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Financing Graduate School

Financing Graduate School
OSU is a Research-Extensive University, and graduate students play a vital role in its teaching, research and outreach missions. Over 1700 graduate students help finance their graduate education at OSU through employment as Graduate Teaching Assistants/Associates (GTA) and Graduate Research Assistants/Associates (GRA). The use of “assistant” applies to master’s-level and “associate” to doctoral-level GTA and GRA appointments.
Students employed full-time in an assistantship for the academic term or session (e.g., 17 weeks in the fall or spring semester) and who are enrolled full time are eligible to receive a tuition waiver. Tuition waivers do not cover the cost of fees, which means students are responsible for paying any fees associated with their enrollment. To estimate the cost of fees, students can go to https://bursar.okstate.edu/tuition-estimate. Additional information about fees can be found at https://bursar.okstate.edu/tuition-and-fees.
A Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) must be admitted to and meet the requirements
of the Graduate College, be fully admitted to a graduate degree program, enrolled,
and be under the supervision of an appropriate graduate faculty member. In consultation
with the supervisor, the GTA works to gain instructional skills and an increased understanding
of the discipline. GTAs are provided a stipend and their primary responsibilities
are to support the University's instructional mission. Services provided by a GTA
may include: classroom or laboratory teaching; advising and mentoring of students;
proctoring examinations; grading papers, homework, and/or projects; accompanying/coaching
musical or vocal performances, providing artistic instruction or assisting with preparation
and management of materials and programs that are utilized in imparting knowledge
or in the instructional process; or providing other general assistance in the instruction
process. A GTA may be assigned primary responsibilities in an extension, outreach,
or service role for which those responsibilities support the instructional mission
of the University. GTAs may not be given duties to support faculty research or those
primarily clerical in nature.
A Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) must be admitted to and meet the requirements of the Graduate College, be fully admitted to a graduate degree program, enrolled, and be under the supervision of an appropriate graduate faculty member. GRAs are provided a stipend and their primary responsibilities are to provide general support to the University's research mission. These responsibilities may or may not relate directly to the student's thesis or dissertation. Duties of the GRA primarily involve applying and mastering research concepts, practices, or methods of scholarship. Services provided by a GRA may include: assisting faculty members in a research or creative activity; performing degree-related professional or administrative services that supports research, instruction, professional development, or outreach missions of the University; developing and evaluating instructional materials or curricula; or assuming responsibility for designated scholarly endeavors.
“Performing degree-related professional or administrative services” does not include jobs that are outside of the student's field of study.
The Student Worker is an employed student not meeting the above criteria and would constitute an employer-employee status within the Oklahoma State University system and requires compensation based on actual time worked as assigned. Documentation of hours worked via a time sheet and an hourly wage of at least the Federal minimum wage ($7.25, as of 2012), are required.
A student worker may also be considered exempt versus hourly if the following conditions are met:
"Compensation of no less than $455 per week regardless of FTE or $1,972 per month, as of 2012, regardless of FTE and meet the Fair Labor Standards Act categories of executive professional or administrative"
Description forthcoming
OSU Graduate Student Tuition Waiver Benefit Information
Graduate students who are admitted and enrolled in any OSU master’s, specialist or
doctoral degree-granting program may be awarded a qualifying Graduate Research/Teaching
Assistantship/Associateship (GRA/GTA) that may have resident and/ornonresident tuition waiver benefits associated with the appointment. Students solely in graduate
certificate programs and non-degree seeking students are not eligible for GTA or GRA
positions or associated tuition waiver benefits. The following information includes
guidelines regarding tuition waiver eligibility.
Employment Eligibility
- Graduate tuition waivers only apply to 0.50 FTE (total) GTA/GRA positions. Graduate students with less than a combined total 0.50 FTE GTA/GRA positions do not qualify for tuition waiver benefits. Two 0.25 FTE positions may be stacked to reach the 0.50 FTE requirement.
- GTA/GRA appointments are a maximum of 0.50 FTE during the spring and fall semesters. During the summer, GTA/GRA appointments are allowable up to 0.75 FTE.
* The maximum permissible FTE as a GTA/GRA during “Summer Session 1” (“Maymester”) or Intersessions is 0.50 FTE with enrollment.
