Fees and Financial Support

Fees and Financial Support

Policies related to tuition, fees, financial aid, and Veterans benefits are included in the Student Right, Rules, and Responsibilities.

Scholarships and Fellowships

Financial Assistance

Several forms of financial assistance are available to graduate students through the Graduate School and individual departments, most of which are awarded for an academic year commencing in the fall. To be eligible for any assistance, the student must first be admitted to the Graduate School. In most cases, the application for admission with supporting documents serves as the application for new graduate students for the scholarship and assistantship programs available to them. In other cases, individual departments have their own application forms. Students are advised to contact individual programs for more information about assistantships and scholarships, and any departmental application forms.

Graduate Scholarships for Merit

The Graduate School awards scholarships annually to recognize the outstanding contributions of both master's and doctoral students for their teaching and scholarship. Availability and criteria for award of these scholarships are announced annually by the Graduate School.

Scholarships for Full-­Time Students

Students who are full­-time may be granted full­- or half-­tuition scholarships for the academic year or semester. These awards provide for waiver of tuition and are subject to the maintenance of a high scholastic record in the Graduate School. Application is made to the student's department or program.

Graduate Fellowships

The Graduate School offers a number of fellowships to entering students to assist programs in recruiting a high-­quality and diverse student body. Availability and criteria for these fellowships are announced annually by the Graduate School. Students are nominated by their respective program coordinators.

Dissertation Fellowships

Dissertation fellowships for a maximum tenure of one academic year are available on a competitive basis to doctoral students who have been advanced to candidacy. These awards include a stipend and a waiver of the doctoral research and mandatory fees for the period of the award. Application is made to the dean of the Graduate School.

Summer Fellowships for Teaching Assistants

A limited number of summer fellowships are awarded to students who have held graduate assistantships involving teaching during a previous academic year. Application is made to the dean of the Graduate School.

Graduate Appointments 2024-2025

The university offers a variety of forms of financial assistance to graduate students in support of their efforts to obtain a graduate degree. Graduate appointments are made to post-baccalaureate students who have been regularly or provisionally admitted to the Graduate School and who have been recommended by the appropriate department or program and approved for appointment by the Graduate School. Appointments are normally for one academic year and may be renewed provided that funds are available and that the student's academic performance, as well as performance in carrying out the responsibilities of the appointment, is satisfactory.

Note: Some departments will divide graduate awards in half so as to support a greater number of applicants. Please contact the appropriate departmental graduate coordinator for more questions on graduate award amounts. 

Graduate Assistants: Graduate assistants are students who provide instructional or administrative support as specified by the appointing department and are normally supported by university funds.

Graduate Part-time Lecturers: Graduate part-time lecturers are students who because of their specific expertise are appointed to teach one or two courses per semester and are normally supported by university funds.

Graduate Interns/Trainees: Graduate interns/trainees are students who are assigned to a specific project or subject area to acquire additional learning experiences and are normally supported by external funds.

Graduate Fellows: Graduate fellows including dissertation fellowship recipients are students who have been awarded a fellowship normally through an external grant to the University of New Hampshire or directly to the student.  Appointment will normally not exceed one fiscal year and may be renewed in accordance with the terms of the fellowship program.

Graduate Research Assistants: Graduate research assistants are students who are appointed to conduct research on grants supported by the Agricultural Experiment Station, or external grants and contracts.

Graduate Supplemental Appointments: U.S. and permanent resident graduate students on appointment in one of the above categories may petition¹ to supplement their regular appointment for up to an average of 10 hours per week when school is in session unless precluded from doing so by the terms of their appointment. F-­1 and J-­1 students on full assistantships may not accept additional appointments while school is in session. All students, including F-1 and J-1, may supplement their regular appointments for up to 20 hours per week when school is not in session (December-January Semester Break and March Spring Break). Such appointments may be processed as stipends or hourly.  Assistants who serve as TA’s during the J-term receive a supplemental appointment if the workload exceeds the 20 hours they are normally expected to work.

¹

Petition process: All petitions are reviewed by the Dean of the Graduate School. Petitions must provide an explanation of the work associated with the supplemental appointment and a rationale that explains how the additional work will have a positive impact on the student’s graduate program and will not negatively impact time to degree. The petition requires input from the student’s advisor and Graduate Program Coordinator.

