Understanding Full-Time Status

The Graduate School, October 2015

Does a graduate student have to be full-time?• Maybe, but only under certain conditions:• International student with F-1 or J-1 visa (and no associated assistantship)• If student has a fellowship or scholarship that requires it• If the program reports full-time for accreditation (discipline-specific)

• Students who do not meet the conditions above are not required to be full-time.

What are the implications of the various course loads for domestic students?Number of hours Financial Aid eligibility

and repayment deferral

Graduate Assistantship Health Insurance (automatically enrolled unless have evidence of own insurance and opt out)

9 or more Full-time tuition and full living expenses

Eligible Eligible (with ≥6 main campus)

7-8.5 ¾-time tuition and full living expenses

Eligible Eligible (with ≥6 main campus)

4.5-6.5 ½-time tuition and full living expenses

Eligible with ≥6 Eligible (with ≥6 main campus)

<4.5 (if not 699/799 as described below)

No No No

3 of 699/799 *with candidacy & doing hours req’d on POS

actual tuition and full living expenses

Eligible Eligible

1 of 801/802/803 No No – hourly wage is an option

No

Full-time status

¾ time status 1/2 time status

Further explanation of impact of load on financial aid

What are the implications of the various course loads for international students with an F-1 or J-1 visa?

Number of hours Full-time Status? Graduate Assistantship

Health insurance: Required!

Visa okay?

9 or more Yes Eligible Yes Yes

6-8.5 If assistantship relates to academic program, considered to meet visa requirements (not “FT”)

Eligible Yes Yes

<6 if not 699/799 as described below

No Not eligible Yes It depends: must contact IPC in advance

3 of 699/799 *with candidacy and doing hours req’d on POS

Yes Eligible Yes Yes

1 of 801/802/803 No Not eligible Yes With candidacy and with letter of support from faculty advisor

Master’s Students

After completing all required course work, a master’s student may be considered full-time while enrolled in a 3 credit hour thesis course (699). Master’s students may maintain full-time status with 3 credits of 699 for two terms.

Continued enrollment in thesis credit hours beyond those that are required will not provide full-time status unless the student also enrolls in thesis extension and/or research extension courses to fulfill the 9 credit hour requirement.

Doctoral Students

After entering candidacy status, a doctoral student may be considered full-time while enrolled in a 3 credit hour dissertation course (799) . Doctoral candidates may maintain full-time status with 3 credits of 799 until completion of the number of dissertation credit hours specified by their program in the Graduate School Bulletin or their departmental Plan of Study.

Continued enrollment in dissertation credit hours beyond those that are required will not provide full-time status unless the student also enrolls in dissertation extension, and/or research extension courses to fulfill the 9 credit hour requirement.

Candidacy status = • Final Plan of Study and committee approved• Completed all courses• Passed comps• Dissertation topic approved• Applied for admission to candidacy for the doctoral

degree

Issues to Consider:• Are doctoral students using up dissertation hours before passing

comps? Is there a need to design a “research” course instead?

• When are doctoral students applying for candidacy?

• When is the department willing to approve the dissertation topic? Is this tied (or not) to the proposal defense?

• Should the final Plan of Study show a range of 799 hours (min. to max.) to provide student with some flexibility?