Payment of Tuition for Graduate Assistants
Update 6/2012
In continuing efforts to attract and retain the best graduate students and address the fiscal challenges of the university, the university worked tirelessly to develop a revised plan for graduate student tuition. In 2005 a decision was made to pay resident tuition for all graduate assistants, but due to a large reduction in funding for tuition payments, a revision to the tuition payment plan was necessary. This revised plan was implemented in Fall 2011 (FY12).
Resident Tuition Payment Guidelines:
a. Resident tuition will be paid from university funds for up to 5 years (for students admitted without a master’s degree) and 4 years (for students admitted with a masters’s degree)for doctoral GATs (graduate teaching assistants), GARs (graduate research assistants), and GANTs supporting teaching (graduate assistant non-teaching), who are employed by academic departments. Resident tuition for doctoral graduate assistants funded by external grants and contracts will be paid from those grants and contracts. Differential tuition impacts undergraduate students only. The payment of resident tuition for doctoral graduate assistants not included in the categories above and master’s graduate assistants will be determined by the employing unit or faculty on a student by student basis.
b. All or a portion of resident tuition for a select number of master’s students in GAT, GAR, or GANT positions will be paid from university funds at the discretion of the departments and colleges. Each college will establish and publish their respective policies for selecting the master’s students who receive tuition payments. For master’s graduate assistants funded by external grants and contracts, the employing faculty will determine if the tuition payment benefit is paid, on a student by student basis.
c. Payment of resident tuition for graduate assistants funded by non-college academic units will be determined by the employing unit on a student-by-student basis.
1. Do I still qualify for in-state (resident) tuition through a non-resident waiver?(highlighting both the competitive scholarship and the graduate assistantship justifications)
The tuition payment program changes do not affect any current out-of-state tuition waiver processes, procedures, or guidelines. Two of the most common out-of-state tuition waivers are: (1) “competitive” scholarships/fellowships of at least $1,000 and (2) graduate assistantships, and are based on eligibility according to each waiver’s guidelines as outlined by the University. For more information regarding tuition waivers: /incoming-students/tuition-and-payments/
2. I currently have a fellowship that includes funding for tuition. Am I eligible for a university tuition payment as well?
It depends, if you hold one of the TAMU fellowships such as Diversity, Graduate Merit, Pathways to the Doctorate, or Dissertation, or the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), see the guidelines of the fellowship or contact OGS at OGS-fellowship-admin@tamu.edu. . If you hold a departmental fellowship, please contact the awarding department for clarification.
Master’s Students:
3. I am a Master’s Student. Does this mean that I qualify for a tuition payment?
It depends, all or a portion of resident tuition for a select number of master’s students in GAT, GAR, or GANT positions will be paid from university funds at the discretion of the departments and colleges. Each college will establish and publish their respective policies for selecting the master’s students who receive tuition payments. For master’s graduate assistants funded by external grants and contracts, the employing faculty will determine if the tuition payment benefit is paid, on a student-by-student basis.
Doctoral Students in Graduate Assistant Positions:
4. Will any students be grandfathered from the FY12 (Fall 2011-Summer 2012) changes outlined above?
Yes, doctoral graduate students who were admitted into their doctoral program prior to Fall 2011 will be grandfathered according to the following limits through FY15.
FY 13 (Fall 2012-Summer 2013) – Doctoral students who were admitted to their program prior to Fall 2011 will have their tuition paid according to the FY12 guidelines.
FY14 (Fall 2013-Summer 2014) – Doctoral students who were admitted to their program prior to Fall 2011 and have been in their doctoral program for 7 years or less will have their tuition paid according to the FY12 guidelines.
FY15 (Fall 2014-Summer 20-15) – Doctoral students who were admitted to their program prior to Fall 2011 and have been in their doctoral program for 6 years or less will have their tuition paid according to FY12 guidelines.
Exceptions to the time limits above: Doctoral students in programs that have been granted programmatic exemptions to the “Doctoral Hour Cap” will be granted a one-year extension beyond the time limits stated above. Further extensions for doctoral graduate assistants in these programs will be reviewed case-by-case. These programs include:
- Biochemistry
- Microbiology
- Clinical Psychology
- Counseling Psychology
- School Psychology
- Genetics
- Toxicology
- Nutrition
- College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Science (all programs)
5. I have been approved for a leave of absence from my doctoral program. How will this affect my years of eligibility?
Doctoral students who are on a formal leave of absence approved by the Office of Graduate Studies (e.g. medical, family, research, field, etc.) will receive an extension to the time limit that is equivalent to the amount of time of their leave. Special requests can be submitted to the Associate Provost for Graduate Studies by the department graduate advisor for review on a case-by-case basis.
