Your Tuition Bill Explained Student Health Insurance Plan - In accordance with Massachusetts State Law, the University of Massachusetts Amherst requires full-time students to be enrolled in a US based primary health insurance plan. If you do not already have insurance, or if the plan you have won't meet your needs while at school, take advantage of the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP). Students taking five or more credits are automatically enrolled in the SHIP and charged on the semester's tuition bill. You must go to the Patient Services at University Health Services (UHS) to enroll and pay for the plan if you: a. want family insurance; b. are taking fewere than five credits; or c. are a degree-seeking Continuing Education or University Without Walls student. The available SHIP family plan covers a student's spouse or same-sex domestic partner and dependent children under 19. If you have comparable coverage and do not need the SHIP, you must complete the online waiver request before the end of the ADD/DROP period. After successful completion of the waiver, charges will be removed from your bill. SHIP waiver completed in the fall apply to the entire academic year; only new or transfer students need to complete the waiver for the spring semestr. However, if your needs change, you may enroll in SHIP for the spring semester. For more information on the SHIP and the waiver process, visit the UHS website, www.umass.edu/uhs/insurance, or call UHS Patient Services, (413) 577-5192. Basic Health Fee - If you are taking five credits per semester, a mandatory Student Health Fee is added to your tuition bill. The fee is not insurance, but works together with with your primary plan. It entitles you to be seen at UHS, supports an array of programs and services, and absorbs many costs not covered by primary health insurance. If you are taking fewer than 5 credits, or are a degree-seeking Continuing Education or University Without Walls student, the fee won't appear on your tuition bill. To use USH services, you must come to Patient Services to enroll and pay fee before the end of the Add/Drop period. Activities Fee - This fee supports undergraduate student government, various agencies providing services and activities for students, and over two hundred existing Registered Student Organizations (RSO's). Curriculum Support Fee - This fee helps to offset permanent reductions in state funding and contributes to the educational mission of the campus, allowing it to remain a comprehensive university offering a wide variety of programs at the graduate and undergraduate level. Service Fee - This fee provides students access to Fine Arts Council events, reduced ticket prices, intercollegiate athletic programs and the transit system. It covers all bond issue debt service obligations of the University of Massachusetts Building Authority for Amherst campus facilities and projects. Entering Fee - Charged once, upon a student's entry to the University, it provides students with intramural athletics programs, an All Campus Card and copies of official undergraduate transcripts. Graduation Fee - Charged once a student has acquired the 87 credits required for graduation, this fee provides career information, job matching and employment referral through the Career Center, and expenses related to the Commencement ceremony. Late Payment Fee - Any student who does not make payment of his or her semester charges by the date specified may be required to pay a Late Payment Fee of $50. Off-Campus (Graduate Student) Fee - Students completing their thesis, dissertation, or internship at an "off-campus" site may be eligible for a reduction of the General Fee. Contact the Graduate Records Office at (413) 545-0024 for a form and more information. Program Fee (Graduate Student) - Graduate students not enrolled for any course credits but who are candidates for a degree, must pay a program fee each semester (excluding summer terms) for continuous registration until the degree for which the student has been accepted has been formally awarded. Deadline for enrollment under this option is the end of the add/drop period. Any student who does not pay this fee by the appropriate deadline and later seeks readmission or applies for graduation, shall pay the accumulated program fee plus a readmission fee of $50. Students seeking readmission must file a written request, endorsed by the appropriate Department Head or Graduate Program Director, with the Graduate Dean. Commencement (Graduate Student) Fee - The Commencement Fee is requisite for graduation as commencement exercises and events are intended to be self-supporting. For students who entered prior to the Fall 1999 semester, this fee must be paid by the time students file for their degree. For all others, the Commencement Fee was included in the Graduate Entering Fee paid in the student's first semester. Entering (Graduate Student) Fee - First-semester graduate students are required to pay a one-time fee for the Graduate Transcript, Library Binding, Commencement fee, Career Services Fee and and student identification card, commonly referred to as the UCard. Regardless of the number of official transcripts requested, degrees earned, or manuscripts that are bound, a student will pay the Graduate Entering Fee only once. The UCard functions as a library card, access to residence halls, meal plan ticket and on-campus debit card. (See explanations under "Career Services" and "Commencement" for a description of those services). Non-degree graduate students are not assessed the Graduate Entering Fee. Service (Graduate Student) Fee - The Service Fee provides student access to Fine Arts Council events, reduced ticket prices, and the transit system. It covers all bond issue debt service obligations of the University of Massachusetts Building Authority for Amherst campus facilities and projects. Career Services (Graduate Student) Fee - Career Services help students and alumni identify and pursue satisfying careers through a variety of programs and services. Career Services also offers programs to assist those employers who are seeking talented students or alumni. For students who entered prior to the Fall 2003 semester, this fee must be paid by the time students file for their degree. For all others, the Career Services Fee was included in the Graduate Entering Fee paid in the student's first semester. Graduate Student Senate Fee - This fee supports graduate student government and various agencies providing services and activities for graduate students. Telecommunications Fee - The residence hall telecommunications fee applies to all students living in the residence halls. It is a combination of two fees: 1) the former "Residence Hall Telecommunication Fee," which was dedicated to computer networking, 2) and a portion of the Residence Hall" fee (rent), which was used to maintain and repair the telephone 911 system. Both fees are now combined into the "Telecommunications Fee (Residence)." Waiving Optional Fees - If you prefer not to contribute to the following causes, check off the appropriate box on the back of the bill, and deduct the amount of the fee(s) on the reverse side of the bill. MassPIRG Provides funds for the campus chapter of the Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group on environmental/consumer/government issues. Child Care Tuition Assistance Program Provides funds for campus childcare. Campus Housing - You are required to live on campus unless: You are a junior or a senior (excluding Stockbridge students). You are married or a veteran and registered as such with the Records Office. Commuting within 40 miles of Amherst, with a completed commuter card (from the Housing Office). Living at a fraternity or sorority house with the proper paperwork filed at the Greek Affairs Office, telephone # (413) 545-2711. Single Room Charges - If you choose to live in a single room, charges will be assessed by the Housing Assignment Office and billed after the fifth week of the semester. For additional information, contact the Housing Office at (413) 545-2100 or at their website http://www.housing.umass.edu Meal Plans - All freshman and sophomores living on campus are required to be on one of the residential meal plans. For additional information, contact the Meal Plan Office at (413) 545-1362 or at their website http://www.aux.umass.edu/diningservices Tuition Surcharge The Massachusetts Board of Higher Education requires all universities and state colleges to assess a tuition surcharge to students who exceed 118 percent of required credits in an academic degree program. This surcharge applies to instate undergraduates and students enrolled through the New England Regional Exchange Program and is equal to the nonresident tuition rate per credit.