5.1 Fees for Graduate Students
(The Board of Governors reserves the right to amend fees after the printing of this statement.) These regulations apply to tuition and student fees. They cover the various charges which would be incurred for reasons of late payment or late registration. The 2015-2016 fees schedule is in effect for a period of September 1, 2015 to August 31, 2016 and applies to all graduate students whether registered in regular or part-time degree programs. Please consult the Accounts and Cashiers website (http://www.mcmaster.ca/bms/student/SAC_fees_grad.html) for the official graduate fees.
Notes:
Students promoted to a Doctoral program from a Master’s program will be considered as new admissions for the purpose of time limits for completion of the degree requirements, eligibility for financial assistance, and fee assessment.
Some international students may be eligible to pay Canadian fees depending on various immigration policies, and the Ministry Funding Manual. International students in Term 7 or greater of a Master’s program or Term 13 or greater of a Ph.D. program will pay Canadian fees.
Fees assessed on a term by term basis
Most students will pay regular fees and these fees are assessed on a term by term basis. Part-time fees apply only to those students originally offered admission to a part-time program. If students change status from full time to part time, they will still be required to pay regular fees.The part-time fees will allow registration in up to 3 half courses per academic year. Students registering in more than 3 half courses will be assessed full-time fees. In situations where a student in a part-time program completes the degree or withdraws from the university, fees for the academic session will be assessed by the number of terms or number of half courses (whichever is the greater). Term count is adjusted if student changes status from part to full time at a ratio of 2:1.
Fees assessed on a course basis
Students in professional programs such as UNENE, ADMI, Health Management, Rehabilitation Science (on-line), and Communications Management will be assessed fees for each course that they take. The limit of 3 half courses per year does not affect their status.
Ph.D. students who have been registered as full-time for longer than the normal period of funding eligibility (as defined in Section 5.2.1 ) will be assessed discounted fees.
A fee is charged for each course taken on the basis of Section 2.1.7 by persons who are not registered graduate students. The fee for certain courses may be higher.
Students on leave of absence do not pay tuition fees but do pay mandatory supplemental fees. Students who are on leave for a complete academic year do not pay mandatory supplemental fees. Students who have “withdrawn in good standing due to time limit” do not pay fees until readmission. See Section 5.1.4 (Readmission Tuition Charges) . Students admitted in January or May, will have a slightly different schedule of fees.
Enquiries should be referred to Student Accounts and Cashiers (http://www.mcmaster.ca/bms/student/) 905-525-9140 ext. 24478
5.1.1 Payment of Fees
In order to register a student must either:
- pay by cash or cheque, full tuition and all additional fees for the full year;
or
- have made arrangements with Students Accounts & Cashiers
In all cases, scholarships awarded to a student will be applied towards tuition and all other mandatory supplemental fees on a student’s account. For those who hold a teaching assistantship (or a research-assistant-in-lieu) the sum of financial support, less appropriate employment taxes and deductions but including scholarship, must exceed the amount of tuition and all other mandatory supplemental fees to be eligible for payroll deducation from the teaching assistantship (or research-assistant-in-lieu).
5.1.2 Non-payment of Fees or Charges
Students with outstanding accounts at the end of the academic year will:
- not receive academic results; and
- not be permitted to register for the next academic year until the account is settled.
5.1.3 Discounted Fees - Ph.D. Students
Full-time Ph.D. students (Canadian and international), who have reached term 13 or greater of their Ph.D. studies, will be charged tuition at a discounted fee rate. The discounted tuition rate is normally equal to 1/2 of the Canadian tuition rate.
5.1.4 Readmission Tuition Charges
Students who do not register and pay tuition for any academic session are deemed to have withdrawn. These students and those who have been withdrawn in good standing due to time limit are required to apply for readmission. Master’s or Ph.D. students withdrawn in good standing who are being readmitted to defend their thesis pay fees at the “Readmission to Defend” rate and are not eligible for a refund.
