Types of Financial Support

Financial support for graduate students engaged in study at the University of Connecticut comes from many sources. Two general types of financial aid are available:

1. Merit-based support, which include graduate assistantships (for teaching or research) and fellowships. Application for graduate assistantships should be made directly to the academic department offering the assistantship. Students interested in fellowships offered through The Graduate School should monitor the website for appropriate application procedures and deadlines.
2. Financial aid offered by the Office of Student Financial Aid Services (OSFAS), includes Federal Direct Student Loans, Federal Direct PLUS Loans, and Federal Work-Study. Citizens or permanent residents of the United States can apply for financial aid by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at www.fafsa.gov. The University of Connecticut’s on-time application deadline is February 15.

International students are not eligible to receive financial aid offered through the Office of Student Financial Aid Services. Undocumented students may qualify for certain types of financial aid. Please visit the Office of Student Financial Aid Services website (financialaid.uconn.edu) for more information.

Many additional sources of funding for graduate education exist through both external and internal opportunities. Graduate students are encouraged to seek opportunities for external sources of support, such as prestigious national fellowships. Opportunities to seek external funding can be found through the Office of National Scholarships and Fellowships at onsf.uconn.edu. A searchable database of opportunities can be accessed through the website, in addition to resources helpful to graduate students seeking to prepare competitive applications. Additional internal awards are available in many programs, and students are encouraged to seek information about awards on program websites.

Categories of Merit-Based Support

Many graduate students engaged in full-time degree study at the University of Connecticut receive merit based support in the form of graduate assistantships for teaching or research, whereas others hold fellowships, traineeships, or internships. More specifically:

1. A graduate assistantship (in the form of a teaching assistantship or research assistantship) is awarded to a graduate student who provides teaching or research support to the University that is a part of the student’s academic program. In recognition of this support, the tuition of the student is provided by the University. All assistantships must be administered through an academic department. Appointments are ordinarily made for the nine-month period from August 23 through May 22.
2. A fellowship is awarded to a graduate student to pursue the student’s academic program, but does not require the student to provide any teaching or research support to the institution. The tuition of a student receiving a fellowship must be paid by the student, the granting organization, the department and/or school/college, or by the University with prior approval. An example of this can be found in the Policy on Competitive Federal Graduate Awards at policy.uconn.edu.
3. An internship is an experiential job placement designed to enhance the knowledge, skills, and abilities of a student and to enhance their employability. An internship requires a student to perform specific work at the host’s site. The tuition payment is the responsibility of the student, the host, or the external funding specifically designated for this purpose.

Support from any of these sources is subject to terms of the funding source and to approval by The Graduate School. In addition, all holders of an assistantship, fellowship, or internship are responsible for associated fees.

Acceptance of Offers of Merit-based Support

The University of Connecticut supports the Council of Graduate Schools Resolution Regarding Graduate Scholars, Fellows, Trainees, and Assistants. Acceptance of an offer of financial support (such as a graduate scholarship, fellowship, traineeship, or assistantship) for the next academic year by a prospective or enrolled graduate student completes an agreement that both the student and the University expect to honor. In that context, the conditions affecting such offers and their acceptance must be defined carefully and understood by all parties.

Students are under no obligation to respond to offers of financial support prior to April 15; earlier deadlines for acceptance of such offers violate the intent of this resolution. In those instances in which a student accepts an offer before April 15 and subsequently desires to withdraw that acceptance, the student may submit in writing a resignation of the appointment at any time through April 15. Applicants are not required to obtain a formal release from the program whose offer they accepted, either before or after the April 15th deadline. Once applicants have informed the program that they are withdrawing their acceptance of the offer, they can accept any other offers. It is further agreed by the institutions and organizations subscribing to the above resolution that a copy of this resolution should accompany every scholarship, fellowship, traineeship, and assistantship offer.

General Requirements for Eligibility

Financial aid recipients must meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements, which are based on federal regulations. These requirements include maintenance of an appropriate grade point average (3.0) and satisfactory completion of a percentage (67%) of the number of credit hours attempted in each award year, as well as not exceeding published credit maximums for the student’s program plan. The credit maximum for doctoral students is 144 attempted credits and the credit maximum for all other graduate students is 108 attempted credits.

Please visit financialaid.uconn.edu for more information related to the terms and conditions of financial aid.

Specific Requirements Related to Graduate Assistantships

To be appointed, to retain an appointment, or to be reappointed as a graduate assistant, a student must have been accorded regular (not provisional) status, must have been maintaining a cumulative grade point average of at least “B” (3.0) in any coursework taken, must be eligible to register (i.e., must not have more than three viable grades of Incomplete on their academic record), must be enrolled in a graduate degree program scheduled to extend through the entire period of the appointment or reappointment, and must be a full-time student, counting coursework and/or its equivalent together with assistantship duties (see “Credit Loads” under Academic Regulations), throughout the period.

The holder of a full assistantship devotes one-half of available time to studies and one-half (approximately twenty hours per week) to assistantship duties, whereas the holder of a half assistantship devotes three-quarters of available time to studies and one-quarter (approximately 10 hours per week) to assistantship duties. Assistantships are not available for fewer than 10 hours per week. Because of the added workload associated with their assistantship duties, graduate assistants ordinarily take fewer courses per year than they otherwise would. In addition, because graduate assistants divide their full-time efforts between study and assistantship responsibilities, they may not hold concurrent employment without the written consent of their major advisor and The Graduate School as recorded by a Supplemental Employment Approval Form.

All graduate assistants in programs based at the UConn Health Center are awarded the same stipend. (Twelve-month rates for the UConn Health Center can be found at health.uconn.edu/graduate-school/admissions/financial-support/.) However, stipend rates for graduate assistants in programs based at Storrs or a regional campus, which can be found at payroll.uconn.edu, are based on levels that reflect progress toward the advanced degree and experience, defined as follows:

• Level 1: For graduate assistants with at least a baccalaureate degree.
• Level 2: For graduate assistants in a doctoral program with at least a master’s degree or its equivalent in the field of graduate study. Equivalency consists of 30 credits of appropriate graduate-level coursework beyond the baccalaureate degree, together with admission to a doctoral program. If the master’s degree was used to satisfy the equivalency of a bachelor’s degree for purposes of admission, the degree does not count toward Level 2 eligibility.
• Level 3: For graduate assistants enrolled in a doctoral program who have passed the doctoral general examination and have the milestone reflected on their record.

When a graduate assistant at Storrs or a regional campus becomes eligible for a Level 2 or Level 3 stipend, the student’s department may request an increase by filing a new employment authorization effective after the student attains eligibility.

Tuition (but not fees) are waived for graduate assistants. If an assistantship begins or terminates during the course of a semester, tuition will be prorated on a weekly schedule, charged for that portion of the semester when the assistantship is not in force and waived when it is in force. This often results in an adjustment of the tuition charges, including partial assessment (if the student is registered throughout the semester for coursework for which tuition is charged) or a partial refund (if tuition has been paid).

The University requires that all students have health insurance. A graduate assistant is eligible for health insurance through the Connecticut Partnership Program. Graduate assistants should be aware that it is necessary to enroll in health insurance in accordance with the published deadlines. Health insurance does not take effect automatically. If a student has other health insurance and does not want the GA student health insurance plan, the student may waive the coverage by completing the “Graduate Assistants/Interns Election/Waiver Form” in CORE-CT.