Financial Support

Date Developed: 10/04
Date Reviewed: 3/05
Date Approved: 5/13/05

Procedures | Back to Policy index

In addition to federally or privately administered loan programs (administered through Financial Planning), Graduate Student Financial Support may include tuition waivers, tuition scholarships, tuition fellowships, assistantships and grants.

Eligibility: Graduate Student Financial support may be offered to qualified full-time students enrolled in their first two academic years (6 trimesters) of graduate study based upon merit.

NOT SUBJECT TO APPEAL

Full time Students: All full-time students (see Policy 3: Academic Load) making Satisfactory Academic Progress (see Policy 8: Academic Progress) are eligible for all forms of financial aid.

Half time Students: Half-time graduate students (see Policy 3: Academic Load) are not eligible for assistantship support.

Part time Student Status: Part-time graduate students (see Policy 3: Academic Load) are not eligible for financial aid.

Probation: A graduate student may receive financial aid, including an assistantship, for one trimester while on Academic Probation.

Tuition support: Tuition waivers, fellowships or scholarships* may be awarded at the discretion of the Graduate Council, upon the recommendation of the director of a specific graduate program. The terms and limitations of such a waiver are determined by the Graduate Council.

Assistantship support: Graduate Assistantships are stipends provided graduate students in return for service rendered in teaching (Teaching Assistantships) or research (Research Assistantships). These stipends also may include tuition or tuition re-imbursement. Assistantships are awarded by the Graduate Council upon the recommendation of the director of a specific graduate program who also determines the type of assistantship to be offered. The term of this award is one academic year, contingent upon satisfactory academic progress and performance (see Stipulations). Renewal of an assistantship for a second year is not automatic and is at the discretion of the Graduate Council upon the recommendation of the director of the respective graduate program.

Loss of Eligibility: The Graduate Council may revoke an awarded Graduate Assistantship prior to the end of an award year, if a graduate student’s performance is substandard for two trimesters, or upon the recommendation of the director of that graduate program. Graduate students who are on probation for a second trimester and those not making Satisfactory Academic Progress (see Policy 8: Academic Progress) will lose eligibility for any form of Graduate Student Financial Support. Students, who at anytime are classified part-time graduate students or accumulate more than 54 credits (including transfer, completed, outstanding incomplete and failed credits)**, will not be eligible for any form of financial aid.

Stipulations: As a condition of a teaching assistantship, graduate students must serve a one trimester apprenticeship the first term of their appointment and register for 1 credit hour of Colloquium in College Teaching before the fourth trimester of support.

* Tuition waivers, tuition scholarships, and fellowship grants are exempt from taxation according to the Tax Code (CFR26A.1B.II Section 117 D5), because they are awarded without a specific work expectation. Assistantships (research or teaching) have specific assigned responsibilities for which compensation is provided, and, therefore, are taxable under the Tax Code. When tuition is linked to an assistantship it also is taxable.

**The maximum timeframe for the completion of a degree is limited by federal regulations to 150% of the published length (in credit hours) of the degree program.

Procedures:

Notice: The nature (teaching or research) and responsibilities (including, number of hours per week) associated with a specific assistantship award will be described in a letter of appointment provided to the student at the start of the award. Specific assignments are made by program directors or their designee.

Students will be notified in writing, when they have registered for their sixth trimester (or 36th credit hour) of graduate study that they have reached the maximum time limit allowed for assistantship support. If they register for their ninth trimester, students will be notified that they have reached the maximum time limit allowed for Graduate Student Financial Support. Should they register for 54 credit hours of graduate study; students will be notified that they have reached the maximum time limit allowed for all financial aid.

Graduate students awarded assistantships will be evaluated for performance of assigned responsibility each trimester of support. A student will receive a written performance evaluation from their supervisor at the beginning of each trimester, for the preceding trimester. A copy of this report will be sent to the student’s advisor and filed with the program director. Any significant areas requiring immediate attention will be identified in this evaluation, together with suggestions for improvement. When unsatisfactory evaluations are identified, the report will enumerate the identified deficiencies, what corrective measures must be taken for each, and a timeline for implementation. The report must also warn the student that loss of support may result from failure to implement these measures. The student is expected to consult with their supervisor and academic advisor for additional advice or assistance. A student, who fails to improve an unsatisfactory performance evaluation, may lose the assistantship at the discretion of the Graduate Council.

The Dean of Graduate Studies will give a student who has lost support due to unsatisfactory performance evaluation, an opportunity to respond and will forward the recommendation for dismissal and any response received to the Graduate Council.

Appeal: Extension of the maximum allowed financial support may sometimes be granted upon recommendation of the student’s committee* or the Dean of Graduate Studies when specific, mitigating circumstances warrant. A student appealing for an extension must petition the Graduate Council in writing within one week of a notice sent. The petition of appeal should provide sufficient grounds and any necessary documentation to assure effective review. If the Graduate Council approves this petition, the support will be restored on a trimester by trimester basis contingent upon satisfactory evaluation of performance and progress.

A student appealing restoration of assistantship support must petition the Graduate Council in writing within one week of a notice sent. The petition of appeal should provide sufficient grounds and any necessary documentation to assure effective review. If the Graduate Council approves this petition, the support will be restored on a trimester by trimester basis contingent upon satisfactory evaluation of performance.

The student and the program director will be notified of the final action. Although performance evaluations are a part of the student’s permanent file, they are not a part of the academic record, and are not subject to FERPA.

Remediation: None.

* A Graduate Advisory Committee or, in the absence of such a committee, a designated advisor and the Graduate Council.

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