Appendix AA77, Attachment
Updated: August 4th, 2011
Graduate Division, April 16, 1997
IMPLEMENTATION OF REDUCED NONRESIDENT TUITION FOR STUDENTS
ADVANCED TO DOCTORAL CANDIDACY
At their January 1997 meeting, the Regents adopted the following policy regarding the reduction in nonresident tuition for graduate students advanced to candidacy for the doctorate.
Effective with the Fall term 1997, for graduate doctoral students who have been advanced to candidacy, the annual nonresident tuition fee is reduced by 75 percent, subject to the understanding that:
(a) a graduate doctoral student may receive the reduced nonresident tuition rate for a maximum of three years; and
(b) any such student who continues to be enrolled or who re-enrolls after receiving the reduced fee for three years will be charged the full nonresident tuition rate that is in effect at the time.
Questions and Answers
The following questions and answers are intended to provide guidance on implementation of the reduced nonresident tuition for graduate doctoral students.
1) Q: By how much is the nonresident tuition reduced?
A: The annual nonresident tuition fee is reduced by 75 percent for a maximum of three years after the student is advanced to candidacy. The full nonresident tuition fee for 1997–98 is $8,984; students eligible for the reduced rate would be assessed $2,246 in 1997–98 ($1,123 per semester). In addition, students will continue to be assessed the Educational Fee, the University Registration Fee, the Student Health Insurance Fee, campus miscellaneous fees and, if applicable, the Fee for Selected Professional School Students.
2) Q: Will the reduced nonresident tuition fee remain at the same amount for the duration of time that a student is in candidacy? For example, a student who is advanced to candidacy in July 1997 is charged $2,246 for nonresident tuition for the 1997–98 academic year; then, for 1998–99, the Regents increase the nonresident tuition fee. Would the student who was advanced to candidacy in 1997–98 continue to be assessed only $2,246?
A: No. An eligible student will be assessed 25 percent of the prevailing nonresident tuition fee.
3) Q: Who will calculate the reduced nonresident tuition fee?
A: The Office of the President will calculate the fee. Each year, when the Office of the President
notifies campuses of the amount of nonresident tuition, it will also include the amount of the reduced nonresident tuition to be charged to students who have been advanced to candidacy.
4) Q: Is the reduced fee actually a lower fee, or are eligible students assessed the full nonresident tuition and then given a tuition waiver for 75 percent of the full amount?
A: Eligible students will be charged a lower fee.
5) Q: Why is a reduced fee charged rather than charging the full amount and providing a fee waiver?
A: To be consistent with the practices of the University’s public comparison institutions which currently charge nonresident tuition at reduced rates for doctoral students in the latter years of their academic programs, a reduced fee is charged. This action also brings the University’s practices in line with state policy on the adjustment of nonresident tuition.
6) Q: Who is eligible for reduced nonresident tuition?
A: A registered Ph.D. or professional doctorate student who meets all of the following criteria is
eligible for reduced nonresident tuition:
a) is classified as a nonresident (domestic or international) for tuition purposes; and
b) is registered in a doctoral program or professional doctorate program that has an advancement-to-candidacy requirement; and
c) has been approved by the campus to be advanced to doctoral candidacy as of the first day of the academic term, as determined by the campus, for which the reduced tuition is assessed. At Berkeley, we are interpreting “as of the first day of the academic term” to mean “on or before the first day of instruction.”
7) Q: Who is NOT eligible for the reduced tuition?
A: Graduate students enrolled in master’s programs and professional doctoral programs that do not have an advancement-to-candidacy requirement are not eligible for reduced nonresident tuition; for example, professional school students in law (J.D.) and optometry (O.D.).
8 ) Q: Are the three years of eligibility for the reduced nonresident tuition measured by the number of enrolled academic terms or by calendar years?
A: Eligibility for the reduced nonresident tuition is measured in calendar years and begins with the first academic term following advancement to candidacy. For example, a student who is advanced to candidacy in November 1997 would be eligible for the reduced nonresident tuition in the academic term beginning January 1998. The student’s eligibility would end three years later with the Fall 2000 term.
9) Q: Do academic terms during which an eligible student is not registered count in the three-year limit?
