The Gallatin MA Program defines full-time status as enrollment in a minimum of 12 units in one semester, and half-time status as enrollment in a minimum of 6 units in one semester (the two summer sessions combined are regarded as one semester).
For the purposes of immigration and federal aid eligibility (student loans), NYU considers full-time status as enrollment in a minimum of 9 units in one semester, and half-time status as enrollment in a minimum of 4.5 units in one semester (the two summer sessions combined are regarded as one semester).
Graduate students may be certified as having full-time or half-time equivalency for an academic term under several conditions that are explained below under Eligibility for Equivalency. Generally, students are eligible for full-time or half-time equivalency for a maximum of four semesters. Students should also understand that equivalencies carry no unit value toward the degree.
Equivalency is used to help students retain their eligibility for loans, but it does not make a student eligible for scholarships. Scholarship funding can be used ONLY to cover the actual cost of tuition generated by enrollment in courses, that is, the actual number of units for which a student is enrolled. Thus, students awarded a scholarship for study in the Gallatin MA program would not be eligible to retain the scholarship based on equivalency. In addition, since the Gallatin MA program defines full-time status as a minimum of 12 credits, any Gallatin scholarship aid is predicated on this definition of full-time.
Please note that during a semester in which a student seeks equivalency while registered only for Master's Thesis II (2 units) or Thesis Advisement (1 unit), the student will be registered for fewer than six units and, therefore, not able to receive a Gallatin scholarship. Students may still, however, be eligible for loans. Please consult the Office of Financial Aid at 212-998-4444 for more information.
Gallatin may certify full-time or half-time equivalency under any of the following circumstances: