Graduate Student Handbook

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Money and Jobs

Supporting Yourself

Be persistent, and take the initiative to look for jobs and support. Your department has information on fellowships and graduate assistantships. Note the deadlines for application (usually early January). The best place to begin your search is through your adviser. If no positions are currently available in your college, see graduate assistantship vacancies at http://www1.umn.edu/ohr/gae or call Graduate Assistant Employment at 612-624-7070. If you are unable to find an assistantship right away, other employment options are available, including academic, staff, and student positions.

All centrally posted University positions are at www.umn.edu/ohr . Or visit the University of Minnesota Job Center at 200 Donhowe Building, 319-15th Avenue S.E., Minneapolis, MN 55455 (phone 612-625-2000).

Internships may be available through your department or college career office or at the Career and Community Learning Center, 135 Johnston Hall (612-624-7577), www.cclc.umn.edu.

For a list of career offices at the University, see the Graduate School Catalog.

Financial Aid

Financial aid for graduate students falls into four broad categories: assistantships, gift aid, loans, and work-study. For additional information, check with your academic department, The Graduate School's Graduate Fellowship Office Web page, the Graduate Assistant Employment Web site, and the One Stop Financial Aid Web site. You can also explore the availability of educational funding through your employer and fraternal, civic, or religious organizations.

Aid types

Graduate student aid: Graduate students are responsible for finding and securing the following types of aid, which are awarded by departments and other donors:

• scholarships and fellowships
• departmental aid
• funding from non-University sources
• graduate assistantships
• stipends
• waivers
• tuition benefits

Graduate Assistantships : You are eligible for graduate tuition benefits if you are a graduate student who holds an assistantship position of at least 12.5 percent time. Tuition benefits are awarded by the University and reduce the amount of tuition you pay. If interested in an individual graduate assistantship, you must pursue it on your own. Contact your department or the Graduate Assistant Employment Office Web site for more information.

Tuition benefits: Tuition benefits may be available to students as part of a scholarship, fellowship, departmental or institutional assistance, outside agency, or University of Minnesota Regents Scholarship for employees. You must report any other tuition benefits you expect to receive or the percentage of any increase in your graduate assistant appointment. You risk repayment and/or cancellation of loan and other funds if you do not comply.

Work-study awards: Work-study is a type of need-based financial aid for which you work, thereby reducing the need for loans. Graduate and professional school students are awarded work-study upon request if they have need-based eligibility and will be enrolled at least half time.
The University of Minnesota Job Center posts openings for work-study and non-work-study jobs and graduate assistantships. Graduate students with assistantships are eligible to use work-study awards to fund their assistantship or other on-campus job. For more information, visit the University of Minnesota Office of Human Resources Employment Web site.

Student loans: Loans are available to eligible students through the federal government, the University, and private lending institutions. Students may borrow up to the cost of attendance less work-study and other educational aid (from any source). Most student loan programs feature in-school deferments until you graduate or drop below half-time attendance. University students automatically will be offered the maximum possible federal and University loans. Check with a financial aid counselor for more information, or visit the One Stop Loans Web page.
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Application and award process

The Office of Student Finance (OSF) oversees the financial aid application and award process at the University for all students except those on temporary non-immigrant visas. International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) administers the financial aid application and award process for international students. Other students need to apply each year for financial aid and are encouraged to do so by the priority deadline of April 1. If you meet the priority date, you may receive aid from limited-funded programs, including federal and University loans that carry the most attractive interest rates and terms.
To be considered for and to receive aid, you must complete all of the required steps by the OSF.

If you want to follow your financial aid from application to disbursement, click on the "Financial Aid Status" link on the One Stop Financial Aid Web site.
FAFSA form: To be considered for all loans, work-study, and government-funded fellowships, you must first complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form and submit it to the federal financial aid processor. Health professions students must report parental data to be considered for a Health Profession Loan.

