45.10.00
FINANCIAL AWARDS: GRADUATE
American University is committed to quality graduate education that
is responsive to the needs of students, disciplines, the university,
and the larger community. Our goals are to provide a high quality educational
experience for our students and to offer graduate support that assists
students in completing their programs of study. To this end the university
has set priorities for the allocation and awarding of graduate assistantships
and fellowships as shown below.
Graduate fellowship support at American University is awarded in order
to recruit high quality graduate students into our programs and assist
them in completion of their programs of study.
These fellowships are allocated to each of the deans of CAS, KSB, SOC,
SIS, and SPA for their further reallocation by the teaching unit.
Resources not used by the teaching unit candidates should be reallocated
by the deans of CAS, KSB, SOC, SIS, and SPA, as appropriate, following
the criteria and procedures set forth below. In addition, the university
provides Special Opportunity Awards to selected minority students, dissertation
fellowships to selected advanced doctoral students, and other designated
awards, such as Hall of Nations Awards to international students.
.01 Types of Awards
A. Graduate Fellowships
1. Graduate fellowships are merit-based awards that the university offers
in order to attract the most outstanding students in the discipline.
These awards are given to new graduate degree students and normally
provide the recipient up to 24 hours of tuition remission in degree
related courses in a given academic year and may also provide a stipend.
The tuition remission should be used during the academic year but may
with the permission of the teaching unit head be used during the summer
session.
2. Fellowships are given to full-time graduate students to assist them
in completion of their programs of study. Students receiving fellowship
support may not work in paid employment at American University for more
than twenty-five hours per week during the fall and spring, and no more
than 5 hours during summer semesters (if they are receiving financial
aid). Any exceptions must be approved in advance by the dean of the
teaching unit and the Dean of Academic Affairs.
3. Priority for these awards is ordinarily given to full time students
enrolled in the highest degree programs offered in that discipline at
American University.
B. Special Opportunity Assistantships and Graduate Study Grants
1. Special Opportunity Awards for minority students—American Indians,
African Americans, Asian/Pacific Islander Americans, Alaskan Native
Americans, or Hispanic Americans—provide tuition remission from
6 to 24 hours of degree-related courses in a given academic year. The
tuition remission should be used during the academic year but may with
the permission of the teaching unit head be used during the summer session.
2. Special Opportunity Awards are made by the deans of CAS, KSB, SOC,
SIS, and SPA, as appropriate, with the approval of the Dean of Academic
Affairs.
C. Hall of Nations Awards are made by the deans of CAS, KSB, SOC, SIS,
or SPA, as appropriate, with the approval of the Dean of Academic Affairs.
These awards, which are for tuition remission only, are given to international
students who do not have permanent residence status or U.S. citizenship.
D. Dissertation Fellowships
These awards provide recipients with a stipend and up to 18 hours of
tuition remission in one academic year for dissertation seminar credits
only. These awards are limited to students who have completed all doctoral
course work and comprehensive examinations and who have an approved
dissertation proposal at the time of application. Dissertation fellows
are selected by the deans of CAS, SIS, or SPA, as appropriate, with
the approval of the Dean of Academic Affairs.
E. Other Designated Awards
The Graduate Honor Awards Committee, a subcommittee of the Senate Committee
on Academic Programs and Policies, makes other designated awards, such
as United Methodist Awards and Massey Awards. A description of these
awards and their eligibility requirements is distributed annually by
the Dean of Academic Affairs.
F. The Dean of Academic Affairs will establish the minimum amount of
the stipend as well as the amount of tuition remission for all university
graduate awards.
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.02 General Guidelines for Awards
A. Recipients of all awards specified in 45.10.01 above (except Dissertation
Fellowships) must be full time degree students. Specifically, this requires
that a recipient be registered for a minimum of 9 credit hours during
each semester of the academic year. Award recipients must maintain full
time status in order to continue to receive their award during the academic
year. Awards are intended to assist graduate students to pursue full
time education. Consequently, graduate students receiving awards must
comply with the regulations concerning university employment in section
45.10.02.B below. Exceptions to this regulation must be approved by
the deans of CAS, KSB, SOC, SIS, or SPA, as appropriate, and by the
Dean of Academic Affairs.
B. Amount of Work Permitted by Award Recipients
1. Recipients of all graduate awards are subject to the limitations
on work at American University defined above in 45.10.01.
2. Graduate students who are not receiving graduate financial awards
during the summer (or who are receiving sponsored support from external
sources) may be employed on a full time basis at American University
from the middle of May through the end of August.
3. Each of the deans of CAS, KSB, SOC, SIS, and SPA may establish additional
regulations concerning supplementary or part time employment within
American University, or outside American University. Such regulations
may be more stringent than the above, but colleges/schools may not waive
the university limit on employment at American University.
