Tuition waivers may be offered to students receiving a qualifying graduate assistantship or fellowship. Qualifying graduate assistantships must be a minimum of 10 hours a week and may not exceed 20 hours a week and must complete total a minimum of 160 hours during spring and fall semesters.
Partial tuition waivers are not given if the student works fewer than the minimum hours (160) required per semester.
Students who, for any reason, do not complete a minimum of 160 hours in a given semester will not be eligible for that semester’s waiver and will be billed for the tuition at the student's original tuition rate. Any tuition waivers applied prior to ineligibility will be revoked and the tuition rate reverted with notice to student and department.
Eligibility for a summer tuition waiver is dependent upon the specific tuition waiver policies of the granting college which may include holding a summer assistantship or having received a tuition waiver for the preceding or following academic term (spring or fall semester).
The tuition waiver may be reduced by other financial awards directed specifically to pay tuition.
Students receiving a graduate tuition waiver may not receive other NDSU tuition waivers.
Tuition waivers are applied to student accounts following completion of required trainings.
The tuition policies for each academic college are posted on the Graduate School website. Policy questions should be directed to the appropriate academic college.
15.1. Graduate Assistantship Tuition Rate
The ND in-state tuition rate (called GA Tuition Rate) will be charged to all students hired as a Graduate Assistant (GA) working 10 hours or more per week and/or 160 hours per semester regardless of any waiver.
Students eligible for multiple tuition waivers will receive the waiver resulting in the most tuition being waived. The tuition rate may be adjusted in the awarding process if a NDSU tuition waiver other than the graduate assistantship tuition waiver is awarded.
15.2. Tuition Waiver Coverage
Tuition waivers cover base tuition for NDSU graduate credits only. Students are responsible for differential tuition and student fees. Waivers do not cover audited courses, undergraduate or professional level courses, or Cooperative Education credits.
15.3. Waiver Coverage Amounts
Graduate students holding a full-time assistantship (20 hours/week; 320 hours per term) are eligible for a 100% (base tuition only) tuition waiver. Graduate students holding a part-time assistantship (minimum of 10 hours/week) and meet a minimum of 160 hours of work in a semester may qualify for a minimum of a 50% (base tuition only) tuition waiver. Students holding a part-time assistantship of 15 hours/week qualify for a minimum of a 50% tuition waiver and may be eligible for a 100% waiver. Awards above the minimum qualification based on hours per week must be a consistent practice within the college.
Any student whose assistantship does not meet a minimum of 160 hours of work in a fall/spring semester will be ineligible for a tuition waiver and the graduate assistantship rate; they will be responsible for all tuition billed to their student account for the ineligible semester. The rate of tuition will revert to the student’s residency rate and any graduate assistantship tuition waiver awarded for the current and future semester(s) will be revoked.
15.4. Minimum Credit Loads
Graduate Assistants must be enrolled in a minimum of 6 graduate credits during the fall and spring semesters, unless the student is enrolled in their final graduating semester and needs fewer than 6 credits to complete their plan of study or program curriculum. Colleges or programs may require students to register for more than 6 credits to hold an assistantship during fall and spring semesters.
Students seeking a summer assistantship must be enrolled for a minimum of 6 credits either during the spring prior or fall term immediately after the summer fellowship; summer enrollment is not required for a summer term assistantship. Colleges or programs may require students to register for summer credit either for degree completion and/or assistantship purposes.
15.5. Credit Limits
Graduate tuition waivers can only be applied to the maximum number of credits required to complete a graduate degree program; an additional 3 credits are allowed for a master’s program and an additional 6 credits are allowed for a doctoral program. This equals a total of 33 credits for master’s students, and a total of 96 credits for doctoral students for the entirety of the graduate degree program. For master’s-level degree programs with an unconventional number of credits to complete, tuition waivers can be applied to a maximum of the credits required for the graduate program completion and an additional 3 credits, and an additional 6 credits for doctoral-level program. College-specific exceptions may be made with documentation of the exception and reasoning.
Transfer graduate credits from other institutions are included in the total maximum limit for the tuition waiver credits at NDSU. These credit limits apply to all graduate credits, regardless of whether or not they were covered by a tuition waiver at NDSU.
At the discretion of the colleges, graduate assistants who add a certificate that is not integrated with their degree program and/or plan of study may have an extension of an additional 9 credits covered by a tuition waiver per degree program. College-level approvals and criteria to extend the credit limit of the graduate assistant by 9 credits to accommodate a certificate per degree program must be a consistent practice within the college.
15.6. Exceeding Credit Limits
Students who enroll in credits beyond the credit limit may be charged at the same graduate assistantship tuition rate, but will be responsible for paying all tuition and fees.
Students who have exceeded the credit limit and still need to finish their disquisition may register in a fee-based 898 Continuing Enrollment course at a rate of $150.00 per credit, if eligible. The 898 Continuing Enrollment credits are not covered by the GA tuition waiver. Students that are not yet graduating and utilize this option will be required to enroll in the graduate assistantship minimum enrollment requirement of 6 credits during fall and spring semesters. Students that are in their final graduating semester may enroll in one (1) continuing enrollment credit as a one-time exception. Students who seek this option as Graduate Assistants are still liable to otherwise follow Graduate Assistantship policies.
Students holding an F-1 or J-1 visa may not be eligible for the 898 credits. Contact your international advisor for full details.
15.7. Alternative Funding
Students in direct tuition sponsorship or fellowship agreements with external organizations, where tuition is paid directly by the sponsoring organization (e.g., a corporate employer or foreign government paying tuition on behalf of the student) rather than through an NDSU-administered grant or contract, are not eligible for a Graduate Assistant tuition waiver. The GA Tuition Rate will also not be utilized. This clause does not apply to sponsorship or benefits from the US military to active service members and veterans.
15.8. Degree and Academic Standing Requirements for Waiver
Students on Academic Probation are not eligible for a tuition waiver. Students may regain eligibility upon returning to good academic standing. Students must be active in a degree-seeking program to be eligible for an assistantship.
15.9. Accelerated Students
Students in accelerated degree programs must be registered for graduate credit to be eligible for an assistantship. Accelerated students may receive a tuition waiver when enrolled in an applicable graduate credit(s) and meet graduate assistantship and tuition waiver eligibility requirements. All Graduate Assistantship and Fellowship Policies apply to accelerated program graduate assistants in their capacity as a graduate student. The Graduate Assistantship Tuition Waiver will only apply to eligible graduate credit, as outlined in the Graduate Assistantship and Fellowship Policies.
15.10. Inter and Intra-departmental Employment
Students with a graduate assistantship provided outside of their academic department or academic college will still be supported by the college in general pending the review process of the college. Tuition waivers for assistantships outside the academic department or college of the student will be considered using the same parameters as internal assistantships if sanctioned. College-level eligibility requirements for assistantships outside the academic college of the student must be a consistent in requirements and application within the college.
