Dear Campus Community:
Starting August 26, the university will begin distributing Tuition Reduction Benefit (TRB) supplements to assist graduate students who have received tuition bills while appointed as teaching assistants (TAs) and assistant instructors (AIs). The provost is providing this new TRB supplement as part of $10 million in graduate student support announced during the spring semester.
The funds will provide support while the Graduate Education Task Force continues to identify long-term solutions for improving graduate student compensation and addressing the TRB gap.
As a result, graduate students employed as TAs and AIs (see eligibility below) will be credited any remaining tuition for the 2019 fall and 2020 spring semesters. Students receiving TRB supplements will get an email from the university by Aug. 23. Graduate students who have not been billed for tuition may disregard this message.
Eligibility
To qualify for TRB supplements, graduate students must be appointed as AIs or TAs for at least 10 hours/week during fall 2019 and spring 2020 and owe a portion of their tuition after the TRB is applied.
All degree programs will be eligible, although the participation of the McCombs School of Business and the Law School is still being determined. We expect to have more information soon.
Both master’s and doctoral students are eligible for supplements. Qualifying full-time AIs and TAs (20 hours/week) will receive supplements to cover the full difference between the TRB and tuition; part-time AIs and TAs (10-19 hours/week) will receive supplements to cover 50 percent of the difference.
Delivery
Students receiving TRB supplements will be notified via email before August 23. Starting August 26, supplements will be applied directly to student’s tuition bills. Please note that supplements will not be paid directly to students unless the student paid their tuition bill out of pocket before the TRB were applied.
Students must register, file their in-state tuition exemption and complete any other required paperwork prior to August 23 to be included in the initial disbursement of TRB supplements.
Those who register and complete paperwork after this date will receive TRB supplements at a later date before the 12th class day.
If you paid your tuition before the TRB supplement was applied to your bill, you will receive this amount approximately one-to-two weeks after the 12th class day via your current method of deposit.
For more information on these supplements, please visit the TRB supplement FAQs. Please feel free to share your feedback with us.
Thank you for your commitment to ensuring The University of Texas at Austin is a leader in graduate education.
Sincerely,
MARK J. T. SMITH
Dean of the Graduate School
Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs
The University of Texas at Austin
DAINA RAMEY BERRY
Associate Dean of the Graduate School
Oliver H. Radkey Regents Professor of History
The University of Texas at Austin