Fees, Expenses and Financial Aid

Students should consult the UTC website at http://www.utc.edu/Administration/Bursar/fees.php for the most up-to-date tuition and fee schedule.

Student Fees and Expenses

Legal Residency Status

Students who are Tennessee residents pay maintenance fees to enroll in courses at UTC. Out-of-state students pay these fees in addition to a tuition charge. A student’s residential status is determined during the application and admission process, and this status, in most cases, is determined by residence of the student’s parent, parents, or legal guardian. Additional information regarding residency classification for the University of Tennessee system is available online at http://registrar.tennessee.edu/residency/resguide.shtml. For residency appeals, students should contact The Graduate School.

This section describes all financial charges, including student fees. The University of Tennessee Board of Trustees establishes all student fees and may change these without notice.

Mocs Express Statement

The Mocs Express statement combines fees, charges, fines and credits into one invoice. The University sends MOCS Express statements to students who register during the Priority Registration period. Students may access their MOCS EXPRESS STATEMENT on line at www.utc.edu, click on “Student Information” then “MY MOCS EXPRESS STATEMENT.”

Cancellation for Non-Payment

Failure to pay fees or set confirmation of attendance with the Bursar’s Office by the published deadline results in automatic cancellation from all classes. This policy applies to all students, regardless of sources of funds, and includes those whose fees are billed, deferred, waived, or paid with personal funds, including financial aid and graduate assistantships that do not cover full charges by the cancellation deadline date. All students withdrawn from classes for non-payment or non-confirmation must re-register for classes and pay all appropriate fees, including late fees.

There is only one cancellation date each semester. Students who register after the cancellation date must pay all fees and risk receiving failing grades for all classes not dropped prior to the first day of classes in the semester. The deadlines for the academic year can be found at the following link under fee information on the Bursar’s web site: http://www.utc.edu/Administration/Bursar/

Prepayment Plan

Under the prepayment plan, students and/or parents may choose the academic year expenses they wish to prepay, including room, board, tuition, fees, and books, over a period of eight months, with the first installment due by May 10. The remaining seven monthly installments are payable on the tenth day of each succeeding month. Contact the Bursar’s Office for details. Phone: (423) 425-4781.

Deferred Payment Plan

A student who is in good financial standing with the University may defer up to 50 percent of their fee balance. A $20.00 extension fee and at least 50 percent of fees are due by the deadline date. The balance will be payable on the 45th calendar day of the term. Students must pay an additional $50.00 if the installment is not paid on or before the due date. Financial aid recipients must first apply their aid toward payment of fees, regardless of source of funds. This plan is not offered for the summer terms.

Refund Policy

All refund periods are based on the official first day of classes for the University, as published in the Catalog and on the UTC website. Students must officially withdraw from courses to be eligible for potential refunds. No refund is due unless the charge for the remaining courses, plus the percentage charge for the courses dropped, is less than the maximum semester charge for tuition and maintenance fees.

All charges and refunds will be made to the nearest even dollar. All charges are subject to subsequent audit and verification. Errors will be corrected by appropriate additional charges or refunds.

Students who owe additional fees or fines will receive a statement of their accounts after the beginning of the semester except summer.

Go to the following link for detailed information on Refund and Charges for drop and withdrawal: http://www.utc.edu/Administration/Bursar/Refunds_Charges.php

Go to the following link for detailed information on Tuition and Maintenance Fees. http://www.utc.edu/Administration/Bursar/fees.php

Late Fees

All students who register after the first official day of classes must pay a ($50.00) late fee. All students with an accounts receivable balance 45 days into a term must pay a $50.00 late fee.

Fees for Audit Courses

Fees for auditing courses are the same as those for courses taken for credit. Auditors do not take examinations, receive credit or grades, and may or may not participate in the class activities as determined by the instructor.

Senior Citizens

Tennessee residents who become 65 years of age or older during the academic semester when they begin classes and who meet admission requirements may enroll for credit for a fee of $7.00 per semester hour to a maximum of $70.00 per semester.

Tennessee residents who become 60 years of age or older during the academic semester when they begin classes may audit classes on a “space available” basis at the University without paying a fee.

For fee information, call the Bursar’s Office at (423) 425-4781.

Disabled Residents

Tennessee residents who are physician-certified with 100 percent total disability and meet admission requirements may enroll for credit for a fee of $7.00 per semester hour to a maximum of $70.00 per semester.

