Financial Aid Regulations
Undergraduate Financial Aid
Undergraduate financial aid recipients are expected to maintain an institution GPA of at least 2.0 and pass at least 67% of their courses. The federal definition of full-time enrollment is 12 credits at USU. (Federal Pell Grants adjust for full-time, three-fourths-time, half-time, and less than half-time.) Loan recipients must have a minimum of 6 credits each semester they receive a loan.
According to federal regulations, students not passing the required amount of credits or not maintaining the required grade point average will be placed on financial aid warning for one semester only. Students not meeting the required minimums during the period of warning will be suspended from further aid. Students may appeal to have the suspension lifted if they can document circumstances beyond their control that are now resolved or under control.
In addition to maintaining academic progress as defined above, recipients need to meet all eligibility requirements, may not owe a repayment on grants previously received, be in default of any student loan fund at USU or any other institution.
If students are experiencing special or extenuating circumstances, the Student Financial Support department have counselors to help resolve or guide them through adverse situations.
Graduate Financial Aid
Applications for assistantships, fellowships, and other financial aid should be made through departmental offices. Utah State University is party to a resolution of the Council of Graduate Schools that establishes April 15 as the deadline for acceptance of offers of financial assistance. If a student accepts an offer before April 15 and then wishes to withdraw, a resignation of the appointment may be submitted in writing at any time prior to April 15. However, after April 15, a student is not to accept another offer without first obtaining a written release from the institution to which a commitment has been made.
Students who are awarded waivers, fellowships, and/or scholarships must be full-time students enrolled in approved graduate-level coursework and meet the requirements for the duration of the given semester.
1. Graduate Tuition Awards
Graduate students may be eligible to receive graduate tuition awards for the resident and/or nonresident portion of tuition. Most of these awards are coordinated through the admitting college, department, and program. Domestic students are required to obtain Utah residency before the start of their third semester in order to minimize the cost of nonresident tuition. Additional information regarding Utah residency requirements can be found here.
- The Alumni Legacy Waiver: The nonresident portion of tuition for the first two semesters will be waived for a student with at least one parent or grandparent (biological, step, or legal guardian) who earned an associate degree or higher from Utah State University and is enrolled as a first-time graduate student at Utah State University. Time spent in Utah on the scholarship can be counted toward establishing Utah residency for tuition purposes as long as the student remains in good standing. Students who receive the waiver are expected to obtain Utah residency after their second semester in a graduate program. Please visit Tuition and Financial Aid for more information.
- Research Nonresident Tuition Waiver: The nonresident portion of tuition will be waived for any graduate student who is in a PhD program or an MS, Plan A program and supported by a 0.5 FTE assistantship beginning the first day of classes and ending the last day of finals for the given semester. This is a true waiver of nonresident tuition, with no limit on the number of waivers that may be awarded per semester. Domestic students can only receive this waiver for two semesters (excluding summer) after which they must gain Utah residency. International students may receive this waiver for as many semesters they remain eligible.
- Nonresident Tuition Waiver for Excellence: This waiver for nonresident tuition is available to students in any graduate degree program. The nonresident portion of tuition will be waived two semesters for any incoming graduate student who has an admission GPA above the college average and meets the definition of excellence outlined by each college. College averages for admission GPA will be computed each October, based on students who are enrolled for the fall semester; those averages will determine waiver eligibility the following academic year.
- Western Regional Graduate Programs (WRGP): Students who are in good-standing and a resident of participating states may enroll in graduate programs approved as Western Regional Graduate Programs (WRGP) by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) without paying nonresident tuition. Utah State University’s WRGP degrees can be found on the School of Graduate Studies website. Please visit Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education for more information.
2. Graduate Assistantships
Teaching, research, and graduate instructor assistantships are available in many departments. Assistantships may be awarded up to but cannot exceed 20 hours per week (.5FTE). In the interest of timely degree completion, graduate students are generally employed by the University for no more than 20 hours per week. Employment for more than 20 hours per week must be approved by the student’s advisor, degree-program department head, and by the Vice Provost of Graduate Studies. Please visit the Work 20+ Hours website for more information and to access the form.
