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Financial Assistance
Several forms of financial assistance are available
to graduate students through the Graduate School and individual
departments, most of which are awarded for an academic year commencing
in the fall. To be eligible for any assistance, the student must first
be admitted to the Graduate School. In most cases, the application for
admission with supporting documents serves as the application for new
graduate students for the scholarship and assistantship programs
available to them. In other cases, individual departments have their own
application forms. Students are advised to contact individual programs
for more information about assistantships and scholarships, and any
departmental application forms.
Tax Reform Act & Lifetime Learning
Education Tax Credit
TRA '86
TRA '86 made all scholarships and fellowships taxable income to the
recipients, except for that portion used by degree candidates for the
payment of tuition and course-required fees, books, supplies, and
equipment (as opposed to other expenses like room and board).
Compensation for service, which includes assistantship stipends and
work-study awards, is fully taxable. Tuition waivers awarded to graduate
students on assistantships are considered to be nontaxable scholarships.
Lifetime Learning Education Tax Credit
The Lifetime Learning education tax credit is among the recent changes
in the tax laws that are designed to make college education more
accessible and more affordable for low and moderate income families. The
following will give you a general overview of the program. The Lifetime Learning credit is for expenses incurred for any
post-secondary education. There is no limit on the number of years this
credit may be claimed. An individual may claim an income tax credit for
20 percent of qualified tuition and fees for himself or herself, a
spouse and dependents. This credit cannot be used for expenses incurred
for books, room and board or other expenses. Before calculating the
credit, the taxpayer must deduct any scholarships and other tax-free
financial assistance, including a distribution from an Education IRA and
employer-provided educational assistance. Beginning July 1, 1998 through
December 31, 2002 the maximum yearly credit is $1,000 (i.e., up to
$5,000 of qualified expenses may be taken into account). Beginning in
2003, the amount of eligible education expenses increases to $10,000,
resulting in a $2,000 maximum tax credit. The Lifetime Learning credit
is taken in the year the expenses are paid. The credit covers a broad
range of schooling. The student may be enrolled full-time, half-time or
less than half-time and be taking undergraduate or graduate level
courses. The credit is available to taxpayers whose income is under
$100,000 if filing a joint return or $50,000 if filing a single return.
Fellowships & Scholarships
Graduate Scholarships for Merit
The Graduate School awards six scholarships annually to recognize
the outstanding contributions of both master’s and doctoral students for
their teaching and scholarship. Availability and criteria for award of
these scholarships are announced annually by the Graduate School.
Scholarships for Full-Time Students
Students who are full-time may be granted full or 1/2 tuition
scholarships for the academic year or semester. These awards provide for
waiver of tuition and are subject to the maintenance of a high
scholastic record in the Graduate School. Application is made to the
student’s department or program.
Scholarships for Part-Time Students
Students who are part-time may be granted tuition scholarships, which
provide a partial waiver of tuition charges. The scholarships are
awarded each semester of the academic year. Applications are available
at the Graduate School. University employees or family members who are
eligible for staff benefits are not eligible to receive scholarships for
part-time students.
Graduate Fellowships
The Graduate School offers a number of fellowships to entering students
to assist programs in recruiting a high-quality and diverse student
body. Availability and criteria for these fellowships are announced
annually by the Graduate School. Students are nominated by their
respective program coordinators.
Dissertation Fellowships
Dissertation fellowships for a maximum tenure of one academic year are
available on a competitive basis to doctoral students who have been
advanced to candidacy. These awards include a stipend and a waiver of
the doctoral research and mandatory fees for the period of the award.
Application is made to the dean of the Graduate School.
Summer Fellowships for Teaching Assistants
A limited number of summer fellowships are awarded to students who have
held graduate assistantships involving teaching during a previous
academic year. Application is made to the dean of the Graduate School.
Other Forms of Aid
Federal Financial Aid
Graduate students who are enrolled in a degree program at least half
time (5 or more credits per semester) and are a U.S. citizen or eligible
non-citizen may be considered for Federal Financial Aid. Graduate students
are reviewed for loans and work study. There are no Federal or
University grants or scholarships awarded to graduate students by the
UNH Financial Aid Office.
To apply for Federal Financial Aid you must complete the Free
Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or a Renewal Application.
You can complete a paper application or find this form online at
www.fafsa.ed.gov. The UNH priority deadline for applying for financial
aid is March 1. This is the date by which the FAFSA/Renewal Application
must be received by the Federal processor.
However, students applying after March 1 will still be considered for
the Federal Stafford Loan, which is not subject to the priority
deadline.
Graduate students must also complete a Graduate Student Aid
Verification Form and a Graduate Student Credit Verification Form before
their financial aid application can be reviewed. These forms are available at the UNH
Financial Aid Office or can be found on their Website at
financialaid.unh.edu.