Tennessee residents who are physician-certified with 100 percent total disability may audit classes on a “space available” basis at the University without paying a fee.

For fee information call the Bursar’s office at (423) 425-4781.

Listener’s Fee

Tennessee residents considering entering or returning to the University may “listen” in academic courses for a fee of $10.00 per course without additional obligations. Participation in this program is limited to two courses per semester for a maximum of two semesters. Only individuals who have not received a baccalaureate degree and who have not had any college courses in the previous five years may participate. For more information call the Bursar’s Office at (423) 425-4781.

Laboratory/Studio Fee

All students registered in certain laboratory or studio courses will be assessed a fee.

Music Fee

In addition to the credit hour rate, a music fee is assessed for instructional courses. The fee is due at the regular fee payment dates.

Fee charges for lab/studio, music and credit by special examination are all grouped under miscellaneous fees at the following link: http://www.utc.edu/Administration/Bursar/fees.php#DORM-PARKING

Returned Check Charge

Any checks received by the University which fail to clear the bank will incur a service charge of $30.00. In addition to the service charge, a check written to cover tuition, dorm, and fees which fails to clear the bank will incur the appropriate late fee in effect at the time the student redeems the check. Check writing privileges will be revoked for those students writing three or more returned checks to the University.

Housing

UTC offers a unique web based tool for graduate students and other members of the campus community to search for off campus housing and to even find roommates, if desired. You may learn more about off campus housing options by visiting http://offcampushousing.utc.edu. There is limited on campus housing availability for graduate students, but you may learn more about these options, rates and the application process by visiting http://www.utc.edu/housing

Dining Plans

All campus residents are required to participate during the fall and spring semesters in a dining membership plan regardless of whether or not they are currently enrolled in class. For complete information regarding available plans, contact Food Services at 425-4200 or visit Dining Services online at www.campusdish.com/en-us/CSS/UnivTennChat.

Parking

Information about parking, including campus maps, parking regulations, the Mocs Express Shuttle schedule, and more, is available online at: http://www.utc.edu/Administration/ParkingServices

If You Owe the University Money

Holds are financial obligations to the University (library fines, old UC/UTC, loans, parking fines, returned checks, accounts receivable, etc.) that the student must pay prior to registering for courses. Students may not register if there is a monetary hold on the account. In addition, students who incur financial obligations after registration must pay the charges by the cancellation deadline.

Unless the student officially drops a course or withdraws from the University, he or she must pay a percentage of the fees and tuition as listed on the MocsNet statement prior to the first official day of classes. Failure to attend classes is not evidence of the student’s intention to drop the course or withdraw from the University.

According to Tennessee law, the University cannot release student transcripts if the student has a financial obligation to the University.
 

 The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga has several financial programs to assist graduate students with the cost of advanced studies. The University provides funds to students who have documented financial need; it also has assistance that is not need-based. Students who want further information about academic merit awards (graduate assistantships) should contact the department of the program to which they are applying for graduate study and obtain applications from The Graduate School office.

Students requesting need-based and non-need based federal and state financial aid from UTC will need to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). These forms and assistance are available online at www.fafsa.gov.

Early application for financial aid is encouraged. The FAFSA should be completed by February 15 for the Fall semester and September 15 for Spring semester entry. If requested, students must submit the Financial Aid Institutional Verification form and copies of income tax returns, if filed, in order to complete a Financial Aid file. The Financial Aid Office will process applications throughout the school year for any available funds; however, qualified students who submit the FAFSA by the recommended dates and submit all required documentation by April 1, for the Fall semester will receive maximum consideration. Students need to reapply for financial aid each year. Students must regularly check their UTC e-mail, as this is how they will receive official correspondence.

General Information

Students must be accepted for admission to the University or be eligible for continuation before financial aid awards will be made.

To qualify for assistance, a graduate student must normally be enrolled at least half time. Six graduate semester hours equals half time; nine or more graduate semester hours equals full time. Students must also be officially enrolled in a degree-seeking program, taking courses leading toward teacher certification or taking prerequisite courses required for regular admission into a graduate program. Note: Aid is awarded based on full time enrollment. Enrollment status for financial aid purposes is determined on the last day to add classes for the semester and eligibility is adjusted accordingly.

Students who are admitted as conditional graduate students are not eligible for financial assistance.

To qualify for federally funded programs (Stafford Loans), students must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States.

