Roth IRA Contributions without earned income

[Dave Dyn]

Hi all. I'm new here and looking for potential advice on a Roth IRA situation.

I am a graduate student on a fellowship stipend. This stipend is my only source of "income," and is not reported on a W-2, but the entire stipend is taxable as the stipend is used towards educational expenses. I recently just learned that this stipend is not considered "earned income," and therefore I cannot use this stipend to make contributions to my Roth IRA.

I have been on this fellowship stipend since Fall 2016, and it has been my only source of "income" since then. However, I made a 2017 and 2018 Roth IRA contribution, which I guess should not have been allowed since I did/will not have earned income in these years. What is the best course of action now that I have already made this contribution? Should I request for a "return of contributions" and expect a 1099-R? Should I expect IRS or the Roth IRA account (Vanguard) to come after me with legal actions and financial penalties?