Graduate Student Tuition Support

A variety of support mechanisms are available for graduate students at UNC-CH, including teaching assistantships (TAs), research assistantships (RAs), fellowships and traineeships. Most of these awards provide full tuition support. All teaching and research assistantships, as well as most fellowships and traineeships, provide health insurance.

Tuition support is provided in two ways:

Eligible out-of-state students may receive both a tuition remission award that reduces their tuition to the in-state rate, as well as an in-state tuition award. These two funding sources, used in combination, provide full tuition support for graduate students serving as University-supported TAs, RAs, or fellow/trainees. Out-of-state students must receive an out-of-state tuition remission to be eligible for an in-state tuition award. This benefit includes tuition only, not student fees.

Eligible in-state students may receive an in-state tuition award that provides full tuition support for graduate students serving as University-supported TAs, RAs, or fellow/trainees. This benefit includes tuition only, not student fees.

See Graduate Student Handbook for additional information

Eligibility Requirements

The following eligibility criteria apply to both in-state tuition awards and out-of-state tuition remissions:

Degree Intent

Students must be full-time, on-campus, degree-seeking doctoral or master's/doctoral sequence students. Students in selected master's programs are also eligible.

Stipend Level

Minimum RA/TA stipend to qualify for tuition remission and/or in-state tuition award:

Minimum Stipend (2012-2013)
Doctoral programs and Master’s/Doctoral Programs: $7,000/semester (RAs) $7,350/semester (TAs)	Terminal Master’s Programs: $5,000/semester (RAs) $5,350/semester (TAs)

Minimum Stipend (2013-2014)
Doctoral programs and Master’s/Doctoral Programs: $7,600/semester (RAs and TAs)	Terminal Master’s Programs: $5,550/semester (RAs and TAs)

Appointment

Students must be appointed by the University as a Teaching Assistant, Research Assistant, or Fellow/Trainee. Graduate Assistants (GAs) are not eligible for this benefit. Definitions of these positions are below:

Teaching Assistant (rank code 21):
a graduate student, enrolled full-time in accordance with their program of study, who regularly teaches a class or classes; supervises recitation section; has full responsibility of a course, or leads discussion sections; or grades papers and exams; or supervises a laboratory section or sections; under the supervision of a member of the graduate faculty.

Research Assistant (rank code 22):
a graduate student, enrolled full-time in accordance with their program of study and engaged in research activities directly related to their program of study under the supervision or in collaboration with a member of the graduate faculty.

Predoctoral Fellow/Trainee (rank code 23 or nonservice award):
a graduate student enrolled full-time in accordance with their program of study, who holds a sponsored fellowship or traineeship, and receives a stipend or training payment (e.g., NSF Fellowship, NIH Training Grant, or Graduate School Fellow).

* Please note that a Graduate Assistant appointment (rank code 20), does not meet the eligibility criteria for tuition remission or in-state awards.

Appointments must be in effect for the entire semester for the student to be eligible for, and to retain tuition remission or an in-state tuition award for the relevant semester.

Remission Status

Out-of-state students must receive an out-of-state tuition remission to be eligible for an in-state tuition award.

Enrollment Requirements

Full enrollment is required for eligibility for tuition support. This is defined as in the Graduate Student Handbook.

A full-time student is one who is matriculated and for each term:

• Registers for 9 or more graduate credit hours in a fall or spring term; or
• Registers for a minimum of 3 hours of thesis substitute (992), thesis (993), or dissertation (994) in a fall, spring, or summer term. A student may register for additional courses as needed, but if registering for less than 9 hours, this must include a minimum of 3 hours of 992/993/994 to be considered full-time; or
• Registers for fewer than 9 graduate credit hours in a fall, spring, or summer term, exclusive of 992/993/994, and has been granted a “waiver of hours” for that term.

There is no minimum credit-hour requirement during the summer sessions (neither tuition remission nor in-state tuition awards are available for summer enrollment).

All students must remain appropriately enrolled for the entire semester to be eligible for, and to retain tuition remission or an in-state tuition award for the relevant semester.

Deadlines

Appointment Deadline

Students must be appointed to their positions no later than the first day of classes (as indicated in the University Registrar's Calendar) for the relevant semester.

Registration Deadline

All eligible students must be registered no later than the last day to register/add classes as indicated in the University Registrar's Calendar in order to be eligible for a tuition remission or in-state tuition award.

Duration of Support

Eligible graduate students receive tuition remission and/or an in-state tuition award from a fund that is specifically designated for graduate tuition, noted here as the “designated tuition fund” This fund is administered by The Graduate School according to the following criteria:

• Students in terminal masters' programs are eligible for tuition remission and/or in-state tuition awards from the designated tuition fund for four semesters;
• Doctoral students (or students in masters then doctoral sequence programs) are eligible for tuition remission and/or in-state tuition awards from the designated tuition fund for up to ten semesters.
• A student who completes a degree in one academic program, then enrolls in another academic program or changes academic programs without receiving a degree, is only eligible for the maximum semesters of eligibility as noted above during their enrollment at the university, or no more than ten semesters.

Policy regarding duration of support

When a student is no longer eligible for tuition remission and/or in-state tuition awards from the designated tuition fund, there may be other resources available from state, private or grant funds at the departmental level. If such funds are available, it is permissible to use those funds to pay the equivalent of in-state tuition, as long as the student is paid a salary from the funding source and any payments meet specific criteria of those funding sources.