To maintain eligibility for financial aid, students must be in good academic standing with the University and be making satisfactory progress. For complete details on academic standing and satisfactory progress for financial aid, students should contact the UTC Financial Aid Office, 423-425-4677 or online at www.utc.edu/financialaid.

Academic Common Market

The Academic Common Market is a program offered by the Southern Region Education Board (SREB) that allows a student to enroll in an undergraduate or graduate program at a university in another state without having to pay out-of-state tuition if that program of study is not offered by the public institutions in the student’s home state.

Each participating SREB state has a coordinator for the Academic Common Market. The state coordinator’s name and address are listed on the SREB Web site (www.sreb.org)

Any student interested in the Academic Common Market should contact the state coordinator in his or her home state. The state coordinator will help the student determine whether he or she is eligible to participate.
 

Student Financial Aid

Graduate Assistantships

The following information applies to university funded graduate assistantships. Departments and programs awarding graduate assistantships funded from sources external to the university may have different stipulations in the length of time a graduate assistantship can be held and the dollar amount of the stipend; however, externally funded assistantships must adhere to all other university regulations governing assistantships. Externally funded graduate assistantships must include a tuition waiver.

Role, Purpose, and Work Expectations

Assistantships serve to facilitate graduate students in the prompt and successful completion of an advanced degree program and to provide work experience in a setting under the supervision of a faculty or administrative mentor. A full time Graduate Assistant (GA) will work on average 20 hours per week (equivalent to a half-time employee); therefore, they should not be scheduled for more than 20 hours of work per week (see Work Assignments below). GA positions are not to be used to mimic real-world working hours upon employment in the field of the graduate degree; internships and practica should be used in these situations.

Applying, Eligibility and Requirements to Remain Eligible

Graduate students interested in applying for a graduate assistantship must apply with the department or unit to which they wish to be employed.

Applicants accepted into a graduate degree program may apply for a GA. However, a student must be a full-time graduate student, regularly admitted to a graduate degree program, and in good academic standing to fill an assistantship position. Graduate assistantships may be offered but cannot be awarded until an applicant is admitted into a specific graduate program and the Graduate School. Full time status must be maintained through an entire semester when holding a graduate assistantship. For GAs a full time course load for the fall and spring semesters is nine (9) graduate credit hours and six (6) credit hours over the summer term. Full time awards require an enrollment in at least six (6) graduate credit hours (except when enrolled in fewer hours of an approved full time equivalent course, see elsewhere in this publication). The full time course load may not be composed of undergraduate courses unless the course is a program prerequisite. A full-time (20 hours per week) graduate assistant may register for up to 12 hours in the fall and spring semester and 6 hours over the summer term; anything over this amount is an overload and requires approval of the dean of the Graduate School.

GAs are eligible to receive an assistantship for a finite number of consecutive months starting from the first month of service. The length of time a student can hold a GA position in months is seven-ninths of the total number of hours required to earn the degree. Therefore, a student in a 36 hour program would be eligible to hold an assistantship for 28 months (counted as consecutive months). A student in a 72 hour doctorate degree program could hold an assistantship for 56 consecutive months.

A student must demonstrate satisfactory progress in the academic program to retain an assistantship. Failure to do so may result in a termination of the assistantship. Unsatisfactory progress is defined as the failure to maintain a cumulative 3.00 or higher GPA in graduate courses attempted in the specific program at UTC; a grade of U, D, or F in any course; more than two grades below a B; failure of the comprehensive/preliminary examination; an unsatisfactory evaluation of a thesis or dissertation; failure of a research defense; or any other failure of a required component pertaining to the GA’s academic requirements. Any, or a combination of these, constitutes sufficient basis for termination of a student’s graduate assistantship at the discretion of the hiring department and the Graduate School. Individual programs have the right to establish their own criteria; however, the preceding definition must be the minimum standard for continuing in graduate programs and holding graduate assistantships.

A GA will be dismissed from holding the position for failure to complete work assignments satisfactorily or complete work assignments in a timely manner.

GAs that resign their position during a semester will not be eligible to hold a GA position thereafter. In addition, the GA will be required to re-pay the tuition waiver. Questions regarding how to handle issues involved with GA resignations should be addressed to the dean of the Graduate School.

Types of Graduate Assistantships

There are four types of assistantships: research, teaching or instructional, professional services and administrative.

- Graduate Research Assistants perform duties in support of University research, which may or may not relate to the students’ thesis/dissertation. GRAs are specific awards; the student assists with a range of duties, including library research, preparation of reports, field studies, and laboratory research. This opportunity provides an excellent means for students to learn new techniques and methods as well as expand their knowledge by association with research‐oriented responsibilities, whether employed within the student’s academic discipline or in another department.

