To be eligible for an assistantship tuition and fee waiver, a student must hold an appointment between 25%-67% for at least three-fourths of the academic term. This is defined as 91 days of a fall or spring term, or 41 days of summer term. The dates used to meet the criteria of See Assistantship Policies in the Graduate College Handbook.
Summer 2025 Dates
- Appointments that begin on the first day of class, May 19, 2025, must go through at least June 28, 2025.
- Appointments that end on the last day of finals, August 9, 2025, must begin no later than June 30, 2025.
Fall 2025 Dates
- The 91-day period must be contained in the period between the first day of class and the last day of final exams (August 25, 2025, and December 18, 2025).
- The standard fall appointment period for assistantships is August 16, 2025- December 31, 2025, and any appointment for this period will meet the 91-day rule.
- Additionally, appointments that begin on the first day of class, August 25, 2025, must go through at least November 23, 2025.
- Appointments that end on the last day of finals, December 18, 2025, must begin no later than September 19, 2025.
Spring 2026 Dates
- The 91-day period must be contained in the period between the first day of class and the last day of final exams (January 20, 2026, and May 14, 2026).
- The standard spring appointment period for assistantships is January 1, 2026-May 15, 2026, and any appointment for this period will meet the requirement.
- Additionally, appointments that begin on the first day of class, January 20, 2026, must go through at least April 20, 2026.
- Appointments that end on the last day of finals, May 14, 2026, must begin no later than February 13, 2026.
The academic calendar used for reference can be found at: https://senate.illinois.edu/a_calendar.asp. Students in approved cost-recovery and self-supporting programs are not eligible to hold waiver-generating appointments. For more information, consult the campus Tuition Waiver Policy.