Carnegie Mellon University
Division of Enrollment Management  ›  Student Financial Services  ›  Billing & Payments  ›  Payment Options  ›  Departmental/Payroll Graduate Students

Departmental Support via Payroll Deduction

Are you receiving a stipend with departmental tuition and mandatory fee support?  If so, you are part of a Payroll Deduction process that involves Student Accounts, Payroll, and HR.  Deductions for tuition and certain fees will be posted to your student account incrementally throughout the semester following CMU’s semi-monthly pay schedule (example below):

Payroll Deduction Example Image

You may still owe a personal balance. Some fees on your student account are not part of your departmental support. Failure to pay these in a timely manner can lead to registration delays, financial holds on your account, and interest. Your department can define for you which fees they cover as part of your support.  If you have questions or concerns about your personal balance, please contact student-accounts@andrew.cmu.edu.

Health Insurance

Eligible PhD students receive an insurance support credit up to the amount of the university's standard student health insurance plan ($3,093 for 2026-2027).

International students must submit the required information through CMU's Foreign National Information System (FNIS). Look for an email from CMU's Tax Department (taxdept@andrew.cmu.edu) with instructions (check your spam and junk folders). Your Ph.D. insurance support credit will be applied only after all required paperwork has been submitted and processed. If you have not received an email, reach out to them.

The Ph.D. insurance support credit (up to $3093.00) may be taxable, based on your country's tax treaty with the United States. If it is taxable, then once your Ph.D. insurance support credit posts, an IRS Tax Withholding fee of up to $433.02 will also post. You will need to pay this fee.

Domestic and permanent resident students should see the Ph.D. insurance support credit posted to their student account automatically, and no further action is required. If you don't see a Ph.D. insurance support credit for any reason, please contact thehub@andrew.cmu.edu.

These types of fees are usually your responsibility:

  • Mandatory student fees (technology, transportation, and student activities)
  • Individual Health insurance (Masters’ only)
  • Two Person or Family Level Health Insurance (anyone, but PhDs can receive support for the Individual-Level cost. See below.)
  • Dental and Vision Insurance
  • IRS Tax Withholding
  • Student Health Services Visit Fees
  • Library and Parking Fines
  • Required Course Materials
  • Lost or Damaged ID Card Charges
  • Other One-Time Student Account Charges

Graduate Student Transition Loans

The Graduate Student Transition (GST) Loan is a no-interest, semester loan available to first-semester Carnegie Mellon graduate students only to assist with transitional expenses. GST loans may not exceed 75% of the student's monthly gross salary/stipend (exclusive of tuition). 

To obtain a GST loan, students must contact their department to complete a Transition Loan form. An additional $25 processing fee will be deducted from the student’s pay in semi-monthly equal installments each semester. Graduate students must receive funding via payroll deduction to qualify for a transition loan.

Students who do not qualify for a GST loan and require a short-term loan may apply for an Emergency Loan through Student Affairs.

Are You a Staff Member Responsible for your Department's PD Support process? 

See our Primer describing the process and reminders to help you in your support of your students.