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The Graduate Student Tuition Support Program (GSTSP) is designed to promote the recruitment and retention of high-quality graduate students.

Tuition Support Program

A graduate student is eligible for a scholarship for/waiver of resident and non-resident tuition (if applicable) if they have an assistantship and/or fellowship that meets the requirements of FTE (hours dedicated for the assistantship per week), stipend level, and title. The student must meet academic requirements of being enrolled in a graduate degree-seeking program, and in good academic standing.

Graduate Student Tuition Support Program

For a student to receive financial support for tuition, the appointment must be:
  • In a .50 FTE or hold a University-recognized eligible fellowship.
  • Fellowship stipend amount must equal a quarter-time (.25 FTE, or 10 hours per week) assistantship. Students with fellowships enrolled for the first time in Summer 2022 or later can be in a .25 fellowship ONLY if they have a second .25 assistantship or equivalent fellowship.
  • New students must have been admitted based admission criteria developed by the academic degree-granting home of the student and on standards established by the Graduate Faculty Senate and the Graduate School.
  • In good academic standing, as determined by the student’s academic home and University policy
  • At or exceed the minimum stipend established in May/June for the next academic year
Those not eligible include:
  • Benefit-Eligible University of Missouri Employees (including all System universities and UM Health System) — Benefit-eligible employees are not eligible for the tuition support. However, if they are new employees in their probationary period (first 6 months of employment) and not yet eligible for educational assistance, they can qualify for graduate student tuition support.
  • Non-degree Graduate Students — A student must be in a degree-seeking program (master’s, doctoral, educational specialist) and hold a qualifying assistantship or fellowship.
 
Those who may be eligible include:
  • Professional Students — A professional student (e.g., law, medicine, veterinary medicine, occupational therapy, physical therapy) may be eligible only if seeking a dual degree in a professional program and a graduate program. Tuition is applied only to graduate program courses.

Full-Semester Assistantships and Fellowships

A student must hold the assistantship or fellowship for the entire semester to receive a full tuition waiver. A student who holds an assistantship or fellowship for a portion of the semester may be eligible for a pro-rated tuition waiver.

Eligible Course Work

Support only applies to courses applicable and relevant to the student’s degree program and to courses approved by the student’s advisor.

The courses for which students receive support are checked by the Graduate School after the add/drop period in a semester. If a course is determined to be ineligible, the Tuition Support Program coordinator will remove the support associated with the ineligible course, and the student will be responsible for the tuition and fees associated with that course.

No Plan of Study Required

A student’s tuition waiver is applied only to courses relevant to the student’s degree program. Plans of study are not required for use in the eligibility process.

Tuition support is subject to time limitations.

Contact

Karen Gruen

GSTSP Coordinator

University of Missouri Graduate School
210 Jesse Hall
Columbia, MO 65211
gruenk@missouri.edu
573-884-2326

Note: Summer semesters not included. The overall limits are two degrees or seven years (eight, for the last scenario), whichever comes first. For all master’s work, the student is limited to three years, or six semesters, of support.
Tuition Support Process for Academic and Non-Academic Units

Summer Tuition Support

A student who had a tuition waiver for the fall and spring semesters will receive a waiver for the following summer automatically.

A student with support in past two consecutive semesters may be eligible for summer tuition support if the department completes a Tuition Support Program form to include summer support and the student:

  • Has a qualifying assistantship or fellowship for the entire summer session.
  • Has support for the preceding spring semester and the student has a qualifying assistantship or fellowship committed for the following fall semester.
  • Is starting a program in the summer semester and has a qualifying assistantship or fellowship committed for both the following fall and spring semesters.

Tuition Support Program
Coverage & Billing

Tuition Support Program Coverage

The tuition support pays only up to the grad student rate for eligible courses. Courses with a higher tuition rate are covered up to the graduate rate, and the student or the student’s department is responsible for the difference.

Covered

  • Resident tuition
  • Non-resident fees

Not Covered

  • Incidental fees, including, but not limited to, information technology, activity, health, recreation center, or supplemental course fees.

Tuition support for Missouri resident tuition and non-resident fees will be provided for qualifying individuals from the Tuition Support Program except in cases where resident tuition is paid from other sources, such as grants and contracts.

Tuition support for non-resident fees will be provided to qualifying students, based on the eligibility criteria, who are supported by funded research, training grants or contracts.

The tuition support applies only to courses applicable and relevant to the student’s degree program and approved by the student’s advisor.

The courses for which students receive support are checked after the add/drop period in a semester. If a course is determined to be ineligible, the Graduate Student Tuition Support coordinator will remove the support associated with the ineligible course, and the student will be responsible for the tuition and fees associated with that course.

Students should check with their departments to make sure the tuition support form has been sent to the tuition support coordinator and that the form has been processed before the first payment is due.

Students are responsible for incidental fees, such as student activity, student health, recreation facility and information technology fees, as well as college-specific supplemental course fees, unless another arrangement is made, such as the department covering these incidental fees. Students are charged a late payment fee if they do not make a payment by the due date. In addition, students are charged a 1% finance charge for any balance carried forward to the next month. Please note that students are responsible for making sure fees are paid and are charged a late payment fee if they do not make a payment by the due date.

Visit the Office of Cashiers Website for More Information
 

Program Specifics

The Tuition Support Program is a dynamic process. As the program continues to be developed and refined, changes will continue to be made to the policy and regulations.

The University reserves the right to make changes to this policy at any time, without notice to the students. Nothing contained in this policy is to be construed as an offer to contract.

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