Research/Teaching Assistants (RA/TA)

Some graduate students may be eligible for the tuition remission benefit in the form of a research assistantship (RA) or teaching assistantship (TA) waiver for credit classes only. The type (RA or TA) and amount of the waiver is based on your contract and which waiver your department applies to your bill. If you are a graduate assistant (GA) or graduate part-time instructor (GPTI), please check your eligibility with your department.

RA and TA tuition remission pays toward your tuition only. You are still responsible for paying mandatory fees each semester. You have the option to enroll in a payment plan to pay fees over the course of the semester.

RA and TA tuition remission is based on appointment percentage as follows:

Tuition Remission Table

Hours employed per week	Tuition remission	Appointment
6	3 credit hours	15%
8	4 credit hours	20%
10	5 credit hours	25%
12	6 credit hours	30%
14	7 credit hours	35%
16	8 credit hours	40%
18	9–18 credit hours	45%
20	9–18 credit hours	50%

In addition to the tuition remission, graduate students who receive an RA or TA waiver (20% or more) on their bill (if you are a GA or GPTI, please check with your department) receive $1,705 per semester ($3,411 per academic year) toward the cost of the Gold Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) for fall and spring.

There is no health insurance benefit for summer appointments, but if you have the SHIP coverage for the spring, you are covered through the following summer. Check with your department if you have questions.

RA/TA Health Plan Table

Health plan per semester	Plan cost	Benefit	Your cost
Gold Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP)	$1,948	$1,773	$175
BuffCare Supplement	$225	$0	$225

Graduate students enrolled in 1 credit hour or more are charged automatically after Aug. 1 for the Gold Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP). If you choose to waive the health plan, you will need to provide proof of your health insurance coverage (policy number, group number, effective date of plan coverage, etc.). The BuffCare Program is available to help cover out-of-pocket expenses for students with private health insurance coverage.

See Health Insurance Requirement for more information. Students with less than 20% appointment or who waive the SHIP are not eligible to receive the insurance benefit.

You will be charged mandatory fees on a per-semester basis ranging from $665 to $770, depending on your graduate status and the number of credit hours in which you are enrolled. See Fee Descriptions for information.

Arts and Cultural Enrichment Fee $10
Bike Program Fee¹$15
Capital Construction Fee $50–$100
Career Services Fee $12 (fall and spring only)
Immigration Compliance Fee (international students only) $40
Mental Health Resource Fee $77.40
New Student Fee (one-time fee):
- New graduate student or graduate transfer $62
- New international graduate student or international transfer $145
Recreation Center Expansion Fee $85.27–$106.96
Student Activity Fee $276.31
What makes up the student activity fee? Visit CUSG.
Student Computing Fee $33.62–$67.24
Student Health Fee $97.09
Transit Pass Fee¹$78.42
Graduate Professional Student Government (GPSG Grad Fee) $7.50

¹ Effective in Fall 2020, the Student Bus & Bike Programs Fee is split into two separate fees: Transit Pass Fee and the Bike Program Fee. The total cost did not change from 2019-20 to 2020-21. Graduate students on appointment are not charged for the Transit Pass Fee.

Fall

In the fall, graduate students who have RA or TA waivers on the bill are allowed to pay the bill by the second due date of the semester (Oct. 5) without incurring late and finance charges or registration holds. Fees will appear on the first bill of the semester but can be paid by Oct. 5. If you are a GA or GPTI and you receive an RA or TA waiver on your bill, then you qualify for this due date. If you're not sure, please check with your department.

Spring

If spring is your first term, graduate students who have RA or TA waivers on the bill can pay the bill by the second due date (March 5) without incurring late and finance charges. If you are a graduate student on appointment and you feel you were not given this opportunity, please contact the Bursar’s Office at bursar@colorado.edu. See Billing & Due Dates for more information. If you are a GA or GPTI and you receive an RA or TA waiver on your bill, then you qualify for this due date. If you're not sure, please check with your department.

You are responsible for paying your portion of the bill by the due date, even if your department has not entered the RA/TA tuition waiver. Late and finance charges will be assessed if payments are not received on time. See Paying Late for more information.

Yes. Most payment plans are available to all students including graduate students. In addition, a special fall payment plan for graduate students on appointment was created in 2017 to assist with paying tuition and fees.

Payment Plans

Fall Payment Plan for Graduate Students

Retroactive changes to any prior semester record can result in additional charges to your account. The Bursar’s Office is unable to bill a department for a retroactive change of record, even if you had an RA/TA appointment for that term. If a department wishes to pay for any additional tuition added to your account, they need to contact Jason Swope (jason.swope@colorado.edu) in the Provost’s Office at 303-492-0107, who will then notify the Bursar’s Office.

Please check with the Bursar’s Office (bursar@colorado.edu) if you have any questions regarding the financial consequences of retroactively adding, dropping or expunging credit hours.

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Research/Teaching Assistants (RA/TA)