- Graduate Teaching Assistants work under the direct supervision of graduate faculty members and are assigned duties related directly to instruction, such as assisting in the preparation of lectures, leading discussion sections, conducting laboratory exercises, grading papers, and keeping class records. Advanced graduate students who have completed 18 graduate credit hours in his or her teaching discipline may be given primary responsibility for teaching an undergraduate course, including student assessment and assignment of final grades. GTAs may not be assigned primary responsibilities for teaching and student assessment in courses approved for graduate credit. Departments utilizing GTAs must provide orientation and training for students who will have any type of instructional or teaching assignment noted above. All graduate students planning to serve as GTAs must participate in a departmental orientation and training program before functioning in the GTA role. A student whose native language is not English must present a mock lecture to a group of three faculty (specifically, a faculty member, the graduate coordinator and the department head from the department where the course to be provided resides). A decision to allow the student to provide instruction must be unanimous and based on the quality of the spoken English in the mock lecture.

- The Professional Services Assistant is a graduate student who performs jobs or tasks directly related to their graduate training program or discipline. GPSAs could be hired in academic and non-academic units where specific technical duties related to the student’s graduate degree program would be utilized. For example, an English major working in University Public Relations copy editing or writing or a MAcc student working in an office on campus requiring accounting or auditing skills.

- Graduate Administrative Assistants aid faculty and staff members with administrative functions, and GSA appointments are available in academic and non‐academic units. Duties vary, depending on administrative needs of the unit making the award. Such work may be clerical, computer-based, and/or editorial in nature. To allow maximum professional development, the student should be given the opportunity to apply his/her academic skills to the assigned tasks and develop new administrative skills.

All graduate assistantship positions should have a job description describing the duties and other job-related responsibilities.

Work Assignments and Related Factors

To utilize the four categories of assistantships, the following provisions should be observed.

Work assignments for each type of assistantship should be as specific as possible and should be developed to reflect both the needs of the department and each graduate assistant’s obligation to make satisfactory progress in his/her program. Therefore, to the extent possible an assignment should appropriately reflect teaching hours, office hours, hours to be spent performing research or other specified tasks. Such specifications should be provided in writing at the time the offer is made.

In situations where the work assignment cannot be specifically described or must be changed from an initial assignment, the graduate assistant should clearly be informed before agreeing to, or continuing in, the assignment.

An important part of each graduate assistant’s work assignment is the fostering of professional development. Such development plus variations in departmental needs may result in differences in number of hours per week for carrying out assignments.

Thus, weekly work assignments, when specified, are done so in terms of averages. For a part time appointment, the graduate assistant’s normal work time should not exceed 10 hours per week. For a full time appointment, the average number of hours should not exceed 20 hours per week. Appointments exceeding 50% must have prior approval of the Dean of the Graduate School, excluding summer term. The normal number of hours for conducting an assignment should be mutually understood by the graduate assistant and immediate supervisor. For percentage efforts not covered by those appointments above, the normal work time per week will be prorated.

SACS Requirement

Regulations specifically addressing the 18-hour requirement are excerpted from Section 4.8.4 of the SACS publication, Criteria for Accreditation, (Atlanta, 1996, p. 50) and read as follows:

[Graduate teaching assistants] who have primary responsibility for teaching a course for credit and/or for assigning final grades for such a course, and whose professional and scholarly preparation does not satisfy the provisions of Section 4.8.2 [which relate to exceptions] must have earned at least 18 graduate semester hours in their teaching discipline, be under the direct supervision of a faculty member experienced in the teaching discipline, receive regular in-service training, and be evaluated regularly.

The above requirements do not apply to graduate teaching assistants engaged in assignments such as assisting in laboratory sessions, teaching physical education activities, attending or helping prepare lectures, grading papers, keeping class records, and conducting discussion groups.

Certifying graduate students for teaching roles is done through the academic college and Academic Affairs.

Hiring Process and Approval

Graduate school applicants can be offered a graduate assistantship; however, an applicant cannot be awarded a graduate assistantship until they are admitted to a specific graduate degree program and the Graduate School. Students wishing to apply for graduate assistantships must correspond directly with the college, department, school, or unit offering the assistantship. Students are free to apply for assistantships in any department, not only in the department to which they are admitted. Once a department has decided who they wish to hire, they must inform the Graduate Office for approval to hire. Once approval to hire is provided by the Graduate School, the hiring department may offer the GA position to the student. A scanned copy of the offer letter with the student’s signature signifying acceptance must be provided in electronic format to the Graduate School office.

