GSSP For DGP’s and GSC’s
DGP's and GSC's play a key role in timely awarding of GSSP benefits to eligible students in their academic program. This website provides information for DGP's and GSC's for GSSP management within their academic programs. GSSP for students provides a student-centric overview of GSSP, the types and duration of benefits, etc. Access GSSP Costs and Funding website to learn more about the financial elements of GSSP.
Graduate Support System
The Graduate Support System is the application within MyPack Portal’s Student Information System (SIS) that determines a student’s Graduate Student Support Plan (GSSP) eligibility. DGP/GSC’s have access to view information within the Graduate Support System; they cannot update any information.
Graduate Support Workflow flowchart provides a graphical information flow within the Graduate Support system.
- Eligibility Determination : Graduate Support imports academic and enrollment information from SIS; Graduate Assistant (GA) appointment and related funding information from the HR System, and fellowship information from the Financial Aid System to assess student GSSP eligibility.
- GSSP Benefit Application: Once eligibility is established, the system connects with the Student Accounts system to post GSSP benefits on the student’s account:
- Tuition Awards: Graduate Support system posts tuition awards as Instate tuition and Tuition Remission (difference between out of state tuition and instate tuition) to the student’s account.
- Health Insurance Enrollment: It also generates enrollment lists for GSSP eligible students and transmits it directly to Blue Cross Blue Shield (RA/TA insurance plan provider), ensuring eligible students are enrolled in the Graduate Student Health Insurance RA/TA plan.
- This process also removes the mandatory insurance charge from the student’s account.
See Graduate Support Roster section below. The Roster is a tool that allows DGP/GSC’s to provisionally post GSSP benefits on student’s account before all GSSP eligibility requirements are met.
Navigating Graduate Support System
The Graduate Support System informs the DGP/GSC the GSSP status for each student within their program. Specifically, they can check:
- GSSP eligibility and duration of benefits for each student in their program
- Current status of student meeting the eligibility criteria
- The benefits that each student qualifies for
- The funding source for each benefit
- Current and past GSSP tuition and insurance information by term
The following table provides instructions on navigating the Grad Support System:
| Resource | Description |
|---|---|
| MyPack Portal Basic Navigation | How to access Graduate Support System and Grad Support Roster |
| Checking GSSP Eligibility Criteria | How to check if a student meets GSSP minimum eligibility requirements |
| Duration of Benefits | Which benefit(s) the student qualifies for and how long |
| Confirming Benefits Applied | How to confirm if GSSP benefits have been applied to the student’s account |
| Checking Funding Source of GSSP benefit | How to check which project will pay for each GSSP benefit |
Graduate Support Roster
The Graduate Support Roster is a tool within MyPack portal that allows DGPs/GSCs to provisionally apply Graduate Student Support Plan (GSSP) benefits to a student’s account while the student and department continue to work on meeting the GSSP requirements by the census date deadline.
The Roster lists all graduate students for an academic program, their residency status, enrollment, and the specific GSSP benefits the student is eligible for in the upcoming semester, and additional details. The Roster includes a “Commit to Fund” checkbox for each student which allows the DGPs/GSCs to indicate their intent to fund a student within their program by clicking on the “Commit to Fund” field. This initiates the process which posts tuition awards on the students account, enrolls them in the RATA health insurance plan and removes the mandatory insurance charge. The Roster operates under two key assumptions:
- The student will be enrolled full-time by census date, and
- The department will finalize a qualifying appointment or fellowship by the census date deadline.
IMPORTANT
Students must meet all minimum GSSP requirements by the census date deadline.
If these requirements are not met by the deadline:
– the provisional GSSP benefits will be reversed,
– the student will automatically receive a notification about the cancellation
– the student will receive a bill for tuition and mandatory health insurance
The Roster only applies benefits for which a student truly qualifies. For example, if a student has exceeded the maximum number of semesters for in-state tuition awards or tuition remission, the Roster will only apply the RA-TA health insurance benefit, provided the department indicates their commitment to fund the student via the Roster.
Grad Support Roster Instructions
GSSP Timing
GSSP tuition awards are applied to student’s account overnight once the DGP/GSC checks the “commit to fund” checkbox for a student on their Roster, or once the student actively meets all minimum GSSP requirements. DGP/GSC’s can make updates to the Roster beginning with enrollment for the upcoming term until the fifth day of classes when the Roster locks for departmental updates. The Graduate Support System is turned off after Census and changes to eligibility are not automatically captured after this date.