- Hourly and assistantship positions cannot run concurrently due to Federal regulations. Students either have to be an hourly (student worker) or assistantship position.
- Tuition waivers are based on the length of 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
- Tuition waivers are limited to the number of hours in the degree program.
- Courses eligible for tuition waivers are defined as those graduate courses required for the student’s degree program (i.e., Plan of Study, POS, or proposed POS).
- With a 50% GRA/GTA the student must be enrolled in a minimum of six (6) graduate credit hours in fall and spring semesters and 2 credit hours in summer sessions (please see Enrollment Exceptions and Summer Enrollment below for important FICA tax information that impacts summer paychecks). If a graduate student is not enrolled for the minimum number of hours, they cannot be employed as a GTA/GRA, the hourly “student worker” title should be used in these circumstances.
Enrollment Exceptions
Doctoral Candidacy Enrollment Requirements. A student who has completed the requirements for admission to doctoral candidacy and had their “Admission to Doctoral Candidacy” form accepted by the Graduate College, may enroll for a minimum of two (2) credit hours and be considered full-time. Post-candidacy reduced, continuous enrollment requirement applies to GTAs/GRAs; domestic and international students; and veterans receiving VA benefits. A student is normally expected to enroll primarily in research hours or in program-approved courses after being admitted to doctoral candidacy.
* An enrollment minimum of at least two (2) credits per semester is required for every semester of a student’s candidacy (summer excluded if no work towards degree completion occurs) until graduation. It is ultimately the responsibility of each student to ensure that they meet this enrollment requirement.
Summer Enrollment
Graduate students who held a tuition waiver-benefit-eligible qualifying appointment in the immediate preceding spring semester, who completed their entire assignment(s) satisfactorily, and who are enrolled in at least two credit hours of eligible course during the summer terms immediately following the qualifying spring appointment, may receive a tuition waiver for those eligible credit hours irrespective of whether they are employed as a GTA/GRA during the summer term(s).
* If a student is employed in a summer session, s/he must be employed when they are enrolled. For example, if a student is only employed the June term, the student must be enrolled in at least the June session. If a student is employed in just July, the student may be enrolled in the eight-week session (June through July) or just the July session.
* Summer enrollment-employment restrictions are due to Federal tax regulation (FICA tax exemption for students: Section 3121(b)(10) of the Internal Revenue Code).
Course Eligibility
- Tuition waivers are limited to the number of hours in the degree program as approved by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education (OSRHE). The graduate program may approve an additional 10% overage (e.g., an additional 3-hour course on a 30-hour degree). Anything over 10% of the required degree hours requires approval of the graduate dean.
- Courses eligible for tuition waiver are defined as graduate courses required for
the student’s degree program.
- Courses that do not qualify for tuition waiver benefits are:
- Undergraduate
- Outreach Exception
- Extension
- Certificate
- Repeated graduate courses (not designed to be repeated)
- Courses that do not qualify for tuition waiver benefits are:
- The Dean of the Graduate College makes the final determination on course eligibility.
Course Exceptions
ENGL0003 and ENGL 4893 are covered by the graduate student tuition waiver
program.
Academic Standing
- Once enrolled, good academic standing (i.e., not on academic probation, beyond probationary admission) is a requirement for OSU tuition waiver eligibility.
* In brief, good academic standing is a grade-point average (GPA) of “B” (3.00) and not on academic probation, which can result from unsatisfactory (“UR”) research grades.
* Academic Probation. Once matriculated, a graduate student placed on probation is not eligible for tuition waiver benefits. This does not preclude a GTA/GRA appointment. Graduate programs can request a one-time exception from the Dean of the Graduate College for students on probation with exceptional circumstances.
Workload
- The expected workload for a 0.25 FTE position is 10 hours per week on average and 20 hours a week on average for a 0.50 FTE appointment.
Termination
- Tuition waivers are prorated based on the business days of employment in the term when a student does not complete the assignment/term/session (e.g., withdraws for the semester).
* Receiving an “incomplete” grade does not cause the proration or removal of a tuition waiver.
Restrictions
- OSU policy prohibits concurrent use of Faculty/Staff Tuition Waiver and GTA/GRA Tuition Waiver.
