Tuition and Stipend Payments
Tuition and Stipend payments are departmental awards that are offered through sponsored programs within various colleges. Some are grant-funded sources in which students are required to perform research. Tuition payments are applied to tuition and fee charges while stipends are disbursed in monthly installments, or lump sum as determined by the department.
If you are a department or college who administers tuition or stipend payments and have questions about the Notice of Award, please visit Tuition and Stipend Payments- Information for Colleges and Departments page.
How are students awarded?
Students are awarded by individual colleges and departments at the university. The department will send Financial Aid & Scholarships a Notice of Award Form to award students a stipend and/or pay for tuition and fees.
How is Financial Aid and Scholarships notified?
Each department submits the required paperwork for tuition and stipend payments. Typical processing time can range anywhere from one to two weeks. Financial Aid & Scholarships is not authorized to award you unless we have received a Notice of Award from the department. The scholarship team ensures awards are disbursed to students in accordance with federal, state and institutional regulations.
How do students get paid and/or refunded?
If awarded a tuition payment, the award amount will be applied to tuition and fees only (or one or the other depending on the award). Students do not receive a refund for tuition payments.
If you are awarded a stipend, payments are disbursed in monthly installments, or as a lump sum as directed by the department. Financial aid disburses stipend payments at the end of each month, usually around the 25th, so students will receive their stipend payment on the first of each month. Fiscal Services will generate refunds once payments have posted provided you do not have a balance.
To review your tuition or stipend award you will need to login to your myUTSA Account.
Will I be eligible for in-state tuition if I am awarded a stipend?
Only if the award is designated as a Competitive Scholarship. Students are eligible for in-state tuition rates if the scholarship awarded has been approved as competitive by the office of the UTSA Vice-Provost for Strategic Enrollment. Your department will notify you if the tuition or stipend award you are receiving is competitive. Financial Aid & Scholarships will inform Fiscal Services to waive the non-resident tuition for recipients receiving a competitive scholarship in the academic year.
A scholarship must meet strict criteria established by the State of Texas in order to be approved as competitive. As such, not all scholarships that award a stipend are approved as competitive.
Am I still eligible to receive a stipend if I am a financial aid recipient?
Yes. The policy is to award students receiving stipends and fellowships the maximum amount based on regulations. Undergraduate students who are eligible for federal and/or state aid and are awarded stipends will be awarded the maximum they are eligible for plus the stipend funds not to exceed the cost of attendance determined by Financial Aid & Scholarships. The only fund awarded in combination with a stipend/fellowship scholarship that will be allowed to exceed the cost of attendance is the Pell Grant. Pell Grant will be stacked on top of stipend/scholarship amounts. All other federal and/or state aid in combination with the stipend/scholarship cannot exceed the total cost of attendance.
Graduate students receiving stipends/fellowships can receive other federal and state aid in combination with the stipend/fellowship provided the total amount awarded in federal/state aid and stipend/fellowship does not exceed the designated cost of attendance.
Students have the option to submit a Cost of Attendance (Budget) Adjustment Form to potentially increase their financial aid budget for additional educational expenses.
Here is an example below of a student receiving financial aid and a tuition or stipend award.
| Graduate Student Cost of Attendance | $24,000 |
|---|---|
| Original Unsubsidized Stafford Awarded | – $20,500 |
| Remaining need or eligibility | = $3,300 |
Scholarship Team receives notice of award indicating the student will receive tuition and fee reimbursement for $5500 and a stipend for $10,000. Since the student has already been awarded the maximum in federal aid, an adjustment must be made to the student’s total award. Revised award as follows:
| Graduate Student Cost of Attendance | $24,000 |
|---|---|
| Tuition and Fee Reimbursement | – $5500 |
| Stipend Award | – $10,000 |
| Remaining need or eligibility | = $8,500 (revised student loan amount) |
Students may request a cost of attendance increase based on extenuating circumstances such as unusually high mortgage or rent rates, large medical expenses, dependent care, etc. If students submit a request to increase the cost of attendance, additional loan money can be awarded along with the tuition and fee reimbursement and the stipend.
I will only be enrolled as a part-time student, am I still eligible to receive my stipend?
Each individual department awarding the scholarship sets the enrollment and GPA requirements. Disbursements on stipends are prevented if the student does not meet the enrollment or GPA requirements at the time of disbursement. Departments are contacted regarding students not meeting the requirements for resolution. We cannot release the stipend until approval is given.