GSSP Eligibility

Graduate Students must meet the following three eligibility requirements to receive GSSP Benefits - health insurance and standard tuition support (for a limited number of semesters).

Supported on Qualifying Graduate Assistantship or Primary Fellowship:

Assistantship/ Fellowship Type	Degree	Minimum Stipend	Appt. Duration (To Receive Benefits)	Appt. Duration (To Receive Full Benefits)
Teaching Assistantship Research Assistantship Teaching/Research Assistantship	Master’s Doctoral	Annual – $15,000 Annual – $20,000	– Appt. must begin on or before the Census Date* – Appt. must extend beyond 30 days from the first day of Classes	– Appt. must last till November 30 (for Fall) and April 30 (for Spring) in order to receive full tuition benefit. – If appt. is terminated prior to those dates, the tuition support will be prorated according to that early GA appt. end date

Primary Fellowship	Master’s Doctoral	Annual – $15,000 Semester – $5,525 Annual – $20,000 Semester – $7,500	– Fellowship begins on or before the Census date* – Expected to last the duration of the semester. – Not applicable to fellowships external to the university

* Census Date is the official enrollment date for the semester. It is the last day to add a course without permission of instructor. Last day for tuition refunds due to dropping a course or changing from credit to audit. Last day for ALL students to drop a course without a W grade

Enrolled Full Time:

Typically Graduate Students must be enrolled for a minimum of 9 credit hours during a semester to be considered a full-time student. However, once the student has completed the required minimum credits for the degree program, students can register for fewer hours to be considered full-time. Refer to Graduate Student Handbook Section 3.14 B for requirements for Full Time Registration. The following table provides additional details regarding minimum credit hours for full-time status:

Degree	Minimum Required Credits for Degree	Minimum Hours Completed	Required Hours per semester for Full-Time
Thesis Master’s	30 hours	No	9 hours
Thesis Master’s	30 hours	Yes	3 – 8 hours
Non- Thesis Master’s	30 hours		9 hours
Thesis Doctoral	72 hours	No	9 hours
Thesis Doctoral	72 hours	Yes	3 – 8 hours

If a student falls below full time for any reason, the full tuition award will be forfeited.

Enrolled in On-Campus Master’s or Doctoral Program:

Graduate Students must be enrolled in an on-campus Master’s or Doctoral program only. Distance Education and Graduate Certificate Programs do not qualify for the GSSP Benefits. Students should refer to their Admissions letter or the MyPack Portal to confirm if their degree program is designated as “Distance Education”.

For general questions related to the Graduate Student Support Plan, please contact the NC State Graduate School at gradschool-gssp@ncsu.edu.

Checking your GSSP eligibility and utilization

Students can check their GSSP status and if GSSP benefits are applied to their account in MyPack portal after initial billing for the semester. Check your GSSP status.