- Graduate student benefits, such as tuition waivers, are available only to individuals with a primary classification asgraduate students. For example, OSU employees taking graduate classes do not qualify for graduate student benefit programs, irrespective of whether their employment is a benefit eligible position. In addition, one cannot opt-out of certain benefits in an a-la-carte manner to seek eligibility for other benefits.
- Student FICA tax exemption requires a minimum enrollment of 2 credit hours irrespective of an assistantship or hourly worker positions. Paychecks of students employed without enrollment result in FICA taxation according to federal regulations. This taxation is irreversible and cannot be changed with late enrollment.
- Nondegree- and/or graduate certificate-seeking students are not eligible for tuition waiver program benefits nor are such courses unless they are also embedded and required for a master's or doctoral degree program as approved by OSRHE and the student's Plan of Study.
Related Links
To receive tuition waiver benefits, a graduate student must be enrolled full time
and in a qualifying appointment: employed in a 0.50 FTE position for the academic
calendar term or session (e.g., 17 weeks in the fall semester). However, there are
extraordinary and rare circumstances that merit Graduate College review for potential
tuition waiver eligibility where the student does not meet the length of employment
qualification. Typical circumstances that will be reviewed are as follows: (1) delay
in arrival (e.g., Visa issues); (2) the graduate advisor has received new funding
(e.g., grant) with a beginning date after the term has started or (3) the graduate
student has been tuition waiver eligible for the past two regular semesters (i.e.,
fall and spring), has successfully completed all of the degree requirements within
the first six weeks of the term, and is departing the university early (e.g., employment).
On the form link below, the graduate student, in consultation with the graduate advisor,
should provide brief details about the request as follows:
- For the circumstances denoted in (1), delay in arrival, please denote what the issue was, when the graduate student arrived and enrolled and when the qualifying employment started or will start. Typical delays would not extend beyond the last day to enroll for a given semester/session.
- For the circumstance denoted in (2), a new funding source, please provide the following information: project name, funding source name, project PI name and beginning date. Please note that if tuition waiver eligibility is permitted, the waiver amount will be prorated with respect to the remaining weeks in the term unless employment is continuous into the next term. For example, if a GRA is available on a new grant at the beginning of the October 1 of the fall semester and the GRA is appointed from that point through May 31, the full tuition wavier benefit would apply for the fall semester. However, if the GRA appointment is through the end of the fall semester 10/17 or 59% of the tuition waiver amount would be applied.
- For the circumstance denoted in (3), degree completion, it is expected that the graduate student is primarily enrolled in thesis or dissertation hours. Please include current enrollment information.
A fellowship provides financial support to graduate students to pursue graduate studies without requiring teaching or research responsibilities. Fellowships are generally merit-based or project-based and may be internal or external awards to support full-time students in their course of study.
Scholarships are awards that help students pay for their education. These awards may be based on academic performance, field of study, or other criteria. Unlike student loans, scholarships do not have to be repaid. For more information about scholarships, go to: https://financialaid.okstate.edu/scholarships/grad.
Awards are prizes or other marks of recognition for an achievement. In most cases, awards sponsored by the Graduate College are given in conjunction with a monetary prize.
These awards are presented annually at the Graduate College awards ceremony, held in the Spring semester. Notice of requests for nominations will be posted in the Graduate College weekly, Monday Memo.
The Honorary Graduate Commencement Marshal recognition is the highest honor bestowed on Doctoral and Master’s degree graduates at each commencement. Marshals have demonstrated scholarly achievement, as evidenced by academic performance and discipline-appropriate scholarly contributions that capture the essence of our land-grant mission. Marshals receive a monetary award, are recognized at commencement, and lead the graduates in the processional, recessional, and awarding of the diploma covers.
In partnership with the OSU Research Office, Graduate Research Excellence Awards recognize
outstanding research accomplishments as reflected in the thesis or dissertation.This
is OSU's highest public recognition of the research conducted by the institution’s
most talented graduate students. Awardees, receive a certificate and a Presidential
Letter of Commendation and commemorative plaque.
