Student Expenses

Estimated student expenses for the 2003-04 academic year, consisting of three academic terms, are as follows:

*TUITION
2003-04............................................................$24,255 ($8,085 per term)
*ROOM (double occupancy) (subject to availability)
2003-04...............................................................$3,840 ($1,280 per term)

*BOARD (18 meals per week) (optional)
2003-04...............................................................$2,880 ($900 per term)

In addition to the above expenses, books and supplies will cost approximately $1,500 for the academic year. These items may be purchased in the campus bookstore, a non-profit service operated for the benefit of students. All off-campus students pay a fee of approximately $100 per course to cover textbook and supply costs and $ 604 per credit hour ($ 2,416 for typical 4 hour course) for the 2003 - 2004 academic year. Also, students may elect to participate in the Student Accident and Health Insurance Program.

*Tuition and fees are the best available estimates at the time of printing. These are subject to change.

Summer Fees

Students doing work during the summer which requires any effort on the part of a faculty member shall register for the appropriate number of course and/or research credits and be assessed the usual registration fee and/or tuition at an hourly or quarterly rate.

Continuing Enrollment Fee

A student must be a registered student during the term in which they take their final examination, submit a thesis/research report, and/or complete all degree requirements. Any student who has completed his or her thesis research credit hours and is not required to register for any additional course credit must register for GRAD 504 (Graduate Seminar IV). Registration for GRAD 504 will permit a student to take the final examination or defend a thesis, submit a thesis/research report, and receive a degree. A student who has not been continuously registered during their program must request and receive, in writing, approval of the advisory chair and the Associate Dean of the Faculty in order to register.  The fee is $ 100 per quarter.

Financial Assistance

In general, Rose-Hulman has three types of financial aid available to graduate students:

Assistantships: Graduate Assistantships ($ 2,600/quarter); awarded by the President upon recommendation of the Graduate Studies Committee, and Research Assistantships, awarded by the faculty director of the associated research project.

Tuition Grants: Awarded by the President upon the recommendation of the Graduate Studies Committee which cover tuition up to 18 credit hours per term.

Note: All financial aid is forfeited by a student changing programs. The student must reapply for financial aid from the remaining resources.

Loans: Administered by the office of the Dean of Student Life.

In addition to the above, two-year Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) scholarships are available for students who wish to earn an Army officer's commission while pursuing a graduate degree. These valuable scholarships provide money toward tuition, books, and living expenses. Programs are available to assist students with prior military service or those with no military experience. Students should contact the Department of Military Science for scholarship requirements.

Assistantships for the academic year normally include the stipend and a full tuition grant. Payment of the stipend is in installments beginning at the start of the quarter. 

Please note:

The assistantships are for an entire quarter and, as such, you should not request an assistance if you will not be available for work during the entire quarter.

 In awarding financial aid, preferences will be given to students who do not have any outside support.

A. Work Requirements

1. A graduate assistant is expected to perform duties as assigned by the department concerned. These typically require 12 to 15 hours of service per week.

2. Graduate academic work together with an assistantship requires a full-time effort. While eight quarter credit hours is the minimum full load, 12 credit hours per quarter constitutes a normal load for a graduate assistant. Students receiving graduate assistantships should not accept additional outside employment. Additionally, approval from the advisory committee chair and the Associate Dean of the Faculty is required for any loads above 16 credit hours.

B. Review of Graduate Financial Aid Requests

Continuation of an assistantship and/or tuition grant depends on the satisfactory performance of the duties assigned and on a graduate student's academic progress. The Rose-Hulman academic year is divided into three quarters. The performance of each student is evaluated at the end of each quarter. Financial aid (assistantship and/or tuition grant) is normally granted for the entire academic year for first year students and on a per quarter basis otherwise. To request an extension of financial aid, or to request consideration for financial aid, a student must submit the Financial Aid Request Form [(Word) (pdf)]. 

