AAAS-sponsored Congressional and Revelle Fellowships are one-year professional development opportunities, and the stipends are administered by AAAS. The 2008-09 stipends (September 2008 through August 2009) are based on an equivalent of the federal general schedule (GS) Grade 12, Step 1 set in January 2008, which is $69,764.

Partner Scientific Society-sponsored Congressional Fellowships are one-year professional development opportunities, and the stipends are administered by the sponsoring scientific societies. The 2008-09 stipends (September 2008 through August 2009) are determined by the individual societies according to funding availability. Stipends have ranged from $45,000 to more than $85,000. Benefits also vary by society.

Check with the individual societies for details on their stipend levels and benefits. To view a listing of partner scientific societies that sponsor Congressional Fellowships, click here.

• Level 1: Fellows with 0-7 years of post-doctorate, full-time employment (for engineers with a master’s degree, 3-7 years post-master’s employment) who do not meet any of the criteria stated below receive a stipend based on an equivalent of the federal general schedule (GS) Grade 12, Step 1 set in January 2008, or $69,764. Renewing Fellows in this category (with the exception of Fellows at NIH*) receive a stipend equivalent to the GS Grade 12, Step 2, or $72,090.
• Level 2: Fellows with more than seven years of post-doctorate, full-time employment (engineers with a master’s degree, 7-15 years post-master’s employment) or whose prior salary (exclusive of benefits) was at least 25 percent higher than the Level 1 stipend, receive a Level 2 stipend equivalent to GS Grade 12, Step 5 set in January 2008, or $79,068. Renewing Fellows in this category (with the exception of Fellows at NIH*) receive a stipend equivalent to GS Grade 12, Step 6, or $81,394.
• Level 3: Fellows who have 15 or more years of post-doctorate, full-time employment (engineers with a master’s degree, 15 years or more post-master’s employment) or whose prior salary (exclusive of benefits) was at least 50 percent higher than the Level 1 stipend, receive a Level 3 stipend equivalent to GS Grade 12, Step 10 set in January 2008, or $90,698. Renewing Fellows in this category (with the exception of Fellows at NIH*) receive the 4.49 percent DCB area cost of living increase plus a step increase of $2,326, for a total of $93,024.

The length of post degree experience will be determined as of the first day of the fellowship (September 1). If, in accordance with the foregoing guidelines, a new Fellow believes he/she qualifies for a higher stipend level than initially offered, it will be his/her responsibility to provide supporting documentation to that effect. Final determination of the stipend level will be made by AAAS. Once determined, the Fellow’s stipend level will not change during the ensuing 12 months.

In some exceptional cases second-year stipends administered via AAAS may be increased beyond the amounts noted above at the request of the hosting office, based on significant responsibilities and with confirmation of the availability of funding.

* Second-Year Fellowship Stipends at the National Institutes of Health: Stipends for renewing Fellows at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will be at the rate of five percent higher than the first-year stipend, as stipulated in the current contract with NIH in effect through the 2010-11 fellowship year. Therefore, 2008-09 stipend levels for renewing Fellows at NIH are as follows:

Level 1: $70,105
Level 2: $79,455
Level 3: $91,141

Executive Branch Salaries for Fellows Hired Directly by Agency: Salaries for Fellows hired directly as temporary civil service employees are determined by their hosting agency and may be different than the stipend levels for fellowships administered by AAAS (i.e. stipend funding allocated by agencies and provided to Fellows by AAAS via grants, contracts and other funding agreements). In no cases will the salary for Fellows hired directly by agencies be below the GS Grade 12, Step 1 for first-year Fellows.

The federal government maintains its own procedures for evaluating appropriate civil service classifications for positions, as well as the experience, education, and skills of the individuals who fill them. Many agency human resources personnel have been willing to work with AAAS and Fellows to try to conform to the AAAS-designated stipend levels. In some cases the agency determination will be based on previous salary only and not years of experience. AAAS Fellows hired directly by their hosting agency many not qualify for salaries at the GS Grade 12, Step 5 or Step 10, as federal agencies are unlikely to offer salaries at those levels unless a Fellow can demonstrate that he/she would experience a decrease in salary. Direct-hire Fellows who believe they qualify for compensation at a higher level should contact their program manager.

Second-year direct hire fellowship salaries will be higher than first-year salaries, and will not be below the GS Grade 12, Step 2 for second-year Fellows. In some cases the second-year salaries may be as high as the GS Grade 13 level, determined based on performance and availability of funding.