Full-time Announcement

Please be advised of the following updates:

Starting in Fall 2021, the full-time enrollment threshold will be reduced to a minimum of nine (9) points. Accordingly, the half-time status requirement will be at least five (5) points.

• Full-time enrollment status will now be considered nine (9) points or more
• Half-time enrollment status will now be considered five (5) to eight (8) points
• Less than half-time status will now be considered one (1) to four (4) points

Please note these other important considerations that are determined by time status.

Financial Aid

Students must be enrolled at least half-time to qualify for federal student loans.

There are some scholarship and grant programs that require full-time status. Information on Teachers College institutional scholarships can be found on their website, here. Information on external scholarships and grants can be found here.

International Students

International students must maintain full-time status in order to remain in compliance with U.S. Citizenship & Immigration requirements.

Veterans’ Benefits

A number of veterans' benefits are also reliant on a student’s enrollment status. If you have any questions, I encourage you to reach out to Russell Gulizia at rmg2110@tc.columbia.edu.

Assistantships

The following assistantships require half-time status:

• Research Assistantship
• Teaching Assistantship
• Administrative Fellowship

Information on Assistantships can be found here.

Doctoral Fellowships and Doctoral Research Fellowships require full-time status.

Student Health Insurance

Students who are enrolled in a full-time load of billable credits will be automatically enrolled in the Columbia Student Health Insurance plan. Domestic students may request to waive their insurance coverage providing documentation of acceptable and comparable coverage. Students should contact studentinsurance@columbia.edu with any questions.