Please note that these forms should not be turned in at the
Graduate School Office. They are to be completed by your specific
department and returned to the Financial Aid Office. Be aware that the Financial Aid Office will make their offer of aid
based on your actual tuition charges. If you will be enrolled for less
than 9 credits or paying reduced tuition in either semester, your aid
package may be adjusted. If you change your status (i.e., from full to
part time), receive a scholarship, tuition waiver or other resource, or
correct and/or change the information on the FAFSA, an aid adjustment
may result.
Types of aid available:
Federal College Work Study utilizes federal funds to provide employment
opportunities to graduate students who file on time and demonstrate
financial need.
The Federal Perkins Loan is a federally funded loan program administered
by UNH and is available to graduate students who file on time and
demonstrate exceptional need.
The Federal Subsidized Stafford Loan is a federally funded loan
available to graduate students who demonstrate financial need.
The Federal Unsubsidized Stafford Loan is available to graduate students
regardless of financial need.
Please feel free to visit the UNH Financial Aid Website at
http://financialaid.unh.edu
for further information or call (603) 862-3600 to speak to an
information specialist or to set up an appointment with the Graduate
School Coordinator.
Veterans Benefits
Veterans and their dependents should investigate their eligibility for
veterans benefit payments. Questions may be addressed to any local
Veterans Administration office or the UNH Veterans Coordinator,
Registrar’s Office at (603) 862-1595.
Satisfactory Academic Progress
Satisfactory progress in a course of study must be maintained by all
students who receive federal financial aid. The current standards for
satisfactory academic progress are available upon request from the
Financial Aid Office.
It is the student’s responsibility to become familiar with the academic
regulations and degree requirements of the Graduate School as well as
the special requirements of his or her own academic program. The general
requirements of the Graduate School are found in the catalog. Individual
program requirements may be found in the catalog or obtained from the
respective department. It is the student’s responsibility to become
familiar with the academic regulations and degree requirements of the
Graduate School as well as the special requirements of his or her own
academic program. These are found in the catalog or can be obtained from
the respective department.
Alternative Options
There are currently a variety of off-campus fellowships, awards and
related types of financial aid. It is always useful to take some time
and research these other forms of financial aid. The UNH Graduate Office keeps a
list of current Fellowships and Awards Database that are available for
faculty and students.
Here is a good place to get information on scholarships and many tips on
applying for aid:
http://www.financialaidtips.org/major_scholarships.htm
Another recommended site is the following for scholarships at the
www.scholarshiphelp.org website. The goal of this website is to educate
students about scholarship access and the necessary requirements for
achieving maximum financial aid. In addition, they provide information
free of charge to help students avoid scholarship scam artists and
misleading authors who promise "secrets" to what is essentially publicly
available information.
If you have questions about the New Tax and Saving Options for Education
more information is available. For more information: IRS Publication
970, Tax Benefits for Higher Education, and Publication 520,
Scholarships and fellowships, are available from the IRS Web site at
www.irs.ustreas.gov or by calling 1-800-TAX-FORM
SPIN -
Sponsored Programs Information Network
This site provides detailed and timely information about thousands of
Federal, non- federal and international funding opportunities. A
user-friendly database, searches can be initiated through general
keywords (Quick search) or specific criteria categories (Advanced
search).
Use this link
http://www.infoed.org/new_spin/spinmain.asp to access the site.
Requirements change but in the past you could only access this website
from a school that had a license to do so. This would mean you
would have to be accessing the site from a computer within the UNH IP
domain (unh.edu). If you are unable to use the link off-campus try
using it on-campus.
GK-12 Probe Fellowship:
The PROBE project provides support for 10 UNH advanced graduate Fellows
and four undergraduate Fellows each year to serve as resources for grade
9-12 students and teachers in science and mathematics in New Hampshire.
The program includes an emphasis on authentic inquiry in grade 9-12
classrooms, participation in the NH Science and Engineering Exposition
[May 2005], and a variety of summer science training programs; providing
science methods, instrumentation support, and research experiences for
teachers and students. The stipends for each of the 10 graduate Fellows
is set at $30,000 per calendar year plus tuition at the UNH rate.
Partial support is provided for travel of the Fellows to the more
distant partner schools.
Appointments are for 1 year and may be renewed; tenures typically
average 1-2 years. Details and application information for the 2005-2006
fellowships for the GK-12 PROBE Project are under projects on the
Leitzel Center website:
http://leitzelcenter.unh.edu/
All applicants must be accepted into a specific Science, Technology,
Engineering or Mathematics related discipline (STEM) program and
recommended by their respective departments. Each PROBE Fellow will work
with the lead teacher’s partner school and spend an average of 20 hours
each week supporting science and mathematics teachers. Fellows travel to
their partner school 2 days each week to work with students, develop and
teach inquiry-rich lessons, and plan with teacher-leaders for an
evolving inquiry experience for the students. Fellows meet with their
PROBE faculty advisors biweekly and on alternative weeks they meet as a
team with the PROBE Inquiry Coach.
The Joan and James Leitzel Center for Mathematics, Science, and
Engineering Education located at 138 Parsons Hall - University of New
Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824. For further information or questions please
email or call:
603-862-0718
For further information on graduate appointments and aid please see the
graduate appointments page. |
