Schools that have tuition remission

[ec86]

I've noticed that some schools waive tuition for all incoming doctoral students. What's the point of having the tuition in the first place?

It's late and my brain isn't functioning so I can't think of a good reason. Enlighten me?

[psycholinguist]

I've wondered the same thing myself. Is it just a formality?

[UnlikelyGrad]

Well, if you're a mediocre applicant, they might admit you but not give you funding, in which case you could only attend by paying tuition.

[BostonGrrl]

Based on the selectivity of these programs and the number of applicants who don't get any offers, I question whether "mediocre" students get accepted at all...

My opinion... tuition is a silly, antiquated formality for the vast majority of Ph.D. programs.

[belowthree]

Just because tuition ends up getting waived doesn't mean someone doesn't end up paying it. If you're getting funded from a grant then that's a line item on a grant somewhere and a funding org is picking up the bill. If you're getting a tuition waiver from a TAship then it's pretty much the university doing it as part of their compensation package to you.

It's mostly a formality, but it's important for universities in terms of funding and it helps them actually provide the money you folks end up receiving in stipends. Without some form of tuition, they wouldn't have a good excuse to skim extra money out of grants.

If you go deep into your institution's financial information you'll find a table that lists the internal cost of a tuition waiver. Someone has to pay that money, whether your department covers it, HR covers it, or a grant covers it is part of what determines how many grad students they can fund.

[paiged]

WIth the schools I've applied to, this is how it works (so big 10 schools mostly)

One you're funded with a TA or RA ship, you become an employee of the University, and all University employees are allowed to take University classes with tuition wavers. So, at least with what I am familiar with, it's how they do the paperwork with your funding that makes tuition go away.

[GraduateSchoolNut]

Maybe there are tax reasons? They get to write it off?

[rising_star]

Public universities are not for profit so they aren't paying taxes anyway. They have tuition because, presumably, not everyone has tuition remission in every program at the university. That said, most schools have some sort of tuition remission (90%, full, all but a nominal amount, etc.) for graduate students with a teaching or research assistantship.

[StudyMom]

Some PhD students in my department pay full, out of state, tuition. They are not TAs or RAs. Also, if you take more than the credits approved for the waiver, in my case 9 credits per term, you have to pay for those extra credits. Because of some odd one and four credit courses I have paid for three credits this year. I took 11 credits the first term and 10 the second term. If I do not receive a TA job for the summer I will also be paying for a four credit course for that term. Luckily I will be classed a state resident by then and can pay in-state rates!