Graduate School
Academic Policies
For information about the Graduate School's Academic Policies, please consult the Graduate School Catalog.
Financial Policies
The Board of Higher Education Coordinating Council and the Salem State College Board of Trustees have established the following policy pertaining to students or former students at any of the State Colleges who are listed by the financial office of said State College as having unpaid debts for tuition, room, board, medical or other College related charges:
Where said debts have not been discharged by operation of law or where deferred payment of said debts has not been agreed to by said College, such students will NOT be:
- Issued any degree to which they might otherwise be entitled,
- Permitted to register for any program at any State College for which said students might otherwise be eligible,
- Furnished a certified copy of any State College transcript (unless said transcript is needed to obtain any benefits related to service in the United States Armed Forces) although said students will be entitled, upon written request, to inspect and review uncertified copies of their transcripts.
Course Privileges for Students Over 60
The Graduate School has made the provision for students over 60 years of age to enroll in courses tuition free if space is available. For special programs, institutes and seminars, it will be necessary to pay the program fee. It will be helpful for eligible students to present proof of age at registration for prompt processing.
Corporate Tuition Reimbursement
Many area employers will reimburse their employees in full or in part for courses considered job-related. Students are advised to check with their employer's personnel office for detailed information.
Refund Policy
A student wishing to withdraw from a course must complete a Registration Change Form from the Registrar's Office. The date and time that the form is received by the Registrar's Office will be the official date and time of withdrawal. Unofficial notices will not be accepted as notification of withdrawal.
Fees are not refundable unless a course is cancelled by the college.
Refunds of TUITION ONLY are made to eligible students as follows:
-
Refund Policy for Fall and Spring Semesters:
- Withdrawal before first meeting: 100% refund less $20.00 administrative fee.
- Withdrawal before second meeting: 90% tuition only refund.
- Withdrawal before third meeting: 50% tuition only refund.
- Withdrawal after third meeting: No refund.
(Fees are not refundable)
-
Refund Schedule Summer Session I & II & Other Short Semesters:
- Withdrawal before first meeting: 100% refund less $20.00 administrative fee.
- Withdrawal before second meeting: 90% tuition only refund.
- Withdrawal after second meeting: No refund.
(Fees are not refundable)
-
Refund Schedule Special Format Courses:
Special format classes include institutes, accelerated courses and any other course that is not a full semester (15 week) course.
- Withdrawal before first meeting: 100% refund less $20.00 administrative fee.
- Withdrawal before second meeting: 50% tuition only refund.
- Withdrawal after second meeting: No refund.
(Fees are not refundable)
Note: Refunds are based on dates of scheduled class meetings, not on attendance. Tuition and fees are refunded if the college cancels the course. We are not responsible for finance charges incurred on your American Express, Discover, MasterCard, or Visa statement.
Cancelled Course:
If you are notified that your course was cancelled, you have two options:
- Fill out the Registration Change Form for a refund (Form will be mailed to you on request).
- Fill out the Registration Change Form for replacement course by dropping the cancelled course and adding the new course (provided that the new course still has space available). You may use the phone registration line to drop/add.
Refunds will be processed and sent to students approximately 4-6 weeks after classes have started.
When a course is cancelled by the college, full refund of tuition and fees is made and no administration/processing fee is charged.
Financial Aid
The following types of Financial Aid are available to students who are accepted degree candidates enrolled in a minimum of six credit hours of course work per semester.
- Federal College Work Study Employment Program
- Federal Direct Student Loan Program
- Salem State College Scholarships
Students are urged to file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) after January 1st for the following fall semester to meet the April 1 priority deadline (school code 002188). Those students matriculating spring semester should have their FAFSA filed by November 1. Students may use FAFSA on the web, or the Renewal FAFSA (www.fafsa.ed.gov) to apply for aid. Students applying for summer school must also complete an institutional summer school Financial Aid Application by April 1. Students with extenuating circumstances, such as job loss, reduction in work hours in order to attend college, separation, divorce, etc. may wish to complete an appeal form should such circumstances impact the student's ability to attend or continue enrollment. All forms and applications are available on the College's web site at www.salemstate.edu/finaid/.
Financial Information
Students will receive an award letter upon completion and review of their application.