GSSP Benefits Posting Timeline
Process Starts Ends Grad Roster Opens Enrollment Start Date 5th day of classes Tuition Awards Posted Once Billing occurs – Overnight after the Roster is Updated or Student meets all GSSP criteria
Census DayRA-TA Health Insurance Approx. 3-5 business days after after the Roster is Updated or Student meets all GSSP criteria Census Day or
Qualifying Life Event
Fall 2025 timeline
The Fall 2025 timeline will assist departments in preparing for GSSP related deadlines.
GSSP Exception Requests
If Graduate Support system deems a student is ineligible for GSSP benefits, a DGP/GSC can submit an exception request form to the Graduate School. This request, developed in coordination with the student’s major advisor, must include a compelling justification for why the student should continue to receive benefits.
Best Practices for GSSP exception Requests
The request should specifically address the element(s) of GSSP eligibility that is unmet. Each request is reviewed on a case by case basis based on the justification. Strong justifications clearly explain why GSSP should deviate from it’s standard rules. They should help inform of the situation that is outside of the student’s control. Requests for tuition support beyond allowed semesters require a plan for moving forward and completing the degree in a timely manner. Justifications cannot come from students, but information from students can be used to inform the DGP/Advisor of the situation so that the DGP/Advisor can make the case for why GSSP should deviate from our standard rules. Copy and paste justifications from students are not accepted. No requests are guaranteed to be approved and all requests are reviewed by the Assistant Dean and/or Dean of the Graduate School. Departments can submit GSSP exception requests at any time. The Graduate School begins reviewing requests for fall semesters in mid-May and for spring in mid-October.
GSSP Eligibility Changes Post-Census
Students must maintain the GSSP eligibility criteria for the entire semester. Changes to student eligibility after Census can impact a student’s tuition benefits. Students will not be dropped from the RA-TA health insurance after qualifying for this benefit at Census. The following table presents scenarios and potential impact of loss of eligibility:
| Issue | Impact |
|---|---|
| Enrollment falls below full-time (including term withdrawals) after Census | Student will lose the full tuition award(s) for the term and the charge will be returned to student bill |
| Appointment is terminated early | Tuition award will be prorated based on the duration worked in the semester. Student will be billed for the balance |
| Degree Change | Doctoral students changing to a master’s degree or students changing to or adding a distance education subplan may lose tuition award eligibility |
| Immigration Change – International to US Permanent Resident (USPR) | USPR’s are subject to the same residency guidelines as US citizens, so they are only eligible for Tuition Remission for the first two semesters of enrollment. |
Graduate School GSSP Communications to Students
The Graduate School largely relies on departments to disseminate GSSP information to students. The following table lists the various reminders sent by the Graduate School to GSSP recipients.
The following table lists the various reminders sent by the Graduate School to GSSP recipients:
Communication To When Subject RA-TA Health Insurance Confirmation All RA-TA GSHI members After Census, before mandatory waiver period ends Notice of enrollment in RA-TA GSHI and instructions for waiving coverage RA-TA Health Insurance Address Update RA-TA GSHI members with addresses outside the US Bi-Weekly until Census Request to update address from international to US so that insurance can be activated Residency Notification All new domestic admits that are classified as out of state Census Alert students to NC Residency and encourage early completion of residentary acts Residency Reminder GSSP-Recipients in third semester of enrollment classified as out-of-state First week of term Remind students to apply for NC Residency Reclassification TR Extension GSSP-Recipients in third semester of enrollment classified as out-of-state After bills are sent out, but before they are due Offer to extend TR due date if student will be applying for NC Residency Reclassification after bills are due GSHI enrollment changes Students who waive or cancel previous GSHI waiver As submitted Confirmation of waiver or cancellation of waiver from RA-TA GSHI plan
Additional Resources
Request to Waive Academic Load Policy (pdf) – Instructions for requesting a waiver of the academic course load policy on behalf of a graduate student.
GSSP Terminology
Term Definition Appointment Assistantship or Fellowship GSHI Graduate Student Health Insurance RA-TA plan ISTA In-State Tuition Award MyPack Portal Online hub for student academics and finances. User Guide Primary Fellowship Qualifies for GSSP – meets minimum stipend requirements RA Research Assistantship – A148 RA/TA Research and Teaching Assistantship – A178 Stipend Assistantship salary or fellowship payment Supplemental Fellowship Does not qualify for GSSP – does not meet minimum stipend requirements TA Teaching Assistantship – A138 TR Tuition Remission; the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition rates. Applicable to out-of-state and international students only