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FAQ
Q1: Will my tuition fellowship pay for courses I audit?
Q2: Which type of hours are used in calculating the number of hours for which the Graduate Tuition Fellowship Program will pay the tuition?
Q3: I dropped a course after the fifteenth class day (fifth class day in summer terms). Why are the hours for that course still being counted as University-paid hours in my graduate tuition fellowship record?
Q4: If I drop a course before the fifteenth class day (fifth class day in summer terms), will the hours for that course still count as University-paid hours in my graduate tuition fellowship record?
Q5: I have 22 credit hours on my transcript, but my graduate tuition fellowship record shows 29 University-paid hours. Why?
Q6: How can I track my University-paid tuition record?
Q7: What is the connection between my graduate assistantship and my tuition fellowship?
Q8: I have used up all of my eligibility for my Graduate Tuition Fellowship. Will this affect my eligibility for Non-Resident Tuition Remission?
Q9: I would like to enroll in a second master's degree program. Will a Graduate Tuition Fellowship pay my tuition for both degrees?
Q10: I earned a master's degree at another university and am now enrolled in a doctoral program at Auburn University. How many hours of support is available to me from the Graduate Tuition Fellowship Program?
Q11: I earned my master's degree at Auburn University and have matriculated into a doctoral program at Auburn. How many hours of support is available to me from the Graduate Tuition Fellowship Program?
Q12: My department has awarded me a Graduate Assistantship that qualifies for the Graduate Tuition Fellowship. What benefits will I receive?
Q13: Can my tuition fellowship be taken away?
Q14: I hold a tuition fellowship. What additional fees should I expect to pay?
Q15: I am resigning from my assistantship at midterm to seek employment elsewhere. What will happen to my tuition fellowship and Non-Resident Tuition Remission?
Q16: I would like to register for classes this summer, but my department will be unable to award me an assistantship for the summer. Because I am not an Alabama resident for fee purposes, will I have to pay non-resident tuition?
Q17: I was awarded a Graduate Research Fellowship before Spring 2004. My award letter told me I would receive 2 years of support as a master's student or 4 years as a doctoral student. How much tuition support will I receive?
Q18: I was awarded a Graduate Teaching Fellowship before Spring 2004, or I began later when new guidelines restricted such awards to 40 hours for a master's student and a combined 80 hours for a doctoral student. How much tuition support will I receive?
Q19: What is the new rule (start date: Fall 2007) for the amount of Graduate Tuition Fellowship support available?
Q20: I have used up all of my eligibility for my Graduate Tuition Fellowship. Will this affect my eligibility for a graduate assistantship?
Q21: How do I apply to receive University payment of my tuition?
Q22: How are the Graduate Tuition Fellowship Program and the Graduate Assistant Insurance Benefit related?
Q23: I have a continuing qualifying assistantship but I am not taking full loads most semesters. Is there a time limit to the support offered by the Graduate Tuition Fellowship Program?
Q24: I have been accepted provisionally into a degree program for my first semester and I have been granted a qualifying assistantship. Will I qualify for the Graduate Tuition Fellowship?
Q25: I am supported by an extra-mural fellowship granted to my department to support graduate students. Do I qualify for the Graduate Tuition Fellowship?
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Q1: Will my tuition fellowship pay for courses I audit?
Yes. University graduate tuition fellowships will pay for any Auburn University course for which regular tuition is charged (except outreach or distance courses) up to 15 hours per semester and up to the maximum allowed by fellowship guidelines.
Q2: Which type of hours are used in calculating the number of hours for which the Graduate Tuition Fellowship Program will pay the tuition?
Auburn University has "quality" hours, "attempted" hours, "credit" hours, and "earned" hours. For graduate tuition fellowships, a paid-tuition hour is defined as any hour for which the university pays tuition or fees (i.e., the “attempted” hours), regardless of level (undergraduate or graduate) or grade type (graded, pass/fail, ungraded).
