School of Public Policy Commonwealth Policy Fellowship (CPF)

Information for Students Accepted for Academic Years 2025/2026 and 2026/2027

Commonwealth Policy Fellowship (CPF) Policies:

  • Eligibility for the CPF includes being enrolled as a full-time student in your School of Public Policy program (i.e., MPA or MPPA). Full-time status requires enrollment in a minimum of 9 total credits in a given Fall or Spring term.

    • MPPA students are only eligible for the CPF while enrolled primarily in coursework for their MPPA degree.

  • Half of the CPF award is applied to the Fall semester bill and half to the Spring semester bill.  It is not possible to modify this distribution.

  • If you are receiving any tuition support other than loans, your CPF amount may be reduced.

Note on Tuition Waivers:

  • For students admitted before July 1, 2024:  If you receive a tuition waiver due to a graduate position on campus, you are ineligible to receive a CPF.

  • For students admitted after July 1, 2024:  Tuition waivers are not permitted for students in the MPA and MPPA programs. This is a college-wide policy. If you are unsure if a job includes a tuition waiver, please ask the office or person who posted it. 

  • What is a “tuition waiver”? Some jobs on campus have benefits beyond the wage you are paid. One type of possible additional benefit that some jobs carry is called a “tuition waiver.” This means that in addition to your wage, the job also covers some or all of your tuition cost. However, DACSS MS, MPPA, and MPA students are not allowed to take positions with a tuition waiver. If you are offered a position with a tuition waiver, your paperwork will not be processed, and you will not be able to start/work the job.

Details regarding how your CPF will be applied to your account:

  • The CPF will be posted to student accounts in the Bursar’s Office after the last day to add or drop any class with no record; the specific add/drop date for each term can be found here.

  • The CPF will be applied to student accounts before the Bursar’s Office applies late fees.

Helpful Resources:

  • Tuition bill payment

    • For advice or questions regarding your tuition bill payment, please contact the Bursar’s Office.  Their website is https://www.umass.edu/bursar/.

  • CPF impact on your financial aid package

    • For advice or questions on how the Fellowship may impact a financial aid or financial loan package, please contact the Financial Aid Office.  Their website is https://www.umass.edu/financialaid.