Update to Payment of Mandatory Fees

TO: Deans, Chairs, Directors of Graduate Studies, Student Services Managers, Business Managers

FROM: Chris Clemens, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost
Nate Knuffman, Vice Chancellor for Finance and Operations
Elizabeth Mayer-Davis, Dean of The Graduate School

In August of 2019, we began paying mandatory student fees on behalf of our graduate students.  Since that time the full amount of mandatory student fees has been provided to all eligible graduate students. To be eligible, graduate students must be appointed as a teaching assistant, research assistant, or fellow/trainee, receive the minimum stipend, tuition support, and be in good standing in their graduate program.

Earlier this year we discussed that the 25% share of these fees paid by the Graduate School on behalf of state funded students has resulted in a substantial reduction to the Graduate School operating budget. I asked the deans of the schools to help us restore that budget over the next two years. For the upcoming academic year 2023-24 that will require shifting 12.5% of the proportional cost to responsible units.

For state-funded students, the following table shows the percentage each unit is required to pay to cover the cost of student fees:

For non-state funded students, the source of stipend is responsible for the fees for eligible students; for grant funded students, non-allowable fees must be paid from an alternate source.

Departments may provide the fees by either increasing the student’s stipend or paying the fees directly to the student’s account. This change will allow departments to use all fund types to cover the cost of fees for graduate students.

All questions can be addressed to The Graduate School, Beverly Wyrick, bwyrick@email.unc.edu.