During the fall and spring semesters, graduate assistants must be full-time, matriculated students. Full-time status for students employed as graduate assistants is based on the full-time equivalent or FTE. A .125 to 0.374 FTE requires a student to enroll for at least 9 graduate-level credits; a 0.375 to 0.50 FTE requires a student to enroll for at least 6 graduate-level credits. See also Student Classifications.
Students on a 0.5 FTE graduate assistantship are considered university employees and required to have health insurance. Utah State University offers subsidized health insurance to students on a 0.5 FTE through Student Health Services with departments covering a portion of the premium. Students who have comparable health insurance through another source may opt out of the University health insurance. Eligible students must enroll or request to waive out of the subsidized graduate insurance for both fall and spring semesters. For more information, please see the Student Health Services website or contact ship@usu.edu.
Graduate assistants must maintain an institution grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher. Once a Program of Study has been approved, the department head may request that the institution GPA be based only on courses listed on the Program of Study. GPAs are checked by the School of Graduate Studies at the end of each semester. If the student has not yet started the graduate program, the overall GPA for terms that include the last 60 semester, or 90 quarter, credits will be used to determine eligibility as a graduate assistant.
Graduate assistants may register for a maximum of 12 credits per semester, unless a petition to take additional credits is approved by the Vice Provost of Graduate Studies.
- Teaching Assistantships/Graduate Instructors:
- Graduate students may be teaching assistants or graduate instructors. Teaching loads vary up to a maximum of 20 hours per week, and salaries vary with department and teaching load.
- Each student awarded a teaching assistantship or graduate instructorship is required to complete either the USU Assistantship training (USU 7920 ) or the approved department equivalent. In addition, international students are required to complete IELI 7920 . The workshops cover USU policy, FERPA, Sexual Harassment Prevention training, and help students gain the techniques and skills to be effective instructors in the University environment.
- International students may be considered for teaching assistantships if they demonstrate adequate proficiency in English communication, as determined by Utah State University’s Intensive English Language Institute and have participated in the required workshops (USU 7920 and IELI 7920 ), which aid international students in understanding American university culture and in improving communication.
- To be eligible for the Research Non-Resident Tuition waiver the student must be in a either a MS, Plan A or PhD program. The assistantship must be 0.5 FTE and begin the first day of classes and end the last day of finals.
- Research Assistantships: Research assistantships are typically funded on research grants and are awarded by faculty. To be eligible for the Research Non-Resident Tuition waiver the student must be in a either a MS, Plan A or PhD program. The assistantship must be 0.5 FTE and begin the first day of classes and end the last day of finals.
3. Fellowships and Scholarships
Fellowship and scholarship awardees must be matriculated, full-time students enrolled in approved graduate-level coursework. Applications for fellowships and scholarships are submitted to and awarded by the individual departments.
4. Federal College Work-Study Assistantships
Graduate students may apply for work-study support by completing the online FAFSA application. For more information or assistance with the application, contact the Financial Aid Office.
5. Probationary Status, Eligibility for Assistantship
A student who is appointed as a university teaching or research assistantship or fellowship and changed to probationary status, will be terminated from their position. The department may submit a petition to the Vice Provost of Graduate Studies appealing the student’s status and request to continue the assistantship or fellowship.
6. Other Financial Assistance
Students not employed as assistantships or fellowships may receive financial assistance by working for departments or other campus units. Graduate students are generally not employed by the University for more than 20 hours per week. Employment beyond 20 hours per week must be approved by the student’s advisor, degree program department head, and the Vice Provost of Graduate Studies.
In addition, graduate students may apply for Federal Stafford Loans, Federal Perkins Loans, Federal Supplemental Loans for Students (SLS), Emergency Loans, and Federal College Work-Study through the Financial Aid Office. More information can be found through the Financial Aid Office.
Some students may be eligible for GI Bill®* Benefits and should contact the Veterans Resource Office.
*GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
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