A: Yes. Eligibility for the reduced nonresident tuition begins with the first academic term following advancement to candidacy and ends three calendar years later. Normally, eligibility for the nonresident tuition reduction would not be extended simply because a student did not enroll. A request for an extension may be approved by Associate Dean Joseph J. Duggan, but will be granted only for exceptional circumstances. All requests for extensions will be reviewed on an individual basis and should be addressed to the Associate Dean, c/o Graduate Degrees, 302 Sproul Hall.
10) Q: What happens to the nonresident tuition assessment when a Ph.D. candidate does not complete the Ph.D. degree within three years in candidacy?
A: The student is assessed the full amount of the prevailing nonresident tuition for every academic
term during which he or she registers after three years in candidacy.
11) Q: What happens when a student has filed for the degree (paying only the Dissertation Filing Fee) and then, at a later time, must reregister? Would the student be eligible for the reduced nonresident tuition?
A: Yes, provided that time remains on the three years of eligibility following advancement to candidacy.
12) Q: Since the reduced nonresident tuition is effective with the Fall term 1997, will nonresident Ph.D. candidates who were advanced to candidacy prior to the Fall 1997 academic term be eligible for three full years of reduced tuition?
A: No. Students will lose eligibility for reduced tuition after three years in candidacy. For example, a student who was advanced to candidacy by the first day of the Fall 1995 term will have one year of eligibility (1997–98) remaining for the reduced nonresident tuition.
13) Q: Will students working on a joint Ph.D./professional degree or a joint Ph.D./master’s degree at UC be eligible for the reduced nonresident tuition?
A: Yes. Once a student working on a such a joint degree program is advanced to candidacy for the
Ph.D. portion of his or her degree, the student is assessed the reduced nonresident tuition for the terms in which he or she is registered as an advanced doctoral candidate.
14) Q: Will students working on a joint Ph.D. degree program with another institution (for example, CSU or GTU) be eligible for the reduced nonresident tuition?
A: The nonresident tuition reduction applies only to students enrolled at the University of California. A student would be eligible for the reduced nonresident tuition only if he or she is advanced to candidacy and is registered and assessed fees at UC. The maximum eligibility of three calendar years as described above continues to apply.
15) Q: Is a qualified student who receives funding from an outside agency to cover the cost of nonresident tuition eligible for the reduced nonresident tuition, or should the student be charged the full nonresident tuition?
A: The student should be assessed the reduced tuition if he or she meets the eligibility criteria. The
source of a student’s funding is not relevant to any fee assessment.
16) Q: When does the advancement-to-candidacy form need to be in the Graduate Degrees office?
A: The advancement-to-candidacy form must be received in the Graduate Degrees office by the first day of instruction each semester in order to qualify for the reduced nonresident tuition for that semester. (The submission deadline for the Fall 1997 term is August 25, 1997. If the advancement form is received after August 25, 1997, the first term of reduced nonresident tuition will be Spring 1998.)
17) Q: If the student will have a GSR appointment, title code 3284, how much will be charged to the grant?
A: The nonresident tuition amount that is assessed to the student will be charged against the grant, either $4,492 or $1,123. Depending on when the reduced fee information is reflected in CARS, an adjustment to the grant may be needed. For students who have already been advanced to candidacy, the amount of the adjustment should be charged against the grant.
18) Q: How will the department know who is currently eligible for the reduced fee?
A: Each major department will be sent a list of currently advanced doctoral students. The list will
indicate which students may be eligible for the reduced fee and the last term of possible eligibility. The list will also contain citizenship and advancement-to-candidacy information. Some of the citizens may be non-residents and registration status will affect eligibility for the reduced fee.
19) Q: How will the information on eligibility be passed to CARS?
A: Information on all currently advanced students has been sent to the Student Information System. The reduced nonresident tuition amount of $1,123 per semester is reflected in CARS for all eligible students. Students will now be advanced to candidacy as of the date the advancement-to-candidacy form is received in the Graduate Degrees office. As the forms are processed and approved data will be passed weekly from the Graduate Degrees database to the Student Information System. The reduced nonresident tuition will be reflected in CARS by the Monday that follows the transfer of the data.
20) Q: Whom do I call with questions or problems?
A: Call the Graduate Degrees Office, 642-7330.
See All Topics in the Category: Degrees Appendices, Guide to Graduate Policy