Graduate Stipend Only Appointments: Graduate stipend only appointments may be made to students during the academic year under one of the above categories. Students on such appointments have responsibilities of less than those of students on regular graduate appointments; have a workload of less than those of students on regular graduate appointments, and receive a lower stipend than students on regular graduate appointments.

Graduate Hourly Appointments: Graduate hourly appointments are appointments made to students in support of the instructional, administrative or research activities of the university. Students on such appointments have responsibilities of less than those of students on regular graduate appointments.

Graduate Summer Appointments:  Graduate summer appointments are appointments made to students during the summer in one of the above categories. Students on summer appointments may work for up to forty hours per week. Graduate students working full time on research or combined teaching and research for the entire summer earn 2/3 of their prior academic year stipend. Appointments for less than the maximum time are prorated.

International students (F-1 and J-1) must consult the Office of International Students & Scholars to confirm employment eligibility.

*Assistants who are appointed for the full academic year should check with their hiring unit to determine the expectations for working during the semester break.

Stipends:

• Level 1 -  $22,890    (All masters’ students and doctoral students with a bachelor’s degree who have less than 2 years of experience as a GA or RA at UNH)
• Level 2 - - $24,010   (Doctoral students with a master’s degree or doctoral students with a bachelor’s degree who have 2 years of experience as a GA or RA @ UNH) 
• Level 3 - - $25,310   (Doctoral students at candidacy) 

Additional Stipend Information:  Departments may pay a higher base stipend for assistants to meet the recruitment needs of the program.  Graduate assistants on a semester appointment receive a pro-rated share of the above rates.  Graduate part-time lecturers receive a stipend of no less than the adjunct rate appropriate to their program. Graduate fellows, trainees and interns receive a stipend in accordance with the terms of their award.

Workload: Students on full assistantships are involved in assistantship activities for 20 hours a week during the academic year.  The workload for students on stipend only and hourly appointments is specified at the time of appointment.  The workload for students in both of these categories is less than 20 hours per week.

Registration: All graduate students holding appointments must be enrolled as students in order to hold an appointment during the academic year. Assistants, fellows or graduate part-­time lecturers must register for a minimum of 6 course/thesis credits, Master's Continuing Research (GRAD 900)or Doctoral Research (999) during each semester in which they hold their appointments. Interns/trainees must register according to terms specified in their contracts. Students holding a stipend only or hourly appointment must register for course/thesis credits (no minimum), Master's Continuing Research, or Doctoral Research.

Students registered for  GRAD 800 Continuing Enrollment are not eligible to hold an appointment. Students holding summer appointments have no required enrollment unless specified by their appointment. 

Tuition Waivers:  Students appointed as assistants, graduate fellows and graduate part-time lecturers receive tuition waivers in addition to their stipends during the period of their appointment. Waivers will be prorated for students who hold less than a full appointment. Students on stipend only and hourly appointments do not receive a waiver. Such students may be eligible for tuition scholarships. Assistants and fellows on academic year or spring only appointments receive tuition waivers for the January term. Graduate part-time lecturers receive tuition waivers for the January term only if they are teaching during that term. The Graduate School provides graduate assistants, research assistants and fellows tuition waivers for summer courses offered through the Graduate School (GRAD) related to academic programs in College Teaching, Research Ethics and Grant Writing. Summer waivers are prorated for students who had less than a full academic year appointment. Graduate assistants, research assistants and fellows may receive tuition waivers for summer courses offered outside of the Graduate School if approved by their funding source. Such waivers are provided by the hiring unit. Research assistants must have a summer appointment to be eligible for grant-funded tuition waivers for the summer sessions. Waivers cover only course work that is directly related to a student’s academic program. 

Student Health Benefits Plan (SHBP): Students appointed as assistants, fellows and graduate part-time lecturers for the full academic year receive a waiver for the university’s Student Health Benefits Plan (SHBP) during the period of their appointment. Students on a fall only appointment and continuing in the graduate school for the spring semester full time receive a waiver for the SHBP for the fall and will be responsible for the spring portion of the plan costs. Students on a fall only appointment and continuing in the graduate school for the spring semester on a part time basis receive a waiver for the SHBP for the fall, have the option of continuing on the plan for the spring, and will be responsible for the spring portion of the plan costs. Students on a spring only appointment will receive a waiver for the SHBP for the spring. 

