The Tuition Reduction Benefit (TRB) is an employment tuition waiver which covers a portion, or all, of a student’s resident (in-state) tuition during a given semester based on certain eligibility criteria.
Eligible Job Profiles: Teaching Assistants (TAs), Assistant Instructors (AIs) and Graduate Research Assistants (GRAs).
Graduate student TAs and AIs are entitled to receive a TRB if they meet eligibility requirements.
Graduate GRAs are not entitled to receive a TRB if they meet eligibility requirements. TRB awards are approved by the student’s department based on funding availability.
AGS Employment Fall and Spring Semester TRB Rates
Graduate students employed as TAs, AIs or GRAs are eligible for the TRB, the amount of which is determined by the number of hours employed per week during the fall or spring as specified below:
- For half-time appointments (20 hours/week) or more, the TRB provides 9 credit hours of resident (in-state) tuition.
- For appointments between 10 and 19 hours/week, the TRB provides ½ of the 9- hour resident tuition amount.
- For appointments between 1 - 9 hours/week, no TRB is provided.
Students enrolled in the MPA, MBA, Executive MBA, Evening MBA and International MBA programs have fixed TRB amounts set by the Graduate School as follows: 20+ hours: $3,784 and 10-19 hours: $1,892 per semester. Please contact your program’s graduate adviser/coordinator for further information.
AGS Employment Summer Semester TRB Rates
Graduate students employed as TAs, AIs, or GRAs are eligible for the TRB, the amount of which is determined by the number of hours employed per week during the summer as specified below:
- For half-time appointments (20 hours/week) or more, the TRB provides 3 credit hours of resident (in-state) tuition.
- For appointments between 1 and 19 hours/week, no TRB is provided.
Students enrolled in the MPA, MBA, Executive MBA, Evening MBA and International MBA programs have fixed TRB amounts set by the Graduate School as follows: +20 hours: $1,415. Please contact your program’s graduate adviser/coordinator for further information.
Dual Degree Students
Students enrolled in a Dual Degree program have fixed TRB rates that are specific to the dual degree program. Please refer to your graduate adviser/coordinator to discuss the fixed TRB rate for your dual degree program.
Students enrolled into any of the Dual Degree programs are accepted by both schools independently. If a student is enrolled in a Dual Degree program that includes a Professional Degree and a Graduate Degree, then the student is eligible to seek student employment within Academic Graduate Student (AGS) or Professional Student (PS) job profiles.
Professional School Students
Students enrolled in Professional Schools including Dell Medical School, Pharm D and Law School cannot be employed into Academic Graduate Student (AGS) job profiles as they are not considered “Degree-Seeking Graduate Students” by the State and The Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB).
Professional students are not eligible for the TRB award as these students cannot be hired into TA, AI, GRA job profiles.
Law School Exception: Students enrolled into the Master of Laws (LL.M.) Program are considered graduate students and are eligible for Academic Graduate Student (AGS) job employment on campus.
How is a TRB Awarded?
The TRB does not pay out directly to a graduate student but instead it is applied to the student’s tuition bill reducing the amount owed. If a student has paid their tuition bill prior to the application of the TRB to their tuition bill, then a refund will be issued in the amount of the TRB. Refunds are processed approximately 1 to 2 weeks after the 12th class day (fall/spring), and 1 to 2 weeks after the 4th class day (summer).
If you have a $0 balance tuition bill because of other exemptions and waivers being applied before a TRB has been awarded, then you will not receive a TRB (example: when an outside entity pays a student’s tuition in full).
TRB Eligibility Exceptions
The TRB awards are audited throughout the semester and may be subject to cancellation if the student no longer satisfies the eligibility requirements.
Exceptions are considered on a case-by-case basis and are handled between the student’s hiring department and the Graduate School. Students who have questions about their TRB should reach out to their hiring department.
Students who defend their dissertation before the last class day thus ending their student work employment early will need to have their graduate advisor/coordinator submit an exception request to gs-approvals@austin.utexas.edu. Please include the student’s EID and date of defense.