Tuition and registration fees can be found on the Registrar's website every year. For future academic years, please anticipate 3% inflation. Fees for each academic year is generally available late Summer. Tuition and fees are assessed on a quarterly basis (Fall, Winter, Spring) for all students, even if a student is expecting financial support from the Department or other unit to pay their tuition and fees. The only time fees are not posted, or are reversed, is if a student is on an approved leave of absence, graduates from the program, or does not continue the program.
Registration (tuition) fees are assessed quarterly via BruinBill and payment is due on the 20th of the month following the posting date of the charge. If the 20th falls on a weekend or a holiday, the due date is the last business day prior to the 20th. Fees that a student incurs on their own, such as Ashe Center fees or late fees, are also due on the 20th of the month following the posting date of the charge. Acceptable modes of payment are: check, credit card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover), or cash. Payment may be made online via your BruinBill using a credit card.
If posted fees are not paid in full by the deadline, a late fee may be charged. In cases of student-incurred fees, such as Ashe Center fees, a $20 delinquent fee may be charged monthly until the fee is paid.
If expecting financial support from the Department to pay tuition and fees, the funding will post to the BruinBill close to the start of each quarter. This is normal and funding disbursement for tuition and fees follow a schedule set by the University.
While the Department will cover your registration fees (tuition and fees) and nonresident supplemental tuition, if applicable, the Department will not pay miscellaneous charges and charges incurred by a student independently, including, but not limited to:
Exception: The Department will cover the "Advancement to candidacy for doctorate degree" after a student passes their prospectus defense.
You should regularly check your BruinBill to personally pay for these types of charges, and to make certain that there are none outstanding.
Please note that regardless if you sign up for BruinDirect or not, disbursed funds will first pay for any registration fees that are unpaid on BruinBill before being deposited into a bank account/mailed as a check. For example, if a student is receiving a $5,000 award for living expenses but has a $1,000 fee balance at the time of disbursal, the amount the student will receive would be $4,000 as the award would cover the existing fee balance.
The disbursement of awards varies depending on the unit awarding the fellowship. Awards from the Department and the Division of Graduate Education will be disbursed before or on the fee payment deadline.
Most awards for living expenses are disbursed monthly during the 9-month academic year (October to June). Disbursals are as early as 10 business days before the stipend month, following a schedule set by the University. If there are no financial holds on a student’s account and eligibility requirements are met (including enrollment in at least 12 units), an October award will disburse in late September, a November award will disburse in late October, etc.
Salary earned through employment as a Graduate Student Researcher (GSR) and/or Teaching Apprentice (TA) are paid monthly following the service month. For example, an academic year GSR and/or TA position has an employment start date of October 1 with an end date of June 30 of the following year. The pay date for October will be November 1, the pay date for November will be December 1, etc., with the final pay date being July 1 for June.
Loans are typically disbursed 1-2 days before the fee payment deadline. Loans are disbursed only if the student is enrolled in the minimum number of units required to receive the loan. The minimum for federal loan eligibility is 4 units each quarter, however please note the Department requires all students to enroll in at least 12 units. Students not enrolled in the minimum number of units will result in a delay of loan disbursement, increases the chances of being automatically dropped from courses, and possibly a cancellation of the loan.
For more information, please see Student Loan Services and Collections.
The default disbursement method of funds is a mailed check. It is highly encouraged to sign up for BruinDirect. It is the fastest, most secure way to receive awards and loans directly into a bank account. Please note that salary earned through employment has a separate direct deposit enrollment system through UCPath. BruinDirect and UCPath (the system used for employment) do not link information. The Department will send additional information about enrolling in direct deposit for salary at a later time.