Tuition Benefit Program

The Tuition Benefit Program (TBP) is one of the several programs UNT has developed to provide support for graduate students as they pursue their studies. The TBP provides a tuition supplement for eligible recipients.  Because this award is tied to employment as a Graduate Assistant, hiring departments—not the Toulouse Graduate School—determine which graduate assistants receive the tuition benefit and the award amount.  

The Toulouse Graduate School and Student Financial Aid and Scholarships will work together to secure enrollment for all TBP recipients through the 12th class day. A base award will automatically disburse when attendance is established in 9 GCH on the first class day. Awards will be manually reviewed for disbursement after the census date for students enrolled in less than 9 GCH. If you are not enrolled in 9 Graduate Credit Hours: You must have approval from TGS prior to the beginning of a semester. Please click here to the Course Load Exception (CLE) request on TGS’s for further guidance. If approvals have not been granted, your award will not disburse. Contact your academic department regarding eligibility criteria and submission requests. TGS will review non-disbursed awards and enrollment after the census date each term and communicate updates and exception approvals to SFAS as applicable.

Students will be responsible for making payment for non-mandatory fees. Please carefully review Student Financial Services explanation of fees.  Students must monitor their myUNT student account after the census date.  We are unable to give an exact date of when the award will post to your account.

Please contact your hiring department for more details.

Following are the general eligibility criteria and requirements for the program.

TBP Eligibility Criteria:

1. Employment: You are required to work in a 50% FTE  (20 hours per week), benefits-eligible graduate assistant position (TA, TF, RA—not on external grant or GSA)* for each long semester. If you are not employed as of the 12th class day of each semester, your tuition benefit will be revoked.

2. Admission and GPA: You must be a new graduate student who has been admitted to a UNT graduate program or a continuing graduate student with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 as of the end of the most recent term. 

3. Degree Program: You need to be admitted, meet enrollment requirements each term of the award, and be pursuing one of the following degree types: PhD, DMA, EdD, MA, MEd, MFA, MJ, MM, MPA or MS.

4. Participation Exclusions: If you are sponsored by an external funding source where the terms and conditions of the sponsors automatically include payment of your tuition, you will be excluded from the TBP.  Examples include research assistants on externally funded grants, NSF Graduate Research Fellows, and NIH Fellows.  Students receiving the Hazelwood Exemption or Faculty/Staff/Dependent Educational Scholarship are not eligible for the TBP. Examples include research assistants on externally funded grants, NSF Graduate Research Fellows and NIH Fellows. Students receiving the tuition and/or fee waivers (such as Hazelwood Exemption or Faculty/Staff/Dependent Educational Scholarship, and Good Neighbors Scholarship) are not eligible for the TBP.

5. Employment Waiver (for non-Texas Residents):  Grants eligible students’ in-state tuition rates when employed via assistantship at UNT. Non-resident and international graduate students should complete this form if they are employed as a TA/TF/RA/GSA. Texas residents or those already receiving a competitive scholarship waiver, do not need to complete this form. Please click here to the Employment Waiver Request on TGS’s for more information on applicant eligibility criteria.

TBP Requirements:

1. You must register for and complete a minimum of 9 graduate credit hours (GCH) at the 5000 or 6000 level (applicable to the degree program for which you were admitted to UNT) during every fall and spring semester you receive a tuition award.

• Doctoral students certified as All-But-Dissertation (ABD) by the Toulouse Graduate School prior to the beginning of a semester may register for 3-6 GCH.  In general, a student is considered ABD once they have passed their comprehensive exams/qualifying exams and enrolled in a 6950 course. Contact your academic department regarding ABD status.

• An approved Course Load Exception Request (CLE) form or successful Qualifying Exam Results (QER) milestone must be on file in TGS for all students not enrolled in 9 GCH. 

• Submission of a CLE form does not guarantee students’ approval for a reduced course load. The graduate school reviews student accounts for Comprehensive or Qualifying Examination Results and for course completion. Because of the review process, students must have a graduate school-approved degree plan on file and paperwork reflecting any coursework changes. Failure to have this on file will delay the review process.

2. You are required to maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA (for every semester, as well as cumulative), make satisfactory progress in the degree program for which you were admitted to UNT, and satisfy any department criteria regarding performance and progress. These criteria apply for the entire academic year in which the tuition benefit is awarded.

3. Beginning Fall 2017, eligible students can receive both TBP and “UNT Tuition Grant Grad” awards.  Students are still encouraged to submit a FAFSA for grant consideration.

*You must hold one of the following positions to be eligible for the TBP: 

Teaching Fellow (TF): Job Codes 0801, 0802, 0803

Teaching Assistant (TA): Job Codes 0811, 0812, 0813

Research Assistant (RA): Job Codes 0821, 0822, 0823 (Academic and State Funded); 0841, 0842, 0843 (Non-Academic or Non-State Funded)

Graduate Services Assistant (GSA): Job Codes 0831, 0832, 0833 (Academic and State Funded); 0851, 0852, 0853 (Non-Academic or Non-State Funded)

Please refrain from contacting Student Financial Aid and Scholarships regarding your award. For more information about the Tuition Benefit Program or the status of your award, please contact your hiring department or the Toulouse Graduate School, Yvette Whitworth at gradaward@unt.edu