Q3: I dropped a course after the fifteenth class day (fifth class day in summer terms). Why are the hours for that course still being counted as University-paid hours in my graduate tuition fellowship record?
Auburn University charges full tuition for any courses dropped after the fifteenth class day (fifth class day in summer terms). The Graduate Tuition Fellowship Program must therefore pay for the class you dropped and those payments are reflected in your fellowship record.
Q4: If I drop a course before the fifteenth class day (fifth class day in summer terms), will the hours for that course still count as University-paid hours in my graduate tuition fellowship record?
No. Auburn University will adjust the tuition charges for any courses dropped prior to the fifteenth class day (fifth class day in summer terms).
Q5: I have 22 credit hours on my transcript, but my graduate tuition fellowship record shows 29 University-paid hours. Why?
There are several possibilities here. Your graduate tuition fellowship record displays tuition payments that are made at the start of a semester while credit hours are not awarded until you complete your courses at the end of the semester. If you dropped a class after the fifteenth class day (fifth class day in summer terms), those hours will count as paid hours, but not as credit hours on your transcript. If you failed a class, those hours will count as paid hours, but not as credit hours on your transcript.
Q6: How can I track my University-paid tuition record?
The Graduate School has created GTUFS (Graduate TUition Fellowship System) to help graduate students track their Non-Resident Tuition Remission and Graduate Tuition Fellowship activity. Please access GTUFS to see your University-paid tuition record.
Q7: What is the connection between my graduate assistantship and my tuition fellowship?
Only graduate students holding assistantships that meet the eligibility conditions (.25 FTE, with stipend that meets or exceeds the Provost specified minimum [$612/month in 2007-08], from the 8th to the last class day of the semester) and who are in good academic standing (Graduate GPA 3.0 or higher) receive the tuition fellowship. Assistantships and tuition fellowships, therefore, are disconnected under the following circumstances. Assistantships may exist that do not meet the eligibility conditions. Students with such assistantships will not receive the tuition fellowship. Students may not maintain a 3.0 GPA but may not be required to relinquish their assistantship. These students, however, will not receive the tuition fellowship. Finally, there are limits to the number of hours of tuition fellowship support students may receive. Students who exceed these limits may continue to hold an assistantship, but they will not receive the tuition fellowship.
Q8: I have used up all of my eligibility for my Graduate Tuition Fellowship. Will this affect my eligibility for Non-Resident Tuition Remission?
No. Non-Resident Tuition Remission is awarded to any graduate assistant with an appointment of 25 percent or greater. Eligibility for this Tuition Remission is not connected to eligibility for Graduate Tuition Fellowships.
Q9: I would like to enroll in a second master's degree program. Will a Graduate Tuition Fellowship pay my tuition for both degrees?
The Tuition Fellowship Program will pay for a second masters degrees only if the two masters degrees are part of a joint degree program recognized in the University Curriculum. If the student did not exhaust the hours available in the fellowship supporting the first degree, the remaining hours can be applied to a second master’s degree. For example, if a student completes his/her first degree in the minimum number of hours required by the degree, ten hours of graduate tuition fellowship support remain and can be tapped for a second masters degree.
Q10: I earned a master's degree at another university and am now enrolled in a doctoral program at Auburn University. How many hours of support is available to me from the Graduate Tuition Fellowship Program?
Contingent upon continuing departmental support; continuing assistantship support; and satisfactory progress toward the degree, you will receive up to the full maximum for the doctoral program in which you are enrolled.
Q11: I earned my master's degree at Auburn University and have matriculated into a doctoral program at Auburn. How many hours of support is available to me from the Graduate Tuition Fellowship Program?
Contingent upon continuing departmental support; continuing assistantship support; and satisfactory progress toward the degree, you will receive up to the full maximum for the doctoral program in which you are enrolled minus all hours paid for by tuition fellowship during your master's degree.
