Frequently Asked Questions on Financial Matters

Q: Can I apply for Graduate Research Assistantship (GRA) or Graduate Teaching Assistantship (GTA) at GT-Shanghai?
A: GTA positions are generally not available at GT-Shanghai, except possibly for MATH 2403 “Differential Equations” as part of the Shanghai Summer Program. You may apply for the MATH 2403 GTA position during the month of October after you have matriculated into the Dual-MS degree program. GRA positions are granted by individual professors so you will have to contact the professors directly to see if they can provide a GRA position to you. In general, the faculty member will want to be co-located with you in order for the GRA assignment to be productive, so the GRA possibilities at GT-Shanghai will be limited.

Q: Are fellowships available?
A: See the Financial Aid section for currently available fellowships or scholarships.

Q: On my acceptance letter, I was given a GTID and PIN for logging onto OSCAR. When can I start using OSCAR to sign up for courses and to make tuition & fees payment?
A: On the first day of the Late Registration (also known as Phase II) period (see School Calendar), your role will change from applicant to student. At that point, you will gain access to all options on OSCAR, including signing up for courses and making tuition & fees payment. Please report to GT-Shanghai immediately if an administrative hold is found on your account which will prevent you from registering. Read about transcripts and degree documents needed and registration hold.

Q: On Bursar’s tuition payment options website, it says payment can be made by check over the web using WebCheck. Is this option available to GT-Shanghai students?
A: If you have an account with a large international bank that is in the US Federal Reserve’s Automated Clearing House (ACH) network, WebCheck may work for you. Most Chinese banks however do not participate in the ACH. Inquire with your financial institution to be sure. If you have a family member or a friend in the US who is willing to pay tuition & fees on your behalf, he/she can do so using the WebCheck option which is convenient and free.

Q: How can I make tuition & fees payment in USD?
A: Wire transfer is one option; your bank may require you to convert the Chinese currency into USD first. Please allow 72 hours for the wire transfer payment to be posted on your account. Alternatively, you may use a credit card issued by a US bank or a dual-currency credit card to pay your tuition & fees online using the OSCAR interface. Credit card payments are applied immediately to your account. Unfortunately, there is cost associated with either option; see additional information below. If you have family or friends in the US who can make tuition & fees payment on your behalf, then all the options as described on the Bursar’s website are available to them.

Q: I have sent x dollars of tuition & fees payment by wire transfer to the Bursar’s Office, but my account on OSCAR shows that less than x dollars were received. Why is the discrepancy?
A: Most Chinese banks have to go through a correspondent or intermediary bank to wire transfer money to a US bank. The correspondent/intermediary bank deducts a fee (typically $15 to $18 per transaction) from the wire transfer amount. This is part of the fee that the sender (not the receiver) should pay. Please inquire with your bank the fee that the correspondent/intermediary bank will charge and add that to the wire transfer amount. This will ensure that when we receive the wire transfer, the amount will be sufficient to cover your tuition & fees. Note this is in addition to the fee that your bank charges you to send out the wire. If you are unsure about the exact amount of fees that are associated with a wire transfer, it may be helpful to be “on the conservative side” and over-pay a little; the balance will remain on your OSCAR account or be refunded to you. Please check your Georgia Tech student account a couple of days after the wire transfer. If it shows under-payment due to higher (intermediary) bank fees, you should pay the (small) balance by credit card immediately to zero out the account. Keep in mind that if you do not pay for the tuition& fees IN FULL by the end of the Phase II period, your classes will be dropped by the Bursar's Office.

Q: Can I pay tuition & fees using credit card?
A: Yes, but only American Express, MasterCard and Discover are acceptable, and there is a service fee of 2.75%. Visa cards are not acceptable. The credit card payment is posted immediately on your OSCAR account. For security reasons, not all overseas credit card payments are accepted by the third party vendor that handles tuition & fees payments for Georgia Tech. Please make payment arrangements as early as possible to allow time to work out any problems.

Q: I’d like to pay using the credit card issued by my bank but it has a low credit limit. What should I do?
A: You can deposit money (pre-pay) into your credit card account to increase the amount of funds that will be available to you.

Q: I am a new student admitted for the Summer 2008 term. On the Bursar Calendar, May 9, 2008 is the last day to pay fees without penalty, but I cannot pay tuition on OSCAR until Phase II which begins on May 8, 2008. Isn’t this too little time?
A: As a new student, you have the entire Phase II period (May 8-16, 2008) to make tuition & fees payment without penalty. The May 9, 2008 deadline applies only to existing / continuing students.
Q: I am a new student admitted for the Fall 2008 term. On the Bursar Calendar, August 15, 2008 is the last day to pay fees without penalty, but I cannot pay tuition on OSCAR until Phase II which begins on August 13, 2008. Isn’t this too little time?
A: As a new student, you have the entire Phase II period (August 13-22, 2008) to make tuition & fees payment without penalty. The August 15, 2008 deadline applies only to existing / continuing students.
Q: I have a 1/3-time Graduate Assistantship (GA). I plan to register for x credit hours this semester. How much tuition & fees do I owe?
A: You are responsible for tuition in the amount of $400 per credit hour times x credit hours times two-thirds (2/3). The technology fee is $103. For example, if x=6 hours, you should remit $1,703; if x=9 hours, you should remit $2,503. If you pay by wire transfer, please be sure to include the correspondent / secondary bank fee in the wire transfer amount.
Q: I am a Stellar Scholarship recipient. This is my first semester at GT-Shanghai and I plan to register for x credit hours. How much tuition & fees do I owe?
A: A Stellar Scholar receives a $2,000 tuition offset for the first semester. You are responsible for tuition in the amount of $400 times x minus $2,000, plus technology fee of $103. For example, if x=6 hours, you should remit $503; if x=9 hours, you should remit $1,703. If you pay by wire transfer, please be sure to include the correspondent / secondary bank fee in the wire transfer amount.
Q: I am a Coulter Scholar / Stellar Scholar / Graduate Assistant. I have paid the portion of the tuition & fees that I am responsible for but I still see a balance in my student account. When will financial aid money be dispensed?
A: Sometimes the tuition offset may not be posted to your Bursar account until the last day of the Phase II registration period. As long as you have taken care of the portion of the tuition & fees that you are responsible for, your classes will not be dropped.

Last revised on July 29, 2008.