Full-tuition waivers may be reality within 3 years

The UA will increase graduate teaching and research assistants' tuition waivers from 50 percent to 60 percent next year, and may boost that amount to 100 percent within three years, President Peter Likins said yesterday.

That means next year the university will waive about $2,550 of the $4,248 tuition for graduate assistants, who all pay the in-state rate regardless of whether they are Arizona residents.

A possible move toward 100 percent remission would occur over three years, with an intermediate step at 80 percent in the 2005-2006 school year, Likins said, though he was careful to note he wasn't certain those plans had been finalized.

"It's great news," said Jani Radebaugh, president of the Graduate and Professional Student Council. "I think it's just really a very timely step in that direction because it's something that has been on the minds of graduate students for a long time."

Covering 60 percent of graduate assistants' fees will cost the university about $1 million more next year, Radebaugh said.

This school year, graduate assistants saw their waivers increase from 25 percent to 50 percent of their tuition, and as recently as 2001, they received no waivers.

The higher remission rate should help the UA keep pace with other universities, which are also improving compensation for graduate students, though it's only part of a larger picture, Likins said.

"Our competitiveness doesn't get better just because our compensation (does)," he said.

Of the UA's 15 peer institutions, only three do not offer 100 percent tuition waivers to all graduate assistants who work at least half-time.

Graduate student leaders, though, had been pushing administrators to move toward 100 percent tuition remission and say they would be satisfied if it occurs in gradual steps, a scenario Likins called likely.

"While (full remission) may be a long-term goal, we're perfectly willing to accept steps toward that goal," said Thomas Kinney, a teaching assistant in the English department who circulated a petition to Likins and other top administrators calling for full remission.

By mid-March, 252 people had signed the petition, which also praised the university for improving working conditions and compensation for graduate assistants.

The petition described graduate students as a critical factor in the university's academic environment because they teach 25 percent of courses and conduct a significant amount of research.

Neither Radebaugh nor Kinney characterized graduate assistants' financial situations as dire, but say the need to take out loans still makes it challenging to afford a graduate education.

"Some people sacrifice their personal lives. You can sacrifice financially by just cutting back on certain things," Kinney said.

Graduate assistants earn stipends from $8,300 to $18,800 if employed for the academic year, in addition to receiving tuition benefits.

The increase in tuition remission from 50 percent to 60 percent means graduate assistants' total compensation will rise by nearly $670, though they will also have to pay the $490 tuition hike passed last month.