Request and Allocation Process:
Requests for tuition waivers and GSA positions are facilitated through your dean’s office. Each college will have their own internal process for departments to make their requests to their dean. Deans must have the complete college request to the Graduate Studies Office by October 31.
After receiving the deans’ requests, the Graduate Studies Office considers all requests and makes our allocation to the colleges by mid-January.
All intended offers to students (GSAs, NRTS and WICHE) are subject to an eligibility check prior to making the offer. Your dean’s office has final budgetary approval.
To request an eligibility check, submit the student information at the following link https://inside.ewu.edu/graduatestudiesforms/graduate-waiver-form/
Full admittance to a graduate program is required to receive any waiver. Eligibility checks may be requested prior to full admission, however, any offer made prior to full admission must state “pending full admission” and “this is not a guarantee of admission”. Letter templates are available to the college dean’s office from the Graduate Studies office. The student must eventually be fully admitted in order to receive the waiver.
Items to keep in mind:
- All GSA positions require a wage and paid sick leave. Wage expense is the budgetary responsibility of the college and must conform to the minimum wage law.
- All waivers are to be used solely for recruitment and retention and not for filling administrative positions. The work must relate directly to the student’s field of study.
- If you choose to split a GSA tuition waiver in half each student must still work the full 20 hours and receive a wage commensurate with the minimum wage law.
- Grant Supported GSAs – Waivers must be allocated from the college or unit allocation. Stipends may be paid from grant funds as approved by the Office of Grant and Research Development.
- Waivers cover only state-supported courses. They do not cover online, self-support or independent learning/correspondence courses.
- Full-time enrollment of 10 credits is required. At least 5 credits must be graduate-level or approved candidacy courses.
- Waivers may be substituted. For example one non-resident GSA may be substituted for two resident GSAs. Substitutions are requested through the dean.
- All offers to students must be made by June 1.