Q12: My department has awarded me a Graduate Assistantship that qualifies for the Graduate Tuition Fellowship. What benefits will I receive?
Every degree program specifies a minimum required program. Masters students with on-going qualifying assistantships who maintain good academic standing will be supported by tuition fellowship until the number of university-paid hours exceeds the minimum program plus 10 hours. Similar doctoral students will be supported by tuition fellowships until the number of university-paid hours exceeds the minimum doctoral program plus 20 hours (minus any hours already taken in another graduate program at Auburn University). Graduate Tuition Fellowships pay the resident tuition, course fees, and student activity fees. No more than 15 attempted hours will be supported per semester. (Attempted hours are defined as any hours for which the university charges tuition or fees, regardless of level or grade type).
Q13: Can my tuition fellowship be taken away?
Yes. A fellowship is taken away when its benefits are exhausted, when the student’s GPA falls below 3.0 or when a qualifying assistantship is terminated. Such termination can occur if the department offering the assistantship determines that any of the following conditions apply to a graduate assistant: unsatisfactory academic performance; unsatisfactory performance as a graduate assistant; unsatisfactory progress toward the degree; or insufficient funds, inadequate enrollment, or changing research needs of the department or University.
Q14: I hold a tuition fellowship. What additional fees should I expect to pay?
Auburn University will charge you a registration fee for each semester you receive Graduate Tuition Fellowship payments. For academic year 2007-08, this registration fee is $248. In addition, you will pay parking fines, library fines, late payment fees, printing charges, housing, insurance, and similar charges and fees.
Q15: I am resigning from my assistantship at midterm to seek employment elsewhere. What will happen to my tuition fellowship and Non-Resident Tuition Remission?
Tuition fellowships and Non-Resident Tuition Remission are Auburn University's commitment to your graduate education in return for your service in support of the University's instructional, research and outreach missions. To qualify for tuition payments, you must be employed as a graduate assistant no later than the eighth class day (fifth class day in summer terms) through the last day of classes of the term. Resigning or being removed from your assistantship will require you to assume responsibility for all tuition and fees for the term.
Q16: I would like to register for classes this summer, but my department will be unable to award me an assistantship for the summer. Because I am not an Alabama resident for fee purposes, will I have to pay non-resident tuition?
If a non-resident graduate student has held an assistantship for the previous two consecutive terms, and received Non-Resident Tuition Remission, you will be permitted to pay resident tuition charges for the summer. This benefit is not automatic, however, and applies only to the non-resident portion of your tuition. You must contact the Bursar's Office and request this exception.
Q17: I was awarded a Graduate Research Fellowship before Spring 2004. My award letter told me I would receive 2 years of support as a master's student or 4 years as a doctoral student. How much tuition support will I receive?
The new policy, implemented Fall Semester 2007, takes precedence. So long as you meet all other eligibility criteria, you will receive the number of hours of tuition fellowship support remaining when the number of supported hours you already have received are subtracted from the maximum number of hours available under this new policy. Students who would have support remaining under the pre-2004 policy but do not under the new policy should contact the Graduate School.
Q18: I was awarded a Graduate Teaching Fellowship before Spring 2004, or I began later when new guidelines restricted such awards to 40 hours for a master's student and a combined 80 hours for a doctoral student. How much tuition support will I receive?
The new policy takes precedence. So long as you meet all other eligibility criteria, you will receive the number of hours of Graduate Tuition Fellowship support remaining when the number of hours you have used are subtracted from the maximum number of hours available under the new policy. Students who would have support remaining under the pre-2004 policy but do not under the new policy should contact the Graduate School.
Q19: What is the new rule (start date: Fall 2007) for the amount of Graduate Tuition Fellowship support available?