Students awarded Federal College Work Study are paid an hourly wage. Positions are available on-campus or off-campus. Students are also encouraged to work in community service jobs. Contact the Student Employment Office for more information. The Student Employment Office is located in the Human Resources Office.
Graduate students may borrow under the Federal Stafford Loan program. The maximum is $8,500 . This may be subsidized or unsubsidized or a combination of both. An additional $10,000 Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loan may be borrowed per academic year, not to exceed the cost of attendance. All matriculated students who are taking at least 6 credits are eligible, regardless of income or need. Those without need, however, will not qualify for the Subsidized loan and will pay the interest on the loan while in school or have the interest capitalize.
In addition to work and loan, limited scholarships based upon need are also awarded to eligible applicants. Other scholarships are available through the scholarship committee. These applications are available in December for the following academic year. Alumni scholarships are available through the Alumni Office.
For more information, please visit our website which contains more detailed information about financial aid programs, costs, consumer information, forms and applications.
The Financial Aid office is located on the first floor of the Administration Building. Office hours are Monday - Friday, 8:30am - 5:00pm.
Veterans Benefits
Federal Benefits
- Initial application for Federal benefits is the responsibility of the student. Applications may be obtained from the Registrar's Office, Boston VA Office, or local Veteran's Service office.
- Submit a copy of DD214 and completed application to Veteran's Representative, Registrar's office. VA Form 22-1990 and the application with the attached enrollment certificate will be submitted to the VA by the Registrar's Office.
- Students wishing to transfer VA benefits from another college or institution must complete VA Form 22-1995 (Request for Change of Program or Place of Training). These forms are available in the Registrar's Office.
- EACH SEMESTER the student must notify the Registrar's Office to request VA Benefits for that semester and to fill out VA Form 22-1990.
- Full tuition and fees must be paid at the time of registration by all students.
- The veteran is obligated to report any change of status immediately to the Veteran's representative in the Registrar's Office. This includes any change in the number of credits for which the student is registered, withdrawal from course or program, and excessive absences (over three).
Graduate Assistantships
Each academic year, several Graduate Assistant positions are available for interested and qualified students. To be eligible to apply, a student must be fully accepted in a graduate program at Salem State College, carrying at least two graduate courses per semester or their credit equivalent. Additional academic requirements include: a minimum of a 3.0 average in the major field of study, a minimum of GMAT or GRE verbal score of 500, and a quantitative score of 500 if the applicant's major field of study is mathematics or science.
There are three categories of assistantships: faculty research assistants, academic program assistants, and administrative assistants. Faculty research assistants assist individual faculty with their scholarly work throughout the academic year. Academic program assistants provide service to academic programs such as the Writing Center during the tenure of their assistantship. Administrative assistants provide administrative assistance to a college department.
Each full-time assistantship carries a monthy stipend and an award of tuition remission in all courses except directed study courses, courses by arrangement, and thesis courses. The stipend is for 10 hours a week rendered to the department to which the assistant has been assigned. The tuition remission is considered a financial resource in any Financial Aid award. For further information, contact the Graduate School at 978-542-6323.
Visiting Scholar Program
Salem State College each year will offer a limited number of visiting scholars the opportunity to study and work at SSC for designated periods. Visiting scholars will be selected based upon their compatibility with the mission of the college and the department they will work with. Scholars will be expected to contribute to the intellectual life of the college while visiting SSC and to make one public on-campus presentation of their work for each six-month period (or part thereof) that they are here. Note: Scholars visiting as part of programs organized by external agencies will receive any additional support required by those agencies.
Visiting scholars:
- may visit the college for up to one year in any five-year period
- may use the title "visiting scholar" but may not claim any official affiliation with Salem State in order to apply for grants, contracts, etc. Nor may visiting scholars claim any affiliation with SSC in any publications, presentations, or other professional activities
- will have the same access to the SSC library as SSC faculty enjoy
- will have the same access to the college's IT computer labs as SSC faculty enjoy
- may attend SSC courses on a non-credit space-available basis and with the permission of the course instructor
- may use SSC's recreational facilities upon payment of an annual membership fee.
Budget and staffing limitations mean that SSC cannot offer the following services to visiting scholars:
- office space
- access to departmental copy machines
- secretarial support or graduate student assistance
- long-distance phone calls over landlines
- stationery or office equipment
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