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Changes to Gradaute Student Financial Aid Packages

Skip to changes for current graduate students receiving financial aid

Students starting in Summer 2008 and after

As of the summer semester of 2008 (May 5, 2008), there are changes in the financial aid policies for graduate students receiving stipends, tuition scholarships and/or tuition waivers.  These new policies take effect for all graduate students who matriculate into a graduate program at USP after the spring semester of 2008.  With the exceptions noted below, graduate students who are matriculated into a graduate program prior to the summer semester of 2008 will be grandfathered under the current policies. 

Future revisions to these policies are likely and comments and suggestions are welcome.

As of the start of the summer semester of 2008 (May 5, 2008), newly matriculated graduate students must meet the following criteria to receive financial aid in the form of stipend, tuition scholarship or tuition waiver from USP’s COGS:

  1. A student must be matriculated into a graduate degree granting program.  Enrollment/matriculation in a “certificate program” does not satisfy this criterion and such students are ineligible to receive this type of financial aid.
  2. A student must be matriculated in a Ph.D. or M.S.(thesis) track in a USP graduate program as full-time student to be eligible to be considered for a stipend and/ or tuition scholarship.
  3. A student enrolled as a Ph.D. student is eligible to be considered to receive a stipend and/or tuition scholarship for a maximum of 4 calendar years from the beginning of the semester in which the student first matriculated as a graduate student at USP.  A Ph.D. student is eligible to be considered to receive tuition waivers for a maximum of 5 calendar years from the beginning of the semester in which the student first matriculated as a graduate student at USP.
  4. A student enrolled as a M.S.(thesis) student is eligible to be considered to receive a stipend and/or tuition scholarship for a maximum of two calendar years from the beginning of the semester in which the student first matriculated as a graduate student at USP.  A M.S.(thesis) student is eligible to be considered to receive tuition waivers for a maximum of  2 calendar years plus 1 semester from the beginning of the semester in which the student first matriculated as a graduate student at USP.
  5. A student enrolled either as a M.S.(non-thesis), M.B.A. or M.P.H. student is only eligible to be considered to receive tuition waivers.  Such students are eligible to be considered to receive tuition waivers for a maximum of 2 calendar years plus 1 semester from the beginning of the semester in which the student first matriculated as a graduate student at USP.

 

The following policies will hold for all current and new graduate students as of the summer semester of 2008 (May 5, 2008):

 

  1. With the exception of newly matriculated students, students who are to receive financial aid from COGS must be registered by the end of the “On-Line Registration Period” for each semester.  (See USP’s Graduate website for the exact dates of the On-Line Registration Periods.)  Students who are not registered as of this date will lose their financial aid from COGS.
  2. Students who are receiving a stipend and tuition scholarship must be registered as a full-time student (i.e., at least 9 credits) unless granted an exemption (see policy 3 below).  The maximum number of credits that can be covered by a tuition scholarship is 9 credits in any semester. 
  3. If a Ph.D. or M.S. (thesis) student has been receiving a tuition scholarship as a full-time student, if their program director and research advisor certify that the student is in their terminal semester, and the student is within the eligibility time limit to receive such financial aid, the student may apply to the dean for a 1 credit tuition scholarship for that semester as a part-time student.  If the student does not receive a stipend during this semester, then no service duties other than completion of thesis/dissertation will be expected of the student under these circumstances.  If the student does receive a stipend during this semester, then the normal expectations of service for that semester will apply as if the student is a full-time student.  If the student does not complete all degree requirements in this “terminal semester”, the student must register for at least one credit in each semester until all degree requirements are met.  In such case, the student is fiscally responsible for this tuition and is ineligible for further financial aid from COGS.
  4. The number of credits that can be waived by a tuition waiver is equal to one-third of the credits the student is registered for each semester.  The maximum number of credits that can be waived in any one semester is 4 credits (i.e., student must be registered for at least 12 credits that semester).  Three hours of service per week over the semester is required for each credit of tuition waived.  No student may receive financial aid that would require the total number of hours combined service to the University to be more than 20 hours per week.
  5. Ph.D. and M.S.(thesis) students who receive extramural funding of their stipends but do not receive tuition support may apply to receive a tuition scholarship during this time.  This must occur within 6 years and 3 years from the beginning of the semester in which the student first matriculated as a graduate student at USP for Ph.D. and M.S.(thesis) students, respectively.  Exceptions to these time limits may be granted in the case of unusual circumstances by the Dean of COGS upon consultation with the student’s advisor and program director.
  6. Graduate students must continue to make satisfactory academic progress.  Graduate students who do not maintain satisfactory academic progress are placed on probation.  Those graduate students who are receiving financial aid from COGS and who are placed on probation will automatically have their eligibility to receive such financial aid reviewed by a committee appointed by the Dean of COGS.  The committee may recommend to the Dean that the student’s financial aid will be reduced or eliminated.  If this occurs a student may request through the program director that his/her financial aid be restored once the student is off probation.  There is no guarantee that these funds will be restored.

 

Exceptions:

Exceptions to these policies/time limits may be made by the Dean of COGS after consultation with individuals that s/he deems appropriate.