The Recession Has Finally Caught Up To UCI's Physics Department.

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I have never had to pay any extra student fees at UC Irvine because the physics department has always covered them out of their own pocket.  I guess the recession has finally caught up to the department as, starting next year, the physics department will no longer be covering our fees out of their pocket.

However, only TAs and graders are affected as research assistants still have this covered somehow.  So personally I am still safe! :)

Here is the email:

Dear Graduate Students,

Every quarter, graduate students are assessed $256.50 in local fees (see below). Students who are hired as GSR's (Graduate Student Researcher) have this fee covered through GSR remission paid from the research grant, which covers 100% of fees and tuition. Unfortunately this does not apply to TA's and readers/graders. TA's and readers/graders receive only a partial fee remission, which does not include the local fees. In the past, the department has covered the cost of these local fees from our graduate student fellowship budget. A deficit in the graduate student fellowship fund has arisen because of the current university budget reductions, and as a consequence the department can no longer pay for the cost of the local fees. This is a regrettable but necessary decision.

Effective Winter 2011, graduate students hired as a TA or reader/grader will be responsible for covering their own local fees each quarter. Fees for Winter 2011 are due December 15. Information, as well as a detailed explanation of the fees and tuition, is provided below.