Financial Aid

Fellowships and Stipends | Billing and Loans | Tuition and Fees

Fellowships and Stipends

Prospective students with financial aid questions should be directed to the For Prospective Students section of the Humanities website. Faculty and staff who have questions about admissions and aid should contact Sarah Tuohey, Assistant Dean of Students for Admissions and Fellowships.

In-residence students who have questions about their fellowships should be directed to Miranda Swanson, Associate Dean of Students, Student Affairs. Faculty and staff who have questions about in-residence student aid should contact Thomas Thuerer, Dean of Students, or Miranda Swanson. Information on this topic is also available in the Divisional Resource Wiki

Grant and fellowship information is posted in For Current Students. In addition to listing internal fellowships, this section links to a blog that provides searchable information about external funding opportunities for students and recent graduates. The blog is maintained by Sarah Tuohey, who is available to meet with students to talk about particular needs and constraints in seeking funding. She offers help with preparing grant and fellowship applications, from offering advice on project descriptions to working out the details of a budget.

Stipend Checks

Stipend checks for Humanities students are distributed through the Dean of Students office. Most stipends are distributed in three equal quarterly installments and are available for students on the first day of each quarter. Except for summer travel/research grants, students are not eligible to receive the quarterly stipend check until they have registered. Stipends in winter, spring, and summer are released on the first day of the quarter. Students must present a photo ID and sign for each stipend check. A student residing away from Chicago in any quarter should make arrangements with the Dean of Students office to have the check mailed or deposited. Automated direct deposit is not available for stipend checks.

Newly admitted international students should expect a delay in their first quarter's stipend check and should bring sufficient personal funds to cover expenses in the meantime.

Stipend Taxes

Domestic student stipends are self-reported taxable income and no W-2 Form is issued.

International student stipends are taxed (currently at a rate of 14%). The tax is withheld before each check is issued. Students are required to fill out tax forms and provide appropriate visa documentation to the Dean of Students office. This tax paperwork is used by the University's Payroll office to determine whether a student qualifies for a tax treaty benefit, which may reduce this tax. International students living abroad and receiving a stipend in any quarter are required to inform the Dean of Students office in advance so that necessary adjustments to tax withholdings can be made before the stipend is issued. International student stipends are reported as earnings on Form 1042-S, which students should expect to receive by U.S. mail in early April. International students should check with the Office of International Affairs about tax software and workshops to assist them with filing U.S. federal income tax returns, as the University does not have a tax adviser to assist students.

Students with tax questions should be referred to the University's Grad Financing website.

Billing and Loans

Office of the Bursar

The Office of the Bursar, located in the Administration Building, Room 101, administers student accounts for the University of Chicago. The bursar also publishes the official University tuition and fee rates. It is important to note that the bursar does not answer questions about individual student bills or financial aid. Humanities students should direct inquiries about tuition, fees, and University fellowship aid to the Dean of Students office.

Student Loan Administration

The Student Loan Administration processes student loans and federal work-study grants; conducts entrance and exit loan counseling for all students receiving federal student loans; disburses loan funds to all students receiving federal student loans; and services and collects all federal Perkins and institutional loan programs. Please direct questions regarding student loans and the federal work-study program to this office, which is located at 970 E. 58th Street, Room 411. Applications for work-study and the other loan programs managed by Student Loan Administration can be completed electronically. The Bursar's office will generate a refund check when loan funds that are applied to a student's Bursar account exceed the charges. Loan refund checks are available for pick up in the Office of the Bursar on the first day of the quarter. Checks that are not picked up by the end of the third business day of the quarter are mailed to the student's current address is cMore.

Emergency Student Loans

The University emergency loan fund provides students with up to $250 in cash. Students can apply for an emergency loan at the Student Loan Administration for any quarter in which they are registered. Students must demonstrate the means to repay this loan. If approved, the student receives the loan at the Bursar's office. The loan will be charged to the student's bursar account and will appear on the student's next bursar statement.

Humanities students who require emergency loan funds in excess of $250 should visit Walker 111 to complete the application and obtain the Dean of Students' signature. Loans in excess of $250 are provided by check. A cosigner is required in some cases. Checks are available for pick up from the Student Loan Administration on Fridays after 12 noon for applications processed the same week. Otherwise, the check will be available the following Friday afternoon.

Tuition and Fees

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. Humanities students with questions about their tuition and fee charges should be referred to Miranda Swanson in the Dean of Students Office.

Tuition

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).

Mandatory Quarterly Fees

The student health and wellness fee covers services at the Student Care Center and the Student Counseling and Resource Services. The fee is distinct from the University Student Health Insurance Plan (U-SHIP), which is an elective health insurance plan available to MA students and to PhD students in Scholastic and Advanced Residence only. For more information about U-SHIP, please refer students to studenthealth.uchicago.edu.

All eligible registered students must pay the quarterly student health and wellness fee, as well as the graduate student activities fee. These two fees are waived only for students living and studying over 100 miles from campus and who will not be on campus during the quarter. There are no other grounds for waiving these two mandatory fees. Students need to petition the Dean of Students on an annual basis to waive the mandatory quarterly fees. Students who fail to petition the Dean of Students for a waiver will not be refunded fees paid in prior quarters. Mandatory fees are automatically waived for students registered in Pro Forma status.

The graduate student activities fee is assessed in summer quarter only for students enrolled in courses during that quarter.

Students registered for summer quarter (whether enrolled in courses or not) are assessed the student health and wellness fee. Students registered during the spring quarter but not registered during the summer may elect to purchase the summer student health and wellness fee to continue access to the services of Student Care Center and the Student Counseling and Resource Services. The election is completed online through the Office of the Registrar. June graduates who remain in the Chicago area during the summer may also elect to purchase this fee.

Lifetime Transcript Fee

All entering students pay a one-time Lifetime Transcript Fee. There is no waiver for this fee.

Registration Fees

Late Change of Registration Fee: $50 for the current quarter and $150 for a prior quarter.

Late Registration Fees: A $100 late registration fee is assessed to any MA or PhD student (Scholastic, Advanced, and Extended Residence and Pro Forma) who is required to register but does not by the end of the registration period; a $150 late registration fee is assessed for failing to register by Friday of week three of the quarter; a $250 late registration fee late is assessed for late registration for a prior quarter.

Continuous Registration Penalty: A $250 continuous registration penalty fee is assessed for students in Advanced or Extended Residence who do not clear restrictions by the end of the fifth week of the quarter.

Late Payment Fees

The Office of the Bursar assesses late payment fees when a balance due is not received by the deadline indicated on a bill. Students should ALWAYS PAY WHAT THEY ACTUALLY OWE BY THE DUE DATE. Failure to receive a bill is not grounds to petition for a late payment fee waiver because students can access their bursar accounts through cMore. Students may also ask the Dean of Students office to access their most recent bill. Failure to pay a bill while waiting for a financial aid adjustment (mandatory fee waiver, insurance waiver, tuition aid for teaching, etc.) is not grounds to petition for a late payment fee waiver. Students who are unsure what they actually owe should contact the Humanities Dean of Students office for assistance in determining the correct amount due.