is making satisfactory progress 

toward the degree for which the fellowship has 

been awarded;

 (3) How the applicant proposes to identify and 

meet the academic needs of fellows;
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 (4) How the applicant proposes to maintain 

enrollment of graduate students from 

traditionally underrepresented backgrounds; and

 (5) The extent to which the policies and 

procedures the applicant proposes to institute for 

administering the project are likely to ensure 

efficient and effective project implementation, 

including assistance to and oversight of the 

project director.

 (g) Institutional commitment. (15 points)

The Secretary reviews each application for 

evidence that--

 (1) The applicant will provide, from any funds 

available to it, sufficient funds to support the 

financial needs of the fellows if the funds made 

available under the program are insufficient;

 (2) The institution's social and academic 

environment is supportive of the academic 

success of students from traditionally 

underrepresented backgrounds on the applicant's 

campus;

 (3) Students receiving fellowships under this 

program will receive stipend support for the time 

necessary to complete their courses of study, but 

in no case longer than 5 years; and

 (4) The applicant demonstrates a financial 

commitment, including the nature and amount of 

the institutional matching contribution, and other 

institutional commitments that are likely to 

ensure the continuation of project activities for a 

significant period of time following the period 

in which the project receives Federal financial 

assistance.

 (h) Quality of key personnel. (5 points) The 

Secretary reviews each application to determine 

the quality of key personnel the applicant 

plans to use on the project, including--

 (1) The qualifications of the project director;

 (2) The qualifications of other key personnel 

to be used in the project;

 (3) The time commitment of key personnel, 

including the project director, to the project; and

 (4) How the applicant, as part of its 

nondiscriminatory employment practices, will 

ensure that its personnel are selected without 

regard to race, color, national origin, religion, 

gender, age, or disabling condition, except 

pursuant to a lawful affirmative action plan.

 (i) Budget. (5 points) The Secretary reviews 

each application to determine the extent to 

which--

 (1) The applicant shows a clear understanding 

of the acceptable uses of program funds; and

 (2) The costs of the project are reasonable in 

relation to the objectives of the project.

 (j) Evaluation plan. (15 points) The

Secretary reviews each application to determine 

the quality of the evaluation plan for the project, 

including the extent to which the applicant's 

methods of evaluation--

 (1) Relate to the specific goals and 

measurable objectives of the project;

 (2) Assess the effect of the project on the 

students receiving fellowships under this 

program, including the effect on persons of 

different racial and ethnic backgrounds, genders, 

and ages, and on persons with disabilities who 

are served by the project;

 (3) List both process and product evaluation 

questions for each project activity and outcome, 

including those of the management plan;

 (4) Describe both the process and product 

evaluation measures for each project activity and 

outcome;

 (5) Describe the data collection procedures, 

instruments, and schedules for effective data 

collection;

 (6) Describe how the applicant will analyze 

and report the data so that it can make 

adjustments and improvements on a regular 

basis; and

 (7) Include a time-line chart that relates key 

evaluation processes and benchmarks to other 

project component processes and benchmarks.

 (k) Adequacy of resources. (5 points) The 

Secretary reviews each application to determine 

the adequacy of the resources that the applicant 

makes available to graduate students receiving 

fellowships under this program, including 

facilities, equipment, and supplies.

(Approved by the Office of Management and 

Budget under control number 1840-0604)

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1135-1135c)

Sec. 648.32 What additional factors does the 

Secretary consider?

 (a) Continuation awards. (1) Before funding 

new applications, the Secretary gives preference 

to grantees requesting their second or third 
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year of funding.

 (2) If appropriations for this program are 

insufficient to fund all continuation grantees for 

the second and third years at the approved 

funding level, the Secretary prorates the 

available funds, if any, among the continuation 

grantees and, if necessary, awards continuation 

grants of less than $100,000.

 (b) Equitable distribution. In awarding 

grants, the Secretary will, consistent with an 

allocation of awards based on the quality of 

competing applications, ensure the following:

 (1) An equitable geographic distribution of 

grants to eligible applicant institutions of higher 

education.

