Tuition Waiver Information and Eligibility
Graduate students who are admitted and enrolled in an OSU master’s, specialist, or doctoral degree-granting program may be appointed to a qualifying Graduate Research or Teaching Assistantship (GRA/GTA) that includes resident and/or nonresident tuition waiver benefits. Students enrolled solely in graduate certificate or non-degree seeking programs are not eligible for GRA/GTA positions or associated tuition waivers.
The following information outlines the guidelines for tuition waiver eligibility.
Employment Eligibility
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FTE Requirements
Tuition waivers apply only to GRA/GTA appointments totaling 0.50 FTE. Two 0.25 FTE positions may be combined to meet this requirement. Lower FTE appointments are not eligible.
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Semester Appointment Limits
GTA/GRA Appointments may not exceed 0.50 FTE in fall/spring or 0.75 FTE in summer. Maymester and Intersessions are limited to 0.50 FTE with enrollment.
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Assistantship vs. Hourly Employment
Hourly and assistantship positions cannot run concurrently due to Federal regulations. Students must be in either an hourly (student worker) or an assistantship position.
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Appointment Duration
Tuition waivers are based on the length of a qualifying appointment as defined by the academic calendar terms and sessions (e.g., the definition of a fall or spring semester is 17 weeks).
Enrollment Eligibility
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Credit Hour Requirements
Students with a 0.50 FTE GRA/GTA appointment must be enrolled in at least 6 graduate credit hours during fall and spring semesters, and at least 2 credit hours during summer.
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Plan of Study Requirement
Tuition waivers only apply to graduate courses required for the student’s degree program, as listed on the Plan of Study (POS) or proposed POS.
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Program Hour Limit
Tuition waivers are limited to the number of credit hours approved for the degree program.
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Under-Enrollment Status
Students enrolled in fewer than the required credit hours are not eligible to be employed as a GRA/GTA. In those cases, the “student worker” hourly title must be used.
Enrollment Exceptions
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Doctoral Candidacy Enrollment
Students admitted to doctoral candidacy may enroll in as few as 2 credit hours and still be considered full-time. This reduced enrollment must continue each fall and spring until graduation (summer excluded if no degree work is completed).
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Post-Candidacy Course Expectations
After admission to candidacy, students are expected to enroll primarily in research hours or program-approved courses.
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Summer Enrollment and Employment Eligibility
Students who held a waiver-eligible assistantship in the previous spring and completed it satisfactorily may be eligible to receive a summer tuition waiver if they enroll in at least 2 eligible credit hours.
Summer assistantship employment must also align with the session in which the student is enrolled. For example, a June assistantship appointment requires enrollment in the June session.
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Federal Tax Restrictions (FICA)
Summer enrollment and employment limits are set by Federal FICA tax rules. Students must be enrolled in at least 2 credit hours to qualify for the student tax exemption.
Course Eligibility
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Eligible Courses
Tuition waivers apply only to graduate courses required for the degree program and listed on the approved or proposed Plan of Study.
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Credit Hour Limits
Waivers are limited to the total number of hours in the approved degree program. Programs may approve up to 10% additional hours (e.g., 3 extra credits on a 30-hour program). Anything beyond this requires Graduate Dean approval.
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Courses Not Covered
The following courses do not qualify for tuition waiver benefits:
- Undergraduate courses
- Outreach courses
- Extension courses
- Certificate-only courses
- Repeated graduate courses (unless designed for repetition)
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Approved Exceptions
ENGL 0003 and ENGL 4893 are covered by the graduate tuition waiver program.
Academic Standing and Probation Eligiblity
Students must maintain good academic standing to remain eligible for tuition waiver benefits. Good academic standing is defined as having a GPA of 3.00 or higher and not being on academic probation.
Students placed on academic probation are not eligible to receive tuition waiver benefits, although they may still hold a GRA or GTA appointment.
In exceptional circumstances, graduate programs may request a one-time probation exception from the Dean of the Graduate College.
Workload and Termination
A 0.25 FTE assistantship appointment equals an average of 10 hours of work per week, while a 0.50 FTE appointment equals an average of 20 hours per week.
If a student does not complete the full term, such as due to withdrawal or early termination, tuition waivers are prorated based on the number of business days worked.
Receiving an “incomplete” grade does not affect tuition waiver eligibility or trigger waiver proration.
Tuition Waiver Restrictions
Students cannot use both the Faculty/Staff Tuition Waiver and the GTA/GRA Tuition Waiver. Tuition waiver benefits are only available to individuals whose primary classification is graduate student; OSU employees taking graduate courses do not qualify.
To be exempt from FICA taxes, students must be enrolled in at least 2 credit hours. Late enrollment that results in taxation is irreversible.
Non-degree and graduate certificate-only students are not eligible for tuition waivers unless the courses are embedded in a degree program approved by OSRHE and listed in the student’s Plan of Study.