In partnership with the OSU Writing Center and the Edmon Low Library, graduate students
have the opportunity to enhance their abstract writing skills through workshops that
focus on writing technical abstracts targeted to those in their discipline. Participants
in the workshops can enter their abstract in the competition to compete for monetary
prizes. The abstract Writing Workshops and Contests are offered every semester and
are part of the Graduate College’s 360⁰ Critical Skills for Career Success professional
development (digital badge) program.
In partnership with the OSU Writing Center and the Edmon Low Library, graduate students
have had the opportunity to enhance their abstract writing skills through workshops
that focus on writing public abstracts for diverse non-disciplinary audiences. The
Public Abstract Writing Contest, which is open to participants in the workshops, provides
graduate students the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to write public abstracts,
addressing the needs of diverse audiences and situations. Participants in these workshops
can enter their abstract in the competition to compete for monetary prizes. The abstract
Writing Workshops and Contests are offered every semester as a part of the Graduate
College’s 360⁰ Critical Skills for Career Success professional development (digital
badge) program.
The Outstanding Graduate Coordinator award is given annually to a program coordinator
in recognition of their work to advance the career aspirations of our graduate students
and contributions to the success of our graduate programs. Nominations are submitted
by graduate faculty and graduate students. The winner is formally recognized during
the annual Graduate College and GPSGA awards ceremony.
The Outstanding Graduate Program Support Staff award is given annually to a program
support staff in recognition of their exceptional contributions to the overall success
of their graduate program. Nominations may be submitted by graduate faculty and graduate
students. The winner is recognized during the annual Graduate College and GPSGA awards
ceremony.
The Doctoral Student Phoenix Award is the highest recognition bestowed by GPSGA on
an OSU doctoral student and recognizes exemplary achievement in leadership and scholarship,
community and university service, and professional involvement, especially as it relates
to the OSU graduate student body. Applicants are nominated by any faculty member,
administrator, or graduate student (including self-nominations), must be enrolled
as a graduate student in the current academic year, require no more than 6 credit
hours for degree completion after the spring semester, and have a minimum grade point
average of 3.5. The student award winners each receive a monetary award from the GPSGA.
The Master's Student Phoenix Award is the highest recognition bestowed by GPSGA on
an OSU master's student and recognizes exemplary achievement in leadership and scholarship,
community and university service, and professional involvement, especially as it relates
to the OSU graduate student body. A call for nominations is made through the Graduate
College Monday Memo each year. Applicants are nominated by any faculty member, administrator,
or graduate student (including self-nominations), must be enrolled as a graduate student
in the current academic year, require no more than 6 credit hours for degree completion
after the spring semester, and have a minimum grade point average of 3.5. The student
award winners each receive a monetary award from the GPSGA.
Each year the GPSGA recognizes an outstanding graduate teaching assistant. Nominations
may be initiated by any faculty member, administrator, or graduate student (including
self nominations). Master's and doctoral student applicants are eligible and must
be enrolled as a graduate student in the current academic year and have a minimum
grade point average of 3.5. The award winner will be recognized at the annual awards
ceremony and receive a monetary award and a certificate.
The Phoenix Graduate Faculty Mentor award is given annually to a faculty member in
recognition of excellence in mentorship of graduate students. The winner, selected
by graduate students, will receive formal recognition during the annual Graduate College
and GPSGA awards ceremony and have their names engraved on the Phoenix Awards plaque
located outside the Graduate College.
Grants are a source of federal, state or private funding designated to costs associated
with research or other designated activities based on merit or need. The grant may
include funds for an assistantship, materials, supplies, travel, tuition based on
the criteria stipulated by the funding program.
Loans are funds that are borrowed to help pay for educational expenses. They may originate
from federal or private sources. Federal law sets the maximum interest rates and fees
you can be charged for a federally-guaranteed education loan. Private loans (sometimes
called alternative loans) are not part of the federal government guaranteed student
loan program, and can be more costly. Loans must be repaid, usually with interest.
For more information about loans, check out https://financialaid.okstate.edu/aid/loans.
Where can I find out more about the process of applying for financial aid?
Is there additional information available to graduate students about financial aid?
How do I check the status of my financial aid?
How do I accept my financial aid?
What is meant by satisfactory academic progress in order to qualify for financial aid?