 (2) An equitable distribution of grants to 

eligible applicant public and eligible applicant 

private institutions of higher education.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1135-1135c)

Sec. 648.33 What priorities and absolute 

preferences does the Secretary establish?

 (a) For each application period, the Secretary 

establishes as an area of national need and gives 

absolute preference to one or more of the 

general disciplines and sub-disciplines listed as 

priorities in the appendix to this part or the 

resulting inter-disciplines.

 (b) The Secretary announces the absolute 

preferences in a notice published in the Federal 

Register.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1135, 1135a)

Subpart D--How Are Fellows Selected?

Sec. 648.40 How does an academic department 

select fellows?

 (a) In selecting individuals to receive 

fellowships, an academic department shall 

consider only individuals who--

 (1) Are currently enrolled as graduate 

students, have been accepted at the grantee 

institution, or are enrolled or accepted as 

graduate students at an eligible non-degreegranting institution;

 (2) Are of superior ability;

 (3) Have an excellent academic record;

 (4) Have financial need;

 (5) Are planning to pursue the highest 

possible degree available in their course of 

study;

 (6) Are planning a career in teaching or 

research;

 (7) Are not ineligible to receive assistance 

under 34 CFR 75.60; and

 (8)(i) Are United States citizens or nationals;

 (ii) Are permanent residents of the United 

States;

 (iii) Provide evidence from the Immigration 

and Naturalization Service that they are in the 

United States for other than a temporary purpose 

with the intention of becoming permanent 

residents; or

 (iv) Are citizens of any one of the Freely 

Associated States.

 (b) An individual who satisfies the eligibility 

criteria in paragraph (a) of this section, but who 

attends an institution that does not offer the 

highest possible degree available in the 

individual's course of study, is eligible for a 

fellowship if the individual plans to attend 

subsequently an institution that offers this 

degree.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1135, 1135b)

[58 FR 65842, Dec. 16, 1993, as amended at 64 

FR 13487, Mar. 18, 1999]

Sec. 648.41 How does an individual apply for a 

fellowship?

 An individual shall apply directly to an 

academic department of an institution of higher 

education that has received a grant.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1135, 1135c)

Subpart E--How Does the Secretary Distribute 

Funds?

Sec. 648.50 What are the Secretary's payment 

procedures?
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 (a) The Secretary awards to the institution of 

higher education a stipend and an institutional 

payment for each individual awarded a 

fellowship under this part.

 (b) If an academic department of an institution 

of higher education is unable to use all of the 

amounts available to it under this part, the 

Secretary reallots the amounts not used to 

academic departments of other institutions of 

higher education for use in the academic year 

following the date of the reallotment.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1135a, 1135c, 1135d)

Sec. 648.51 What is the amount of a stipend?

 (a) For a fellowship initially awarded for an 

academic year prior to the academic year 1993-

94, the institution shall pay the fellow a stipend 

in an amount that equals the fellow's financial 

need or $10,000, whichever is less.

 (b) For a fellowship initially awarded for the 

academic year 1993-94, or any succeeding 

academic year, the institution shall pay the 

fellow a stipend at a level of support equal to 

that provided by the National Science 

Foundation graduate fellowships, except that 

this amount must be adjusted as necessary so as 

not to exceed the fellow's demonstrated level of 

financial need as determined under part F of title 

IV of the HEA. The Secretary announces the 

amount of the stipend in a notice published in 

the Federal Register.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1135c)

[58 FR 65842, Dec. 16, 1993, as amended at 64 

FR 13487, Mar. 18, 1999]

Sec. 648.52 What is the amount of the 

institutional payment?

 (a) For academic year 1998-1999, the amount 

of the institutional payment received by an 

institution of higher education for each student 

awarded a fellowship at the institution is 

$10,222. Thereafter, the Secretary adjusts the 

amount of the institutional payment annually in 

accordance with inflation as determined by the 

United States Department of Labor's Consumer 

Price Index for the previous calendar year. The 

Secretary announces the amount of the 

institutional payment in a notice published in the 

Federal Register.

