Graduate Waiver Policy and Practices

The Eberly College can in some instances provide financial support for graduate students in the form of tuition waivers. Tuition waivers cover all or part of the university tuition charge on a student’s account. Please see the university’s policies on all tuition waivers.

Graduate Assistantship Waivers are awarded to all students who have received an assistantship (research, teaching, or service).  Eberly College must approve assistantships that are offered outside of the Eberly College.  Any assistantship that is closely related to the student’s program of study or future career plans will be supported.

Merit Waivers can be awarded to students in approved programs who do not have a regular graduate assistantship.  Normally, the College will award up to 6 credit hours to support the recruitment of graduate students or to support students who are finishing up their doctoral degree.  Awards made for more than a semester should be based students’ performance in the program or other criteria decided by the department and approved by the Eberly College.

Employee Tuition Waivers will be supported by the college, unless noted below in Online Programs and Tuition Waivers.

Students in online Eberly programs are typically not eligible for assistantships, merit or employee waivers.  See further information below. 

Requesting Tuition Waivers

Waivers that do not Require Pre-Approval

• Individuals hiring GRA or GTAs within an Eberly department must submit a tuition waiver request for each semester during which the student holds the assistantship. View the Graduate Assistantship policies and use the Tuition Waiver Request Form on the Graduate Education and Life website.
• Employee tuition waivers must be initiated be the employee. View the Employee policies and use the Tuition Waiver Request Form on the Graduate Education and Life website.

Waivers that Require Eberly College’s Pre-Approval

• All other GA waivers (GSA inside or outside of Eberly, GTA, GRA outside of Eberly), individual hiring should fill out the Graduate Assistant Tuition Wavier Pre-approval form for the Eberly College before filling out the form on the Office of Graduate Student and Life website. NOTE: the approval process requires a job description, typically the one placed in Handshake.
• Merit Waivers: the designated individual in the unit should fill out the Merit Waiver Pre-approval form for the Eberly College before filling out the form on the Office of Graduate Student and Life website.

Online Programs and Tuition Waivers

• Communications Studies M.A. online:
  • Employee tuition waivers are permitted
  • Assistantship and merit waivers are not permitted
• GIS and Spatial Analysis, M.S.:
  • Employee, assistantship, and merit waivers are not permitted
• MSW online:
  • Employee, assistantship, and merit waivers are not permitted
  • Employee waivers are permitted for employees enrolled in the in-person MSW program