GAs are expected to be hired and working within three class days of the beginning of a semester.

Financial Package

GAs are provided a salary on a regular periodic basis as compensation for the service provided each term of the appointment and provided a waiver of tuition and associated maintenance fees. Full-time awards for the 2011-2012 academic year include a $2,750 stipend and full tuition waiver (9 hrs) per semester for the fall and spring semesters. Graduate assistantships awarded in the summer would have a prorated stipend and tuition waiver. In the 2011-2012 academic year, the total value of a full-time assistantship for in-state residents is slightly more than $16,000 and $26,000 for out-of-state residents. Students will be responsible for additional course fees beyond those fees that are customarily included in courses, for example, online courses offered through New College or coded as X2.

The minimum stipend amount is set by the university and must be adhered to for university-funded and externally funded GA positions. Only when an external funding source has in writing a stipend amount lower than the university amount will the lesser amount be allowed. Stipend amounts from external sources can be established at a higher dollar amount as long as reasonable and aligned with market and competition.

GAs hired in the summer must register for the 12 week summer term or in each 6 week term.

Tuition Waiver Processing

All GAs must receive both a tuition waiver and salary stipend. The tuition waiver can only be processed if the GA is properly admitted and registered. The waiver is initiated by the GA’s employing department. Specifically, the hiring department must include the required information for the student on the Banner Graduate Assistantship form. If the tuition waiver has not been applied to a student’s account, the student. i.e., GA, is responsible for notifying his/her employing department as soon as he/she is made aware of the outstanding balance. A GA’s salary paperwork is initiated when the student returns the offer letter accepting the assistantship. A scanned copy of the offer letter with the student’s signature signifying acceptance must be provided in electronic format to the Graduate School office.

Accepting/Declining An Assistantship

The University of Tennessee adheres to the following Resolution by the Council of Graduate Schools.

“Acceptance of an offer of financial support (such as a graduate scholarship, fellowship, traineeship, or assistantship) for the next academic year by a prospective or enrolled graduate student completes an agreement that both student and graduate school expect to honor. In that context, the conditions affecting such offers and their acceptance must be defined carefully and understood by all parties.”

Students are under no obligation to respond to offers of financial support prior to April 15; earlier deadlines for acceptance of such offers violate the intent of this Resolution. In those instances in which a student accepts an offer before April 15, and subsequently desires to withdraw that acceptance, the student may submit in writing a resignation of the appointment at any time through April 15. However, an acceptance given or left in force after April 15 commits the student not to accept another offer without first obtaining a written release from the institution to which a commitment has been made. Similarly, an offer by an institution after April 15 is conditional on presentation by the student of the written release from any previously accepted offer. It is further agreed by the institutions and organizations subscribing to the above Resolution that a copy of this Resolution should accompany every scholarship, fellowship, traineeship, and assistantship offer.

Miscellaneous

The Graduate School Office does not maintain a list of available assistantships and does not award graduate assistantships directly to students, but does post assistantship announcements when requested.

Graduate Opportunity Assistantships

Graduate Opportunity Assistantships are available to first year graduate students who are first generation students at the master’s or doctoral level and who will promote the educational and related benefits of a diverse graduate student body. This assistantship provides financial support to first-time enrolled graduate students demonstrating significant potential to contribute to the educational mission of The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga by presenting one or more of a wide range of diverse attributes.

UTC seeks to recruit, enroll, and retain qualified students who will benefit from educational and social interactions with peers who come from different backgrounds and who have different life experiences, perspectives, and goals. UTC also seeks to prepare its students with an array of educational experiences that will prepare them for dealing effectively in an increasingly diverse and global workforce. This graduate assistantship program is designed to achieve these goals. The wide-ranging attributes that will contribute to the educational mission of UTC include but are not limited to ethnic and cultural backgrounds or life experiences, career goals, social or economic disadvantaged, disability status, age, race, and gender.

Recipients will be selected by a committee of three individuals. Recipients will hold the award while they are in good academic standing until the degree is successfully completed.

The priority deadline for applying for graduate opportunity assistantships is February 15. Applications are available at www.utc.edu/graduateschool.

