Most students do not understand the details of how to finance graduate education and rely on their faculty advisers for guidance. Many prospective graduate students do not understand that support is available for graduate education nor do they understand what an assistantship or fellowship is. Information about these particular forms of financial support is extremely helpful to applicants and is important to put on your website in a prominent location. This section of the handbook will provide you with the essentials of graduate student financial support. The authoritative description of the details of student financial support can be found in the Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog. More information can be found in the Financials Policies located in the Policy Guide.

When students interested in financial support contact you, please reply to them promptly with information about assistantships in your program and how they can apply for one. In support of the University of Central Florida’s commitment to Equal Opportunity Employment and Affirmative Action, you are expected to consider all eligible applications.

Also, please refer domestic students to the Office of Student Financial Assistance should they need a student loan. There are also work-study opportunities for graduate students through the Office of Student Financial Assistance. Please nominate those truly outstanding doctoral students for fellowships by mid-January of each year so that they can be eligible for consideration. There are other opportunities for fellowships that may be available in your college or through private foundations.

Components of UCF Financial Support Packages

The basic forms of financial support for graduate students are fellowships, assistantships, tuition remission, and health insurance. Loans and external fellowships are also available. Some short descriptions of each follow:

University fellowships

• A stipend payment that does not require employment
• Included as a part of a complete financial package (stipend, tuition remission, and health insurance)
• Tuition remission in the form of in-state waivers
• Program requirements such as research involvement and attendance at seminars must still be met

Assistantships

• Payment of stipend for employment over an academic year or calendar year
• Included as a part of a complete financial support package (stipend, tuition remission, and health insurance)

Tuition remission

• This may be in the form of in-state waivers for 0.5 FTE GTAs or in-state tuition payments for 0.5 FTE GRAs and GAs. For those 0.5 FTE non-resident graduate assistants who have their in-state tuition paid or waived, a differential out-of-state fee of $0.00 is charged in lieu of the standard out-of-state fee. The standard out-of-state fee can be found at http://www.iroffice.ucf.edu/character/current_tuition.html
• Tuition payments for GRAs and GAs can be made by an employing unit or another appropriate unit within the university, a fellowship foundation, or as part of a formal, written university-approved agreement
• Standard tuition remission does NOT cover local fees; these may be paid by the hiring unit.

Health insurance

• UCF Student Health Insurance paid by the College of Graduate Studies for 0.5 FTE graduate assistants (one appointment at 20 hours per week or two at 10 hours per week) and university fellows

How the Components of Complete Financial Packages Fit Together
	Stipend		Tuition Remission		Health Insurance
Assignment Category	FTE	Stipend	Tuition	Out-of-State Fees	Health Insurance Paid by the Graduate College
GTA	0.50	Pay for 20 hrs/wk	Waived	Not charged	Yes
	0.25 (of split 0.50)	Pay for 10 hrs/wk	1/2 waived	Not charged	Yes
	0.25	Pay for 10 hrs/wk	1/2 waived	Charged	Not
GRA	0.50	Pay for 20 hrs/wk	Paid by grant or unit	Not charged	Yes
	0.25 (of split 0.50)	Pay for 10 hrs/wk	1/2 paid by grant or unit	Not charged	Yes
	0.25	Pay for 10 hrs/wk	1/2 paid by grant or unit	Charged	No
GA	0.50	Pay for 20 hrs/wk	Paid by employer	Not charged	Yes
	0.25 (of split 0.50)	Pay for 10 hrs/wk	Paid by employer	Not charged	Yes
	0.24	Pay for 10 hrs/wk	1/2 paid by employer	Charged	No
Fellows	No work assignment	Fellowship stipend	Waived	Not charged	Yes

In instances noted “Not charged”, students who are non-Florida residents will be charged a differential out-of-state fee of $0.00 that will replace the standard out-of-state fee. Thus, the standard out-of-state fee and non-resident financial aid fee will not be assessed. In instances noted “Charged”, the standard out-of-state fee and non-resident financial aid fee will be assessed.

†If the number of GTA appointments exceeds the GTA waiver allocation, in-state-tuition must be covered in the manner shown for GRA and GA appointments.

‡See Health Insurance section for details