Graduate assistantships, scholarships, and fellowships are available in many departments/programs for full-time regular (not provisional) graduate students. For details, applicants should write to the department/program. Application for aid should be made on the application form for admission to graduate study. Awards are made on the basis of merit. Graduate assistants work from five to twenty hours a week during the academic year or the summer depending upon the stipend awarded. They must satisfactorily carry out the duties assigned by their departments/program committees, must make satisfactory progress in their degree programs as defined by the College degree requirements and the regulations of their departments or program committees, and may not hold any other employment or appointment of a remunerative nature during the term of their assistantships without approval of the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research. Failure to comply with these conditions will lead to revocation of appointments. Approval from the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research for additional employment/appointment of a remunerative nature will be based on supporting written statements from the student’s thesis/dissertation advisor and Director of Graduate Studies that the additional employment is not anticipated to adversely affect the student’s progress toward the degree. Such approval does not imply exemption by the Internal Revenue Service from Social Security and Medicare taxes. To ensure that their IRS status as students is maintained, students should consult the appropriate IRS documents and/or a tax advisor. It is the responsibility of international students to understand their visa restrictions before accepting on-campus or off-campus employment.
Summer stipend or fellowship funds administered through the Office of Graduate Studies and Research will not be approved for payment to new domestic graduate students (i.e., domestic students who have not been previously enrolled in their W&M graduate program) during the summer sessions (approximately June 1 - August 1) unless the student has been officially admitted to the W&M graduate program for the summer and is enrolled in a W&M summer course for zero or more graduate credits.
New international W&M graduate students who are required by their department to arrive more than 30 days before the first day of class must be admitted and enrolled as full-time W&M graduate students during the summer.
Fellowships and scholarships will be revoked if students fail to make satisfactory progress toward their degrees or fail to register as full-time students. Graduate assistants are normally paid in equal installments (minus deductions for federal and state withholding taxes and applicable federal social security taxes) on the first and sixteenth of each month. The portion of a graduate fellowship or scholarship applicable to a semester is initially applied to payment of tuition for that semester. Any amount remaining after payment of tuition may be refunded to the student. Students wishing to apply to student loans and work-study should submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by February 15 (new students) or March 15 (returning students). Award letters will be sent in June. For more information, write to aid@wm.edu or visit the Financial Aid web site at http://www.wm.edu/financialaid/gradstudents.php.
Financial Benefits for Veterans
Programs for Federal and State beneficiaries are available to eligible graduate students who attend the College. The Department of Veterans Affairs offers several programs to help veterans, active duty and dependents pay for their education including the Post 9-11 and Montgomery GI Bills as well as the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program. It is the student’s responsibility to decide which benefit is most appropriate for him/her based on individual circumstances and then apply to VA to use benefits through their website at www.gibill.va.gov. Students who receive educational benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs are ultimately responsible for all charges assessed by the College of William and Mary.
Questions about VA programs and the benefits process at W&M can be addressed to the Office of the University Registrar (757) 221-2800 or vabenefits@wm.edu).
Waiver for Senior Citizens
Under the provisions of the Senior Citizens Higher Education Act, free tuition is available for senior citizens (persons 60 years of age or older) provided that they are residents of Virginia, have a taxable income that does not exceed $15,000 per year, have met the graduate admission standards of the program or department, and space is available. In addition, any Virginia resident aged 60 or over in any one semester can enroll in 3 noncredit courses free of tuition without regard to income, provided space is available and the individual meets the admissions standards of the College. If the senior citizen has completed 75% of the requirements for the degree, the provision regarding the availability of space does not apply. A Senior Citizen Exemption Certificate is required for anyone who wishes to use the waiver. More information about the Senior Citizen Certificate is located on the following website http://www.wm.edu/offices/registrar/forms/index.php. Individuals wishing to enroll under provisions of this Act should apply to the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research, Arts and Sciences. |