A request for financial aid, or an extension of financial aid, together with all supporting documentation and letters of support, must be received by the Associate Dean of the Faculty by the first Friday of the quarter. The Graduate Studies Committee will review and decide on each request for additional assistance by the end of the seventh week of the quarter. The Associate Dean of the Faculty will inform each student in writing of the Committee's decision.

If a student is not on academic probation, is making satisfactory progress toward the completion of a thesis or required project, and is performing the duties assigned, a request for extension of a graduate assistantship is normally granted through the fourth quarter of graduate study, depending upon the number of requests received. A graduate student should not expect the continuation of a graduate assistantship beyond the fourth quarter of study, even if the student has not held the assistantship for all four quarters. Tuition grants may, at the discretion of the Graduate Studies Committee, be continued for a longer period but should not be expected beyond the fifth quarter of study.

A student desiring any change in his or her financial aid status must follow the timing and procedure described above in the quarter preceding the one for which the change is desired. This process applies to students changing from probationary to regular student status as well.

STUDENT REFUNDS AND RETURN OF FINANCIAL AID FUNDS

I. Institutional Charges

Students who voluntarily withdraw from the Institute may be entitled to a pro-rata refund of tuition, room, and board charges for that period. The amount returned is based on the percentage of enrollment completed and is calculated by dividing the number of calendar days completed by the total number of calendar days in the quarter. If the calculated percentage exceeds 60 percent, there will be no reduction in charges. Student activity fees, residence hall association fess, and laptop administration fees are not refundable. Overload charges are refundable on the same pro-rata basis as basic tuition. The student is also responsible for any unpaid charges for the period of enrollment, any unearned financial aid, and an administrative fee of $100. In addition, a student has 30 days to satisfy the balance owed on his/her laptop computer.

II. Return of Title IV Funds

Rose-Hulman is required to return a pro-rata share of any unearned Federal Title IV funds to the Department of Education. Federal Title IV financial aid includes Federal Direct Stafford Loans, Federal Direct PLUS Loans, Federal Perkins Loans, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG) and the Federal Pell Grant. The amount returned is based on the percentage of enrollment completed and is calculated by dividing the number of calendar days completed by the total number of calendar days in the quarter. If this percentage is greater than 60 percent, no Title IV funds will be returned to the Department of Education and the student will retain 100 percent of this aid to offset expenses. If the percentage is less than 60 percent, the unearned portion (100 percent minus the calculated percentage) will be returned to the Department of Education. The amount returned will show up as a charge on the student's account. These funds will be returned in the following order as prescribed by federal regulations:
Federal Direct Stafford Loans (Unsubsidized)
Federal Direct Stafford Loans (Subsidized)
Federal Perkins Loan
Federal Direct Parent Loans for Undergraduate Students (PLUS)
Federal Pell Grants
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG)
Any other Title IV funds

III. Return of Institutional and Other Financial Aid

All other forms of financial aid will be returned in a manner consistent with Federal Title IV regulations. The amount returned will be based on the percentage of enrollment completed and will be calculated by dividing the number of calendar days completed by the number of calendar days in the quarter. If this percentage is greater than 60 percent, no financial aid will be returned and the student will retain 100 percent of this aid to offset expenses. If the percentage is less than 60 percent, the unearned portion (100 percent minus the calculated percentage) will be returned to each appropriate source of funding. The amount returned will show up as a charge on the student's account.

IV. Change to Part-time Status During a Term

When a student withdraws from a course but continues as a part-time student (fewer than 8 quarter hours), the tuition refund shall be the difference between the initial billing and the revised billing multiplied by the unearned portion of the quarter. This percentage will be calculated by dividing the number of calendar days completed by the number of calendar days in the quarter and subtracting this number from 100 percent. If the calculated percentage is greater than 60 percent, the student will not be entitled to a reduction in tuition. Students who drop below half-time during this refund period will have all financial aid removed with the exception of the Federal Pell Grant. If a student continues to be enrolled for at least six credit hours and is eligible, the student may retain a portion of the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, Federal Direct Stafford Loan, Federal Direct Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students, State funds and RHIT institutional funds.