Students who withdrew voluntarily or did not register for an academic session and wish to apply for readmission are readmitted at the registration status they were at the time of withdrawal and charged the current calendar rate of tuition and supplemental fees accordingly. Readmissions in this category are not eligible for the part-time rate unless the student was registered in a part-time program at the time of withdrawal.
5.1.5 Refund of Tuition Fees
A student, who completes the degree requirements, withdraws from the program, or takes a leave of absence prior to the end of the academic year will be entitled to a refund, based on the method of payment per section 5.1.1. The refund is based on the schedule set out by Student Accounts and Cashiering (http://www.mcmaster.ca/bms/student/)r. (Note: a refund does not apply to students who are readmitted.) Mandatory supplemental fees are not refundable.
5.2 Financial Assistance
5.2.1 Financial Support for Full-time Students
The University normally provides four types of financial support to full-time students: employment income, graduate/department or research scholarships, internal scholarships and bursaries, and external awards tenable at the university. A student’s letter of offer or award letter from the University will include all details of financial support. Students with questions regarding financial support should contact their department or graduate program directly for assistance.
The University provides graduate scholarship awards to most regular graduate students in Ph.D. programs and in many Master’s programs. These students must be full-time as defined in section 2.5.2. Such scholarships are awarded annually. For students who are successful in winning a major award (e.g. OGS, SSHRC, NSERC, CIHR), any Graduate and/or Research scholarships is at the discretion of your program for the duration of the award and the student will be provided with correspondence from the program reflecting the change in their financial support relative to the offer letter. A Ph.D. student is normally eligible for his/her first four years. Students in Master’s programs are usually supported for their first three to six terms depending on the department. Subsequent support is at the department or graduate program’s discretion, unless the offer of admission guarantees otherwise.
Teaching Assistantships (TA) (or Research Assistantship-in-lieu under the collective agreement between Canadian Union of Public Employees, Local 3906, Unit 1 and McMaster University) and contract employment income are offered to many graduate students registered in full-time programs. TA duties vary according to department but will normally consist of performance in connection with undergraduate teaching, such as leading tutorials, demonstrating labs, and marking assignments. The award of a TA may vary but should not exceed 10 hours per week, plus three hours of training per term. TA funding is contingent on fulfillment of the employment obligations and maintaining satisfactory work performance, as stated in the letter of offer or employment contract. No exceptions totalling 505 hours or more in a single academic year will be approved. Employment is paid as earned over the period in which the work is performed. Note that employee number and student number are different.
5.2.2 Financial Payments to Graduate Students
International students must provide a clear demonstration of their means of financial support in order to obtain a student visa. The Faculties may provide tuition bursary funds to visa students to assist with tuition fees. These funds will be applied towards tuition and all other mandatory supplemental fees on a student’s account.
For students receiving sufficient scholarship support, after tuition and all other mandatory supplemental fees have been paid, payments will normally be made on the fourth Thursday of each month. The direct deposit method of payment is mandatory.
The University is required by law to deduct Canada Pension Plan and Employment Insurance premiums on all employment income. Income Tax will be assessed on employment income only. Your net earnings will be deposited bi-weekly, one week in arrears, directly into a Canadian Bank account of your choice. A statement of your earnings will be sent to your campus address each pay. The direct deposit method of payment is mandatory.
Teaching Assistantships (TA) (or Research Assistantship-in-lieu under the collective agreement between Canadian Union of Public Employees, Local 3906, Unit 1 and McMaster University) and contract employment income are offered to many graduate students registered in full-time programs. TA funding is contingent on fulfillment of the employment obligations and maintaining satisfactory work performance, as stated in the letter of offer or employment contract. TA duties vary according to department but will normally consist of performance in connection with undergraduate teaching, such as leading tutorials, demonstrating labs, and marking assignments. The offer of a TA may vary but should not exceed 10 hours per week, plus three hours of training per term. No exceptions for the number of hours of work totaling 505 hours or more in a single academic year will be approved.
If the student withdraws or graduates from the program part way through an academic year, the student is not entitled to any further portion of the award. Note that monies owing to McMaster, such as taxes or award repayments to an external agency, will be deducted from the student’s financial support as necessary.
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