Mandatory Fees: Students holding full-time assistantships are charged 50% of the full-time mandatory fees rate. Students appointed as assistants, fellows and lecturers receive a fee waiver for the technology fee during the period of their appointment. Course fees are also covered by the waiver. Mandatory fees are not covered by waivers, although scholarships may be awarded to individual students to cover these fees. 

FICA taxes will generally be withheld from wages paid to any graduate student registered for less than 1/2 time (less than 5 credits per semester during the academic year; or less than 3 credits per session in the summer).  Note: Students registered for Doctoral Research (999) or Master's Continuing Research (GRAD 900) are full-time and will not have FICA taxes withheld.  In summer students enrolled for 3 or more credits of “899” or “independent study” will generally not have FICA withheld.

Federal income taxes will be withheld from wages paid to graduate students based on information supplied to USNH Payroll on IRS Form W-4. The value of the SHBP waiver is considered a scholarship and may be reportable to the IRS and subject to tax withholding for foreign students. Both wages and scholarships may be exempt from withholding if the student is from a foreign country with tax treaty provisions that exempt these payments. The appropriate IRS Form 8233 or W-8BEN must be on file in USNH Payroll in order for a foreign student to claim these exemptions.

Criminal background checks  are conducted for all graduate students appointed as a teaching assistant (TA), research assistant (RA), graduate assistant (GA) or graduate part time lecturer, graduate fellow or graduate intern/trainee. Graduate students on stipend only or hourly appointments may also be required to undergo a background check depending on the nature of their appointment. These investigations are mandated by University policy requiring a pre-employment background review for all appointees who commence their duties after July 1, 2008. A standard background review consists of a criminal history review, sex and violent offender registry review, social security trace and verification; and, if required by the nature of the appointment, a Department of Motor Vehicle record search. International students whose visas and/or authorization to work in the United States were obtained after the Patriot Act was implemented on October 12, 2001, are exempt from a criminal history check.

Reappointment, Non-Reappointment and Termination

Reappointment:  A graduate student who holds a working appointment directly connected with his/her graduate studies may be reappointed for an additional period, provided that funds are available and that the student’s academic performance, as well as performance in carrying out the responsibilities of the appointment is satisfactory, and the student’s status as a graduate student is maintained. 

Non-reappointment: The University, for any reason, may elect not to renew a graduate student’s working appointment at the end of the appointment period. No advance notice nor any reason need be given to the graduate student in the case of non-reappointment, and the appeal procedure is not available. 

Termination:  A hiring unit may recommend to the Graduate School that a graduate student be terminated from a working appointment prior to the end of the appointment. The Associate Dean of the Graduate School will act on this recommendation. A student who is terminated is entitled to a written statement of the reasons for the termination from the hiring unit. A student who is terminated may initiate an appeal except when the termination is due to the loss of funding for the position; or the termination is due to either a voluntary or involuntary loss of graduate student status. If the graduate student is eligible, and does initiate an appeal using the following procedure, s/he may be placed on leave of absence without pay during the period of time involved in processing the appeal. If the case is found in favor of the student, “back pay” will be awarded. 

Step 1: The student should request that the hiring unit making the original recommendation reconsider the decision. The student’s request should be written and should contain any information that the student feels warrants a reconsideration of the decision. A copy of the request should be sent to the Graduate Dean. As soon as possible after receiving this request, the hiring unit will reconsider the decision and notify the student and the Graduate Dean of the results of the deliberations in writing. 

Step 2: If the student is not satisfied with the decision reached in Step 1, s/he may request that the Graduate Dean review the decision. The student’s request should be in writing and must stipulate the reasons for his/her dissatisfaction with the decision reached in Step 1. The Step 2 appeal will be heard by the Student Affairs Committee of the Graduate Council, unless the student requests that the Dean or the Dean’s designee hear the appeal. When the appeal is heard by the Dean’s designee or the Student Affairs Committee, a recommendation is made to the Dean, who will render a decision. The Dean’s decision will be communicated in writing to the student, the hiring unit and the hiring unit’s College Dean, Director or Vice-President.