Welcome to the Department of Applied Physical Sciences at UNC Chapel Hill! As you are preparing to start your Material Sciences graduate program with us, we hope that the resources and information gathered here will make your transition easier. Always feel free to contact our Student Services Manager you have any questions.

Academic Advisor Hold

First year graduate students have an advisor hold on their registration. In order for this to be removed, you must speak with your assigned academic advisor regarding your initial program of student along with the courses you wish to take during the term. Once that has been done, your advisor can email our Student Services Manager, requesting the hold be removed. Once they hear directly from the advisor, your hold will be removed, and you will be able to register if no other holds are on your account. Meetings between you and your advisor can be done in person, over the phone, or electronically.

First semester students are allowed to enroll for courses prior to attending orientation. Your schedule will be reviewed by the advisor assigned to you during orientation and changes may be required/suggested. There will be a time during orientation for students to meet with their advisors and/or the DGS. Students have through the first week of class to make changes to their schedule.

NOTE: If you wish to enroll earlier, and before the pre-pay period, email our Student Services Manager.

How to Register:

Course registration is done through ConnectCarolina using your onyen and your onyen password. The average course load for a first year graduate student is three (3) courses or nine (9) credit hours.

Visit our Course Listing or Ph.D. Requirements pages to review required courses.

Tips:

Registration Guide by the Office of the University Registrar.

Registration Quick Tips

Registration Video Tutorial

The Graduate School admitted student information

Those of you admitted with a guarantee of support should plan on attending the research fair. Also be pro-active before this event, in reaching out to faculty members regarding an RA position for the Fall and Spring semester.

If you were admitted without a guarantee of support, you should plan on paying for all costs associated with attending UNC-CH. The chances of getting support are difficult to predict and you should not count on it. Information on the cost of attending UNC-CH can be found here.

If you are assigned a position, you will be reimbursed for your in-state tuition and will have the opportunity to enroll in the RA/TA, GSHIP, health insurance program. See information on Tuition Remission, out-of-state portion of your tuition bill.

*If you wish to be considered a North Carolina resident for tuition purposes, the Office of the University Registrar has instructions on doing so here.

Tuition Remission
A tuition remission reduces your tuition to the in-state rate. For out-of-state students only.

In-State Tuition Award
An in-state tuition award provides full support for the cost of in-state tuition. This benefit includes tuition only, not student fees.

Tuition Support for In-State and Out-of-State Students
Tuition support varies based on in-state or out-of-state residency status.

Out-of-State Students
Out-of-state students may receive both a tuition remission award as well as an in-state tuition award. These two funding sources, used in combination, provide full tuition support.

Out-of-state students must receive a tuition remission to be eligible for an in-state tuition award.

In-State Students
In-state students may receive an in-state tuition award.

See Graduate Student Handbook for additional information.

In order to be eligible for instate and tuition remission awards, a student must meet certain eligibility requirements, including earning a minimum stipend for work performed with an appropriate job code.You must hold the assistantship for the entire semester.

There are two different and separate kinds of health insurance offered to UNC graduate students.

RA/TA Graduate Student Health Insurance Program – GSHIP

University Mandatory Health Insurance – StudentBlue

As a student you are required to have health insurance. If you are a student with guaranteed funding, you will not be able to waive StudentBlue until you enroll in the Graduate Student Health Insurance Program, GSHIP, also known as the RA/TA Health Insurance. GSHIP enrollment information will be available mid-July. If you have guaranteed funding, you can complete and return the enrollment form before you are assigned an actual RA or TA position at orientation. If you do not waive StudentBlue, you will be automatically enrolled and incur a monthly charge.