C. Holders of all awards as specified in 45.10.01 above must maintain
a satisfactory academic record, and, under ordinary conditions, may
not receive an award renewal if they have incomplete grades or if they
are not making satisfactory academic progress.
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.03 Procedures for Selection and Notification
A. Each of the deans of CAS, KSB, SOC, SIS, and SPA may set criteria
for awards and may make awards with varying amounts of tuition remission
and stipends within the non discriminatory and administrative guidelines
established by the Dean of Academic Affairs, and so long as all awards
are made to full time students. Financial need may be one criterion.
A copy of the criteria used in the selection will be submitted by the
deans of CAS, KSB, SOC, SIS, and SPA to the Dean of Academic Affairs
for review prior to the making of awards. (See 45.10.01.I above.)
B. Minority applicants must be considered equally with other applicants
for graduate awards, and may also be considered for Special Opportunity
Awards.
C. Because recipients of graduate financial awards must be full-time
students, the university has established limits on how long an award
may be held. These limits are linked to the number of hours required
for each program. In no case will a student be granted tuition remission
for more credit hours than are needed to complete the degree program
1. Students who enter 72-credit doctoral programs without an appropriate
master’s degree may receive awards for a total of four years,
excluding dissertation fellowships.
2. Students who enter 72-credit doctoral programs with an appropriate
master’s degree may receive awards for a total of three years,
excluding dissertation fellowships.
3. Students in master’s degree programs may receive awards for
a total of two years, except that students in programs requiring 48
hours or greater may receive an additional semester of support.
4. Students who complete an appropriate master’s degree program
at American University, and then are admitted to a doctoral program
may receive up to a total of four years of support for both programs.
D. In response to guidelines issued annually by the Dean of Academic
Affairs, the deans of CAS, KSB, SOC, SIS, and SPA shall submit the following
by the established deadlines:
1. Information on the quality of accepted and enrolled new graduate
students.
2. In the case of renewal of awards, a certification that the student
has done satisfactory academic work, has no grades of incomplete and
is making satisfactory progress toward the degree. For continuing students
whose awards are being renewed, grade point averages in the program
and the number of tools of research and comprehensive examinations completed
by each.
E. Notification to teaching unit award recipients will be made by the
teaching unit in accordance with guidelines established by the Dean
of Academic Affairs.
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.04 Procedure for Administration
A. Each of the deans of CAS, KSB, SOC, SIS, and SPA must certify that
all courses taken by award recipients are degree related. Courses eligible
for tuition remission must be graduate level courses taken for credit
or courses which fulfill a tool of research requirement. Courses taken
at American University in special institutes and special programs and
which are required by the teaching unit will have tuition remitted up
to the rate of graduate tuition. Fees and charges in excess of this
are the responsibility of the award recipient.
B. Each of the deans of CAS, KSB, SOC, SIS, and SPA may certify that
students who have completed all necessary course work are to be considered
eligible for these awards when they are preparing for comprehensive
examinations or writing theses/dissertations for no more than one semester
for master's students, and two semesters for doctoral students. This
provision does not apply to students receiving dissertation fellowships.
C. If a student withdraws from a course for which he or she has registered
and paid with tuition remission, the policy is as follows:
1. Withdrawal during full refund period as defined by Student Accounts
and published in the Schedule of Classes: The tuition remission for
that course is returned to the appropriate financial aid account. The
student may use it during the remaining period of his or her entitlement,
provided that he or she maintains full-time enrollment as defined above.
2. Withdrawal during partial refund period: The amount of tuition remission
in excess of the charges for that course is returned to the appropriate
financial aid account. The student may then use only the amount returned
to the account toward future course charges during the entitlement period,
provided that he or she maintains full-time enrollment as defined above.
3. Withdrawal after the refund period: The tuition remission remains
on the student's account to pay the charges for the course. The student
has used the tuition remission for those credits.
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.05 Tuition Remission for Consortium Courses
In those unusual instances where advanced degree requirements include
a course (or courses) not given at American University or not available
during his or her period of study, an award recipient as specified in
45.10.01 may be permitted to enroll in a consortium university graduate
course (or courses) with appropriate tuition remission. In such situations
the approval of the deans of CAS, KSB, SOC, SIS, or SPA, as appropriate,
must be obtained, and regular provisions for consortium registration
followed.
.06 Emergency Assistance
Application for emergency financial assistance must be recommended by
the deans of CAS, KSB, SOC, SIS, or SPA, as appropriate, and forwarded
to the Dean of Academic Affairs for consideration and action.
.07 Exceptions
Awards below 6 credit hours can be made for purposes of completing degree
programs or for dissertation credits.
Application for exceptions to these policies should be made by the deans
of CAS, KSB, SOC, SIS, or SPA, as appropriate, to the Dean of Academic
Affairs.
Senate action, May 2006. Provost approval, June 2006.
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