Division of the Humanities | Tuition

Tuition

 
 

The Office of the Bursar publishes current tuition rates and the Student Manual of University Policies and Regulations details the residence system for doctoral students.

Master's Students
Tuition for MA and MFA students is assessed according to the number of units for which a student is registered in a given quarter, typically 300.

Doctoral Students
Tuition for doctoral students is assessed according to a student's status in the residence system (Scholastic, Advanced, Extended, Pro Forma).

The Move to Advanced Residence
Upon entering Advanced Residence, typically in year five, students will generally have reached the end of their initial period of funding and so will no longer be eligible for renewal of their existing fellowship awards.  Students should begin to plan for this period early. Things to consider include the following:

  • Tuition for Advanced Residence is significantly less than for Scholastic Residence. Although the University's published tuition rate for Advanced Residency is $5,052 per quarter in 2008-9, students typically receive special tuition assistance from the University amounting to $4,268 per quarter, bringing the quarterly tuition cost to the student down to $784 per quarter in 2008-9. This is the amount the student actually owes for tuition.
  • A student in Advanced Residence who is not otherwise receiving tuition aid generally receives full tuition aid in the quarter in which the student teaches an approved course in the College, the Humanities or Social Sciences Division, or the Divinity School. (Note: Courses taught at the Graham School of Continuing Education, the University Lab School, and at other institutions while in an exchange status do not qualify.)
  • Students (including international students who may qualify for alternative loans) should consult with the Student Loan Administration in order to explore all options. Students are often hesitant to take out student loans, but loans may allow students to better balance teaching loads and other outside work with finishing the dissertation in a timely manner.
  • In addition to applying for divisional dissertation-year fellowships, students should research and apply for fellowships and grants from outside the University.

The Move to Extended Residence
Students must enter the status of Extended Residence if, after twelve years from the date on which they began their doctoral programs, they have not completed their PhDs. Students are expected to register in at least three of the four quarters of every year that they spend in Extended Residence (autumn, winter, and spring quarters). Extended Residence allows long-term students to continue work on their degrees, but is not defined by the University of Chicago as a full-time student status. Students in Extended Residence are entitled to meet with faculty, retain borrowing privileges at the University libraries, and have access to University e-mail accounts and the electronic network. They are not eligible for any of the other benefits associated with full-time student status, including eligibility to register for courses, access to University student health insurance, eligibility to take out loans, continued deferment of loan repayments, eligibility for University fellowship support, and eligibility for tuition aid ("tuition remission") for teaching assignments. In addition, Extended Residence does not meet the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Service requirement that international students be registered full-time for visa purposes. Students register in Extended Residence until they complete their PhDs.