Archives: Policies, Procedures, and Requirements
Policies and expectations governing graduate education at Cornell are put forth by the Graduate School in the Graduate School’s Code of Legislation (Code) and by the university in various Cornell University policies. The articles listed below offer clarification on aspects of the Code and university policies that frequently elicit questions.
Additional rules and expectations are set by graduate fields in their graduate student handbooks. Consult the Fields of Study page to find handbooks for individual fields.
Student Code of Conduct
Summary The essential purpose of the university’s governing of community conduct is to protect and promote the university community’s pursuit of its educational goals. The university, as an educational institution,…
Student Injuries
Summary Fortunately, graduate/professional student injuries at Cornell are uncommon. Historically, less than 0.1% of Cornell graduate or professional students report an injury. Cornell’s robust network of support helps students who…
Tax
Summary All fellowship and assistantship stipends graduate students receive from Cornell are considered taxable income by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and by New York state. Generally, fellowships do not…
Workers’ Compensation
Summary Workers’ compensation coverage is a type of insurance designed to protect an individual injured in the course of conducting duties for the employer by providing medical expenses and a…
Assistantships
Summary Full-time Ph.D. and research master’s students may be awarded financial support in the form of an assistantship. These fall into four general categories: teaching assistant (TA), research assistant (RA),…
Fellowships
Summary A fellowship provides financial support to graduate students to pursue graduate studies without associated teaching or research responsibilities (as they are in a teaching or research assistantship). Fellowships are generally merit-based internal or…
Funding
Summary The total cost of attending graduate school includes tuition, fees, and health insurance, as well as books, room, board, supplies, travel, and other personal expenses. Doctoral students (Ph.D.) receive…
Health Insurance
Summary Cornell requires all students, including international students, to have quality health insurance as long as they are enrolled full-time at Cornell. Students on graduate assistantships (TA, RA, GRA, GA)…
Stipends
Summary Stipends are payments made to students to help offset expenses such as housing, room, board, and supplies. Fellowship stipends are paid through the bursar system and appear as refunds…
Vacation Time for Assistantships
Summary Graduate students appointed on any combination of full assistantships or fellowships for spring, summer, and fall terms are entitled to two weeks (10 weekdays) of annual vacation each 12-month…