University Fees

Check with UMass for the most current information.

• Graduate Entering Fee ($507)
  • Charged during first semester of enrollment only
• Tuition (value depends on number of enrolled credits)
  • Waived if GEO-eligible
  • Waived if on Continuous Enrollment
• Service Fee (value depends on number of enrolled credits)
  • Waived if on Continuous Enrollment
• Continuous Enrollment Fee ($285)
  • Substitutes Tuition and Service Fee if you are enrolled but taking no classes (zero credit)
  • To do that, register for Class #61819 (Continuous Enrollment), under the “Graduate School” department (GRADSCH 999) in SPIRE
• Student Health Fee ($417.50)
  • 95% discount if GEO-eligible
• Student Health Benefit Plan – SHBP (value depends on plan)
  • 95% discount if GEO-eligible o Value depends on plan (individual or family)
  • Waivable if student has another health plan
• Graduate Senate Tax ($77.75)
  • 50% discount if on Continuous Enrollment

Important:

• You should register for something in the fall and spring semesters, even if just Continuous Enrollment, this keeps you in active-status in the program. If students do not register for anything during the fall or spring semesters, the Graduate School withdraws the student from the program, and then there are fees to reapply and be readmitted. Students do not need to register for anything in the summer semester to remain in active-status.
• Enrolling for less than 9 credits in spring or fall would automatically give you a part-time status, but IDGP staff will review and manually make the full-time status updates in Spire for those students enrolled in less than full-time (< 9 credits) coursework. The full-time status impacts student loans, and is important for international students for their visas too.
• To fulfill OEB and University residency requirements, you need to be enrolled full-time (9 credits) for at least 2 consecutive semesters. Before you register for the continuation fee or fewer credits, make sure that you have met this requirement.
• Continuous Enrollment (zero credit) is a more expensive Bursar’s bill then enrolling in credits. With CE, you will have to start paying mandatory contributions to Massachusetts Social Security and Medicare (FICA) and employee funded retirement (OBRA). Graduate employees are exempt from FICA/OBRA withholdings if they are enrolled in at least 1 credit (i.e. a dissertation credit) and have full/half-time student status declared (see policy attached).
• FICA withholds 1.45% of gross pay and OBRA withholds 7.50% of gross pay- that comes out to roughly $100 (before tax) per paycheck for a 20 hr/wk GEO contract. The money you pay into the mandatory retirement plan (by default, the “SMART Capital Preservation Fund" plan in Massachusetts- details attached) is still yours but you can't withdraw it until after you've left UMass (if you choose to). At that time, you can also roll it over into another retirement plan.
• If you have been on continuous enrollment before and have been paying into the fund, you can check your contributions and the balance of your retirement account through the SMART plan portal by registering for a login account here. You should definitely check your balance and see your rate of return, because there are management fees and interest rate is extremely low that DOES NOT keep up with inflation. In terms of a savings account, you would probably be better off investing your money elsewhere where you can get a much higher % and yield.
• If you just started continuous enrollment / contributing or you will start in the future, there may be a period of time during which you can select a different plan other than the default SMART preservation fund, which you should consider because of the above bullet.
• There are benefits to making pre-tax retirement contributions - reduced taxable income and thus an increased tax return, but the downside is that there is less money in your pocket at the end of the month. Ultimately, it's up to you to decide whether continuous enrollment or dissertation credits are better for you financially!
• It is recommended that until you reach the dissertation credit requirement, that you register for these to max out the number of credits in your fee schedule tier. For example, if you have met your residency requirements in the first year, for the following semesters until reaching 18 credits, register for the maximum number of credits in the lowest cost tier. If you are taking a class for three credits, also register for one dissertation credit. If you are taking no classes, register for four dissertation credits. If you are taking courses for five credits, add three more dissertation credits. Check your current fee schedule for the latest tiers.