 (b) The institutional allowance paid under 

paragraph (a) of this section is reduced by the 

amount the institution charges and collects from 

a fellowship recipient for tuition and other 

expenses as part of the recipient's instructional 

program.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1135d)

[58 FR 65842, Dec. 16, 1993, as amended at 64 

FR 13487, Mar. 18, 1999]

Subpart F--What Are the Administrative 

Responsibilities of the Institution?

Sec. 648.60 When does an academic department 

make a commitment to a fellow to provide 

stipend support?

 (a) An academic department makes a 

commitment to a fellow at any point in his or her 

graduate study for the length of time necessary 

for the fellow to complete the course of graduate

study, but in no case longer than five years.

 (b) An academic department shall not make a 

commitment under paragraph (a) of this section 

to provide stipend support unless the academic 

department has determined that adequate funds 

are available to fulfill the commitment either 

from funds received or anticipated under this 

part or from institutional funds.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1135c)

Sec. 648.61 How must the academic department 

supervise the training of fellows?

 The institution shall provide to fellows at least 

one academic year of supervised training in 

instruction at the graduate or undergraduate 

level at the schedule of at least one-half-time 

teaching assistant.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1135b)
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Sec. 648.62 How can the institutional payment 

be used?

 (a) The institutional payment must be first 

applied against a fellow's tuition and fees.

 (b) After payment of a fellow's tuition and 

fees, the institutional payment may be applied 

against educational expenses of the fellow that 

are not covered by tuition and fees and are 

related to the academic program in which the 

fellow is enrolled. These expenses include the 

following:

 (1) Costs for rental or purchase of any books, 

materials, or supplies required of students in the 

same course of study.

 (2) Costs of computer hardware, project 

specific software, and other equipment prorated 

by the length of the student's fellowship over the 

reasonable life of the equipment.

 (3) Membership fees of professional 

associations.

 (4) Travel and per diem to professional 

association meetings and registration fees.

 (5) International travel, per diem, and 

registration fees to participate in educational 

activities.

 (6) Expenses incurred in research.

 (7) Costs of reproducing and binding of 

educational products.

 (c) The institutional payment must 

supplement and, to the extent practical, increase 

the funds that would otherwise be made 

available for the purpose of the program and, in 

no case, to supplant institutional funds currently 

available for fellowships.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1135b, 1135d)

Sec. 648.63 How can the institutional matching 

contribution be used?

 (a) The institutional matching contribution 

may be used to--

 (1) Provide additional fellowships to graduate 

students who are not already receiving 

fellowships under this part and who satisfy the 

requirements of Sec. 648.40;

 (2) Pay for tuition, fees, and the costs listed in 

Sec. 648.62(b);

 (3) Pay for costs of providing a fellow's 

instruction that are not included in the tuition or 

fees paid to the institution in which the fellow is 

enrolled; and

 (4) Supplement the stipend received by a 

fellow under Sec. 648.51 in an amount not to 

exceed a fellow's financial need.

 (b) An institution may not use its institutional 

matching contribution to fund fellowships that 

were funded by the institution prior to the award 

of the grant.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1135, 1135b, 1135c)

Sec. 648.64 What are unallowable costs?

 Neither grant funds nor the institutional 

matching funds may be used to pay for general 

operational overhead costs of the academic 

department.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1135, 1135d)

Sec. 648.65 How does the institution of higher 

education disburse and return funds?

 (a) An institution that receives a grant shall 

disburse a stipend to a fellow in accordance with 

its regular payment schedule, but shall not make 

less than one payment per academic term.

 (b) If a fellow withdraws from an institution 

before completion of an academic term, the 

institution may award the fellowship to another 

individual who satisfies the requirements in Sec. 

648.40.

 (c) If a fellowship is vacated or discontinued 

for any period of time, the institution shall return 

a prorated portion of the institutional payment 

and unexpended stipend funds to the Secretary, 

unless the Secretary authorizes the use of those 

funds for a subsequent project period. The 

institution shall return the prorated portion of the 

institutional payment and unexpended stipend 

funds at a time and in a manner determined by 

the Secretary.