Scholarships

The Graduate School has a limited number of scholarships, most of which are single course scholarships. To be eligible, students must have a minimum 3.0 institutional cumulative GPA. The priority deadline for applying is February 15. This information is also available at http://www.utc.edu/Administration/GraduateSchool/AssistanshipsAndScholarships.php.
• Channel 3 Scholarships provide $1,000 awards to two African-American students in the M.B.A. program who are interested in the broadcast industry.
• Charles Foundation Scholarships are available to select full-time students in engineering or education.
• Civitan Club Scholarship provides a $1,000 award to a special education student with financial need.
• Community Development Work Study Program Fellowships are awarded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to students with economic need majoring in Public Administration. These fellowships are available only when UTC receives funding.
• Dr. John A. Dyer book scholarships provide $500 awards to a few students in the Public Administration Program.
• Fincannon Scholarships are awarded to selected previously married women.
• Finley Scholarships are awarded to a few single parents, especially women.
• Geraghty Scholarship is for a student in the M.B.A. program with a humanities undergraduate major.
• The Graduate School Scholarship recognizes a student in any discipline who has need and shows unusual merit.
• Lebovitz Scholarships are awarded to eligible students of the Jewish faith.
• Music performance grants are available for the bands, singing groups and orchestra. Applications are made to the head of the Music Department.
• The Radin Scholarship is awarded to a student in the liberal arts.
• Rotary Club of Chattanooga Scholarships are awarded to selected graduate students who are alumni of Chattanooga City or Hamilton County public schools.

Criminal Justice Department Scholarship
• The Graduate Doc Schettler Scholarship provides a maximum of $3,000 annually to a fully admitted student to the Master’s of Science in Criminal Justice degree program, http://www.utc.edu/Academic/CriminalJustice/CRMJGraduateScholarships.php.

 Note: There may be special awards for students in Nursing or Physical Therapy. Contact the appropriate program coordinator for information.
 

Grants

Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant

The TEACH Grant is a Federal grant available to Graduate students who have completed the FAFSA, are U.S. citizens or eligible non-citizens, have a 3.25 GPA or scored in the 75th percentile on a standardized admissions test (such as the ACT/SAT/GRE), and have declared an eligible major as defined by UTC. The maximum award for the academic year is $4,000 with a cumulative maximum of $8,000. Regulations and provisions of the TEACH Grant are subject to change by Federal legislative action. Agreement to serve/promise to pay: The student must teach full-time for at least four years within eight years of completing program as a 1) highly qualified teacher; 2) at a Title 1 school; 3) in a specified subject area (mathematics, science, a foreign language, bilingual education, special education, or as a reading specialist). If service is not met: the grant must be repaid as an Unsubsidized Direct Stafford Loan with interest from the date(s) of original disbursement.

Students admitted as provisional or conditional graduate students are not eligible for the TEACH Grant.

Student Loans

Direct Subsidized Stafford Loans

These student loans are government-insured need based loans with no interest charged while the student is in college and are repayable after graduation or withdrawal from college. Eligible graduate students may borrow up to a maximum of $8,500 per academic year. To qualify for assistance, a graduate student must normally be enrolled at least half time. Six graduate semester hours equals half time.

To qualify for Direct Stafford Loans, students need to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid www.fafsa.gov and have a complete Financial Aid file. Students must be enrolled at least half-time (six hours for fall, spring, or summer terms).

Unsubsidized Stafford Loan

These non-need based loans are available to students enrolled at least half-time. (Six hours for fall, spring, or summer terms.) Graduate students may borrow up to $20,500 per year between Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans. These loans are not linked to family income; and, therefore, all students who have not previously defaulted on a student loan are eligible. Students admitted as conditional graduate students are eligible for loan assistance.

To have Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans processed, students need to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid www.fafsa.gov and have a complete Financial Aid file. The aggregate Stafford Loan limit for graduate students is $138,500 including undergraduate borrowing.

Graduate PLUS Loan

These credit based loans can go up to a student’s cost of attendance minus awarded aid. Students MUST have maximized their Stafford loan eligibility of $20,500 for the academic year before a Graduate PLUS loan will be awarded. Students need to apply on-line at www.studentloan.gov to be approved for the Graduate PLUS loan. Students must be degree seeking and enrolled in at least six hours.

Student Employment

The Chattanooga Symphony offers an orchestral apprentice program for a limited number of qualified orchestral performers. Eligible students receive wages equal to the prevailing union contract. Interested students should contact the head of the music department.