We recommend completing the FAFSA form and submitting it electronically on the FAFSA Web site. Your application will be processed faster, and built-in software support helps you avoid errors that could lead to costly delays.

If you prefer to submit a paper copy, printed FAFSA forms are available from the One Stop Student Services Centers, other postsecondary institutions, and public libraries.

Aid recipient selection: After the federal processor has completed the need analysis, the results will be forwarded to the University. OSF staff will determine the amount of aid you are eligible to receive based on the following:

• your FAFSA form results
• assumed full-time enrollment
• the amount of aid available
• distribution formulas based on University, state, and federal guidelines
• other University, state, and federal criteria

OSF staff will send you an e-mail message instructing you how to go online to your Financial Aid Award Notification (eFAAN) that indicates the types and amount of aid for which you may be eligible. You will be awarded aid based on your demonstrated financial need, which is the difference between the OSF's estimate of what attending the University will cost you and the amount the federal and state governments expect you to contribute. You must respond online to your eFAAN to accept, decline, or adjust your awards and have them disbursed to your University student account.

Scholarship checks: All aid and work-study will reduce loan eligibility. You are required to report to OSF any anticipated aid so that your loans can be adjusted at the earliest possible time. Loan reductions occur throughout the year as the OSF learns of aid not previously reported.
You must submit to the OSF all scholarship checks you receive so that the money is deposited into your student account. When you submit the check, attach a copy of all relevant letters, memos, or other printed materials. If the check is made payable to you and the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, it must be endorsed by you.

If the name and address of the donor are not on the check, attach the information to the check. Always include your student identification and social security numbers, and the academic term or terms for which the scholarship is intended.

Reciprocity applications: If you are a resident of North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, or Manitoba, it is your responsibility to complete the reciprocity application available from your state or provincial education department. The OSF assumes that all eligible students will apply for and receive reciprocity.

Student account disbursements: Your aid will be disbursed into your student account on a term-by-term basis provided you have met all registration and eligibility criteria outlined on the One Stop Financial Aid Web site. Tuition and fees will be deducted from your financial aid. Your online student account, available for viewing on the One Stop Student Web site, will itemize disbursements and the charges that have been paid. You are responsible for making your account payments on time, whether or not you receive a billing statement. Any remaining funds will be mailed to you in the form of a credit balance check, or you can sign up for direct deposit to your bank checking or savings account.

For more information, contact the Office of Student Finance:

• Visit the One Stop Student Services Center in 200 Fraser Hall.
• Call (612) 624-1111 or (612) 626-0701 (TTY).
• Call (800) 400-8636 if you are outside the Twin Cities calling area.
• Send e-mail to sfhelp@umn.edu.
• Visit the One Stop Financial Aid Web site.

Graduate Fellowship Office

The Graduate School Fellowship Office is located at 314 Johnston Hall (612-625-7579). Graduate fellowships, awards based on academic merit, are available to new and currently enrolled graduate students at the University of Minnesota. The Graduate School Fellowship Office administers University-wide fellowships. Applications may be obtained from the Fellowship Office or may be filled out online, printed out, and sent to the Fellowship Office by the designated deadline. The Fellowship Office also administers the National Science Foundation program and the Fulbright program.

For more information, contact the Graduate School Fellowship Office (612-625-7579) or at http://www.grad.umn.edu/fellowships

Check Cashing

With your U Card, you can cash a personal check for up to $50 (50¢ fee) at the bursar’s offices in 145 Williamson Hall, 101A Anderson Hall (8–3, Monday–Friday), and 107 Coffey Hall (8–3:30, Monday–Friday). Some stores in Dinkytown cash checks for a small fee or allow checks for $5 over purchase. The information desk/post office in the St. Paul Student Center will cash a personal check made out to the University, with U Card, for up to $20 (no fee).

Many bank cards work in the cash machines in the lower concourse of Williamson Hall, in Coffman Union, and in the basement of Blegen Hall (next to periodical shop). Machines are also located in the St. Paul Student Center, Dinkytown, and Stadium Village.

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