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Computer Science Graduate Program

Tuition Support for PhD Students Past GSSP Eligibility

GSSP Basics

Graduate students eligible for the Graduate Student Support Plan (GSSP) receive Health Insurance (HI) and standard tuition support for the Fall and Spring semesters. Detailed information on the GSSP and eligibility criteria is available on the Graduate School GSSP page. This page addresses options for students who have exceeded the number of semesters for which they are eligible for tuition support. The HI benefit is not restricted to a limited number of semesters, and is not discussed here.

Students are eligible for GSSP tuition benefits for a limited number of semesters. Every semester in which a student is enrolled counts towards the total number of allowed semesters, even if the student does not participate in the GSSP. This distinction is important for students who complete their Masters degree at NC State and later enroll in a PhD program at the University.

PhD students with a previous related Masters at the time of admission to the PhD program receive 8 semesters of GSSP tuition support. PhD students without a previous Masters receive 10 semesters of GSSP tuition support. GSSP tuition benefits include:

  • In-state tuition (domestic and international students)
  • Tuition remission (international students), which is the difference between out-of-state and in-state tuition

For GSSP-eligible students, the cost of GSSP tuition benefits is automatically charged to the funding source of the Graduate Appointment (RA or TA). For GSSP-eligible students who enroll full-time in 9 credits, the GSSP tuition cost (i.e., not including the cost of HI) per semester in the 2022-23 academic year is:

  • Domestic students: $4,547.50 (= in-state tuition for 9 credits)
  • International students: $6,948.25 (= in-state tuition for 9 credits + 1/4 of the difference between out-of-state and in-state tuition; 3/4 of the difference is waived by the University)

PhD Students Past GSSP Eligibility

For students who are no longer eligible for GSSP tuition benefits, tuition is not automatically charged to the funding source of the Graduate Appointment (RA or TA). Students who have been in the program for 8 or more semesters have completed 72 credits and therefore only need to register in 3 credits to be considered full-time enrolled. For such students, the tuition cost in the 2022-23 academic year is:

  • Domestic students: $1,515.84 (= in-state tuition for 3 credits)
  • International students: $4,716.84 (= out-of-state tuition for 3 credits; the University does not waive 3/4 of the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition)

Clearly, the tuition cost for students (domestic or international) beyond GSSP eligibility is lower than the corresponding GSSP tuition cost for GSSP-eligible students who have to register in 9 credits to be full-time enrolled.

Tution support for non-GSSP-eligible students depends on the student’s graduate appointment.

  • RAs: Typically, grants budget for the tuition amount corresponding to 9 credits, and therefore should be able to cover the (lower) cost of tuition for students registered in 3 credits, even when GSSP does not apply. Since the funding source is not automatically charged the tuition cost, the advisor must request to have the tuition paid from the grant at the time they submit the RA appointment
  • TAs: TA appointments cannot pay the tuition cost for students who are not GSSP-eligible. Advisors who have an unrestricted gift account may use it to pay the tuition cost for their student who supported as TA. If that is not an option, the student should meet with the DGP and discuss other possible alternatives that may be available on a case-by-case basis.