Office of Sponsored Programs

Graduate Student Stipend and Tuition Issues


Summer Tuition Subsidy for Graduate Students
The Institute subsidizes the entire summer tuition for all qualified graduate students. The summer tuition subsidy plan, in effect since 1999, has been developed to reduce the cost of a graduate student to a research grant, and to improve the quality of faculty life. It is not intended to enable growth in the size of graduate programs, or to lengthen the time to a degree.

Graduate students who are enrolled in a research degree program, and who are not taking courses, will have their summer tuition subsidized (that is, paid from other Institute sources). Candidates for professional degrees will be charged tuition if registered for the summer.

The following rules apply:

New graduate students, or continuing graduate students in normal resident status during the preceding spring term, who register only for thesis or pre thesis research credit in the summer term will be eligible for a tuition subsidy from Institute general funds. Each department has created special pre thesis research subject(s) that are recognized by the Registrar as eligible for the subsidy *. In Physics, for example, the subjects 8.391 or 8.392 ("Special Problems in Physics") qualify as pre thesis subjects, and are therefore eligible for the subsidy.

Graduate students who register for any summer subject other than those recognized by the Registrar as thesis or pre thesis research subjects (*) will be charged tuition on a per unit basis up to the maximum tuition. Tuition for such subjects may not be charged to research grants.

If you have questions about the subjects that currently qualify as thesis or pre thesis for your department, please feel free to consult with Nancy Swallow of the MIT Registrar's Office, 8 6435, nswallow@mit.edu.

Graduate students registered in professional programs will pay tuition at the rate established for their particular programs. These programs, as defined by the Provost's Office, are MBA, SDM, Sloan Fellows, MOT, M.Eng. (except those with off campus internship components), CRE, CAES, and SM12 Geosystems.

Additional information on summer tuition for graduate students is available on the MIT Registrar’s web site at:

http://web.mit.edu/acadinfo/tuition/summgradtuit.html

Institute Subsidies for Graduate Research Assistants
Academic year tuition is subsidized 65% by the Institute through June 30, 2004. There is no Institute subsidy of RA salary/stipend. The details of this distribution are in Provost Robert Brown’s memorandum, dated May 7, 1999. Beginning July 1, 2004, academic year tuition will be subsidized at the rate of 45%

Fund Tax on RAs
Graduate student research assistant stipends (salaries) and tuition are subject to the 10 percent fund transaction fee when charged to any fund account (internal order or WBS) which is subject to the fund transaction fee. This change was made in fiscal year 2000 in recognition of the fact that, with subsidization of RA tuition, RA expense on fund accounts has been significantly reduced. RA tuition should be charged to the GL account, 422310, "Tuition-RA-not MTDC". RA salaries will continue to be charged to GL accounts 400706 and 400708.

The academic year and summer tuition subsidy provided by the Institute may be used to meet cost sharing requirements imposed by external sponsors.


Last updated 9/23/03


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