Trainees

Must be a citizen or a noncitizen national of the United States or have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence at the time of appointment.
All trainees are required to pursue their research training full time.
- Normally defined as 40 hours per week.
Appointments are normally made in 12-month increments, and no trainee may be appointed for less than 9 months during the initial period of appointment, except with prior approval of the awarding unit, or when trainees are appointed to approved, short-term training positions.

Undergraduate Trainees

To enhance the research training of individuals from groups underrepresented in biomedical and behavioral sciences through Institutional NRSA training grants, in preparation for research doctorate degree programs.
NIH offers distinct programs for pre-baccalaureate training such as the T34 support mechanism.
One stipend level is used for undergraduate candidates but will continue to be made by distinct categories (i.e., Freshmen/Sophomores and Juniors/Seniors).

Predoctoral trainees must be enrolled in a program leading to a PhD or in an equivalent research doctoral degree program.
Clinical students acquire the knowledge to earn the clinical doctorate degree.
Students engage in highly structured research projects under the supervision of an experienced mentor.
One NRSA stipend level is used for all pre-doctoral candidates, regardless of the level of experience.

Postdoc research training is for individuals who have received a doctoral degree (e.g., PhD, MD) or equivalent doctoral degree from an accredited domestic or foreign organization.
Postdoc appointments are intended to provide a full-time program of advanced academic preparation and research training in the biomedical, behavioral, or clinical sciences.
Postdocs are engaged in a temporary and defined period (1-2 years) of mentored advanced training to enhance the professional skills and research independence need to pursue his/her chosen career path.
The postdoc stipend level for the entire first year of support is determined by the number of full years of relevant postdoctoral experience at the time of appointment. Relevant experience may include:
- Research experience (including industrial)
- Teaching assistantship
- Internship
- Residency
- Clinical duties
- Other time spent in a health-related field beyond that of the qualifying doctoral degree
The trainee must be paid at the determined level for the entire period of appointment. Generally, the stipend for each additional year of NRSA support is the next level in the stipend structure and does not change mid-year.

NIH offers two short-term training programs: those that are part of a traditional institutional research training grant (T32) and those that exclusively support short-term trainees (T35).
- Short-term research training experiences of 2 to 3 months are available to students in health-professional schools under both mechanisms.
All short-term training must be full time.
Such positions are limited to medical students, students in other health-professional programs, and graduate students in the physical or quantitative sciences.
To be eligible for short-term predoc research training positions, students must be enrolled and in good standing and must have completed at least one quarter or semester in a program leading to a clinical doctorate or doctorate degree in a quantitative science, such as physics, mathematics, or engineering, before participating in the program.
- Individuals already matriculated in a formal research degree program in the health sciences, holding a research doctorate or master's degree, or a combined professional and research doctorate normally are not eligible for short-term training positions.
In schools of pharmacy, only candidates for the Pharm. D. degree are eligible for short-term positions
Appointments may be consecutive or may be reserved for summers or other "off-quarter" periods.
Unless otherwise stated, the requirements that apply to institutional research training grants also apply to short-term research training.