Master's or Educational Specialist students holding a qualifying graduate assistantship will receive university-paid tuition and fees up to a maximum of the official department-designated minimum Master’s or Specialist degree plus 10 hours. Doctoral students holding qualifying assistantships will receive university-paid tuition and fees up to a maximum of the department-designated minimum doctoral program plus 20 hours. For all degrees, the supported hours refer to all hours attempted at Auburn as a graduate student while serving as an eligible graduate assistant. This includes both undergraduate and graduate hours, and graded, pass-fail, and ungraded hours. Hours of university-paid tuition recorded toward a previous graduate degree will count toward these maximums. The hours supported at Auburn University through the tuition fellowship in a student’s master's degree program are subtracted from the maximum amount of university-paid tuition available to the student when he/she proceeds to a doctoral program at Auburn.
Q20: I have used up all of my eligibility for my Graduate Tuition Fellowship. Will this affect my eligibility for a graduate assistantship?
No. You may continue to hold a graduate assistantship for as long as your department is willing to assign one to you. The University, however, will not pay your resident tuition. If you are a non-resident of Alabama for fee purposes, the University will continue to pay the non-resident portion of your tuition.
Q21: Must I apply to receive University payment of my tuition?
No application is necessary. Non-Resident Tuition Remission is automatic. If you are a graduate assistant holding at least a one-fourth time appointment, you will receive University payment of your non-resident tuition automatically. Graduate Tuition Fellowships are also automatic. If you are a graduate assistant holding a qualifying assistantship, you will receive University payment of your resident tuition automatically unless or until your eligibility is exceeded.
Q22: How are the Graduate Tuition Fellowship Program and the Graduate Assistant Insurance Benefit related?
The Graduate Tuition Fellowship Program and the Graduate Assistant Insurance Benefit both apply to graduate assistants who meet specific qualifying conditions (.25 FTE, with stipend that meets or exceeds the Provost specified minimum [$612/month in 2007-08], from the 8th to the last class day of the semester, in good academic standing at the end of the previous semester [GPA 3.0 or higher]). However, were the fellowships are limited in the number of hours that will be supported, the insurance benefit is not limited. As long as graduate assistants hold their assistantship and maintain good academic standing, they will continue (a) to be required to carry insurance coverage and (b) receive the insurance subsidy.
Q23: I have a continuing qualifying assistantship but I am not taking full loads most semesters. Is there a time limit to the support offered by the Graduate Tuition Fellowship Program?
Yes. Although students must be enrolled each semester they receive the Graduate Tuition Fellowship, they are not required to be enrolled full-time. No student will receive more than 12 semesters of support while remaining a masters student, even if they have taken less than the maximum number of hours for which they are eligible, given their degree program. Likewise, no doctoral student will receive more than 24 semesters of support (inclusive of masters study supported at Auburn).
Q24:
I have been accepted provisionally into a degree program for my first semester and I have been granted a qualifying assistantship. Will I qualify for the Graduate Tuition Fellowship?
Yes. Provisional acceptance into a degree seeking program during a student's initial semester has no effect on a Graduate Tuition Fellowship. A student must have cleared whatever provision qualified their acceptance, however, by the beginning of his/her second semester to remain qualified.
Q25:
I am supported by an extra-mural fellowship granted to my department to support graduate students. Do I qualify for the Graduate Tuition Fellowship?
Yes. A number of departments have students supported on extra-mural fellowships. It is the practice of the Graduate School to treat these fellowships as assistantships for the purposes of the Graduate Tuition Fellowship Program. However, these student's are not automatically included for the program. Therefore, each Semester, each department with such fellowships must supply the list of fellows to the Graduate School so that they receive the Graduate Tuition Fellowship.
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Disclaimer: The statements set forth in these FAQs are for informational purposes only and should not be construed as the basis of a contract between a student and Auburn University. The Auburn University Graduate School has endeavored to insure the information contained herein is factually accurate, but Auburn University is not responsible for clerical or editorial errors. Information on graduate tuition fellowships is subject to change without notice.
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