 (d) If a fellow withdraws from an institution 

before the completion of the academic term for 

which he or she received a stipend installment, 
11

the fellow shall return a prorated portion of the 

stipend installment to the institution at a time 

and in a manner determined by the Secretary.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1135c, 1135d)

Sec. 648.66 What records and reports are 

required from the institution?

 (a) An institution of higher education that 

receives a grant shall provide to the Secretary, 

prior to the receipt of grant funds for 

disbursement to a fellow, a certification that the 

fellow is enrolled in, is making satisfactory 

progress in, and is devoting essentially full time 

to study in the academic field for which the 

grant was made.

 (b) An institution of higher education that 

receives a grant shall keep records necessary to 

establish--

 (1) That each student receiving a fellowship 

satisfies the eligibility requirements in Sec. 

648.40;

 (2) The time and amount of all disbursements 

and return of stipend payments;

 (3) The appropriate use of the institutional 

payment; and

 (4) That assurances, policies, and procedures 

provided in its application have been satisfied.

(Approved by the Office of Management and 

Budget under control number 1840-0604)

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1135-1135d)

Subpart G--What Conditions Must Be Met 

by a Fellow After an Award?

Sec. 648.70 What conditions must be met by a 

fellow?

 To continue to be eligible for a fellowship, a 

fellow must--

 (a) Maintain satisfactory progress in the 

program for which the fellowship was awarded;

 (b) Devote essentially full time to study or 

research in the academic field in which the 

fellowship was awarded; and

 (c) Not engage in gainful employment, except 

on a part-time basis in teaching, research, or 

similar activities determined by the academic 

department to be in support of the fellow's 

progress toward a degree.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1135c)

Appendix to Part 648--Academic 

Areas

 The Secretary may give an absolute 

preference to any of the academic areas listed as 

disciplines or subdisciplines below, or the 

resulting inter-disciplines. The list was derived 

from the Classification of Instructional Programs 

(CIP) developed by the Office of Educational 

Research and Improvement of the U.S. 

Department of Education and includes the 

instructional programs that may constitute 

courses of studies toward graduate degrees. The 

code number to the left of each discipline and 

subdiscipline is the Department's identification 

code for that particular type of instructional 

program.

05. Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies

 05.01 Area Studies

 05.02 Ethnic and Cultural Studies

11. Computer and Information Sciences

11.01 Computer and Information Sciences, 

General

 11.02 Computer Programming

 11.04 Information Sciences and Systems

 11.05 Computer Systems Analysis

 11.07 Computer Science

13. Education

 13.01 Education, General

 13.02 Bilingual/Bicultural Education

 13.03 Curriculum and Instruction

13.04 Education Administration and 

Supervision

13.05 Educational/Instructional Media 

Design

13.06 Educational Evaluation, Research, and 

Statistics

13.07 International and Comparative 

Education

 13.08 Educational Psychology

13.09 Social and Philosophical Foundations 
12

of Education

 13.10 Special Education

13.11 Student Counseling and Personnel 

Services

 13.12 General Teacher Education

 13.13 Teacher Education, Specific Academic, 

 and Vocational Programs

13.14 Teaching English as a Second 

Language/Foreign Language

14. Engineering

 14.01 Engineering, General

14.02 Aerospace, Aeronautical, and 

Astronautical Engineering

 14.03 Agricultural Engineering

 14.04 Architectural Engineering

14.05 Bioengineering and Biomedical 

Engineering

 14.06 Ceramic Sciences and Engineering

 14.07 Chemical Engineering

 14.08 Civil Engineering

 14.09 Computer Engineering

14.10 Electrical, Electronic, and 

Communications Engineering

 14.11 Engineering Mechanics

 14.12 Engineering Physics

 14.13 Engineering Science

14.14 Environmental/Environmental Health 

Engineering

 14.15 Geological Engineering

 14.16 Geophysical Engineering

 14.17 Industrial/Manufacturing Engineering

 14.18 Materials Engineering

 14.19 Mechanical Engineering

 14.20 Metallurgical Engineering

 14.21 Mining and Mineral Engineering

14.22 Naval Architecture and Marine 

Engineering

 14.23 Nuclear Engineering

 14.24 Ocean Engineering

 14.25 Petroleum Engineering

 14.27 Systems Engineering

 14.28 Textile Sciences and Engineering

 14.29 Engineering Design

 14.30 Engineering/Industrial Management

 14.31 Materials Science

 14.32 Polymer/Plastics Engineering

16. Foreign Languages

 16.01 Foreign Languages and Literatures

16.03 East and Southeast Asian Languages 

and Literatures

16.04 East European Languages and 

Literatures

 16.05 Germanic Languages and Literatures

 16.06 Greek Languages and Literatures

 16.07 South Asian Languages and Literatures

 16.09 Romance Languages and Literatures

16.11 Middle Eastern Languages and 

Literatures

16.12 Classical and Ancient Near Eastern 

Languages and Literatures

22. Law and Legal Studies

22.01 Law and Legal Studies

25. Library Science

 25.01 Library Science/Librarianship

 25.03 Library Assistant

26. Biological Sciences/Life Sciences

 26.01 Biology, General

 26.02 Biochemistry and Biophysics

 26.03 Botany

 26.04 Cell and Molecular Biology

 26.05 Microbiology/Bacteriology

26.06 Miscellaneous Biological 

Specializations

 26.07 Zoology

27. Mathematics

 27.01 Mathematics

 27.03 Applied Mathematics

 27.05 Mathematic Statistics

40. Physical Sciences

 40.01 Physical Sciences, General

 40.02 Astronomy

 40.03 Astrophysics

40.04 Atmospheric Sciences and 

Meteorology

 40.05 Chemistry

 40.06 Geological and Related Sciences

 40.07 Miscellaneous Physical Sciences

 40.08 Physics

42. Psychology

 42.01 Psychology

 42.02 Clinical Psychology

42.03 Cognitive Psychology and 

Psycholinguistics

 42.04 Community Psychology

 42.06 Counseling Psychology

 42.07 Developmental and Child Psychology

 42.08 Experimental Psychology

42.09 Industrial and Organizational 

Psychology

42.11 Physiological 

Psychology/Psychobiology

 42.16 Social Psychology
13

 42.17 School Psychology

50. Visual and Performing Arts

 50.01 Visual and Performing Arts

 50.02 Crafts, Folk Art, and Artisanry

 50.03 Dance

 50.04 Design and Applied Arts

 50.05 Dramatic/Theater Arts and Stagecraft

 50.06 Film/Video and Photographic Arts

 50.07 Fine Arts and Art Studies

 50.09 Music

51. Health Professions and Related Sciences

 51.01 Chiropractic (D.C., D.C.M.)

51.02 Communication Disorders Sciences 

and Services

 51.03 Community Health Services

 51.04 Dentistry (D.D.S., D.M.D.)

51.05 Dental Clinical Sciences/Graduate 

Dentistry (M.S., Ph.D.) 

51.06 Dental Services

51.07

51.07 Health and Medical Administrative 

Services

 51.08 Health and Medical Assistants

51.09 Health and Medical Diagnostic and 

Treatment Services

51.10 Health and Medical Laboratory 

Technologies/Technicians

51.11 Health and Medical Preparatory 

Programs

 51.12 Medicine (M.D.)

 51.13 Medical Basic Science

 51.14 Medical Clinical Services (M.S., Ph.D)

 51.15 Mental Health Services

 51.16 Nursing

 51.17 Optometry (O.D.)

 51.18 Ophthalmic/Optometric Services

 51.19 Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.)

 51.20 Pharmacy

 51.21 Podiatry (D.P.M., D.P., Pod.D.)

 51.22 Public Health

 51.23 Rehabilitation/Therapeutic Services

 51.24 Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.)

 51.25 Veterinary Clinical Services

 51.27 Miscellaneous Health Professions
14