Graduate Assistants, as defined in Graduate Student Appointment Information, may be eligible for tuition remission and a fee waiver, depending on the percentage of your appointment. See the information below for details.

All students on graduate appointments of at least 15% who work a minimum of 12 weeks in a semester receive tuition coverage as part of their compensation package. The amount of tuition coverage is calculated based on the percent time of the appointment.
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%
18–20 9–18 credit hours 45–50%

All students employed as Graduate Assistants, Teaching Assistants, Research Assistants, or Graduate Part-Time Instructors, who work at least 12 weeks during a semester at 20% time or greater also receive a waiver for mandatory student fees, the A&S Tech (ASSET) Fee and the Graduate Professional Student Government (GPSG) Fee. Waivers will be applied to the student account within 24 hour after your department has entered your appointment. Check your account for the waivers by logging in to the Tuition & Fees card in Buff Portal. Click Balance Summary, then View/Pay Bill and  View Account Details. Then scroll down to the Credits and Payments section.
 

Waived Fees (per semester)

  • A&S Tech (ASSET) Fee $1.32 per credit hour (applies to all classes in the College of Arts and Sciences, regardless of a student’s major or program of study)
  • Arts & Cultural Enrichment Fee $10
  • Bike Program Fee $15
  • Capital Construction Fee $50 for 6 or fewer credit hours; $100 for 7 or more
  • Career Services Fee $12 (charged in fall and spring only; does not apply to Law JD and students in grad status D)
  • Graduate Professional Student Government (GPSG) Fee $11.62
  • Mental Health Resource Fee $77.40 ($0 for students in grad status D without health plan; $77.40 with health plan)
  • Recreation Center Expansion Fee $106.96 ($85.27 if enrolled in one class of 5 or fewer credit hours; $0 for students in grad status D)
  • Student Activity Fee $282.80 ($48.01 if enrolled in one class of 5 or fewer credit hours)
  • Student Computing Fee $33.62 for 6 or fewer credit hours; $67.24 for 7 or more
  • Student Health Fee $97.09 ($0 for students in grad status D without health plan; $97.09 with a health plan)

Fees That Are Not Waived

  • Law Graduate Fee $40 (law students only)
  • Law Student SRVCS/Activity Fee $150 (Law JD students only)
  • Immigration Compliance Fee $40 (international students only) 
  • New Student Fee (nonrefundable one-time fee for new domestic graduate students and transfers ($62) and new international graduate students and transfers ($145))

All CU Boulder undergraduate and graduate students have access to a full range of on-campus health and wellness services in addition to a variety of virtual offerings. Visit Health & Wellness Services for more information.
 

Health Insurance

Graduate students enrolled in one credit hour or more are automatically charged for the Gold Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP), unless it is waived by providing proof of your health insurance coverage (policy number, group number, effective date of plan coverage, etc.) by the published deadline. Graduate assistants with appointments of 20% or greater who enroll in the Gold Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) receive a subsidy of approximately 90% of the cost of the insurance which is automatically applied to the student account. Graduate assistants are responsible for paying the remainder of the cost of student health insurance ($175). There is no health insurance benefit for summer appointments, but if you have the student health insurance plan for the spring, you are covered through the following summer. Check with your department if you have questions.

The BuffCare Supplemental Coverage Program ($225) 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 a 20% appointment or who waive the student health insurance plan are not eligible to receive the insurance benefit.

Dental Insurance

Dental insurance is provided at no cost to the student. Visit Graduate Student Dental Insurance for more information.

Fall: Oct. 5

Graduate assistants who qualify for tuition remission and the fee waiver can pay the bill by the second due date of the fall semester (Oct. 5) without incurring late and finance charges or registration holds.

If Spring is Your First Term, Pay By Mar. 5

If spring is your first term, graduate assistants 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. 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.

We offer payment plans each semester and in summer. Visit Payment Plans for more information.

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.