Xian, Physics PhD Student, UC Riverside
"I am an 8th-year Ph.D. candidate in Physics at UCR. I switched to a new research group in my 5th year, so I extended my Ph.D program completion time. Currently, UC allows the NRST exemption for only 9 quarters after candidacy. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it was temporarily extended to 12 quarters, but I still needed more time. I have been paying NRST myself every quarter since the winter of 2022. Before January 2022, I was hired as a 49% GSR. Per UC policy, the PI or the department needs to cover a student's tuition fully if the student is hired at 45% and above, but they didn't want to do this. So they hired me at 44% percent since January 2022, so I would still have to pay the NRST myself. That's $5,034 dollars a quarter. I still need two more quarters to graduate. NRST is a heavy financial burden for me. Many other international students also worry about it because a Ph.D. typically takes longer than the normative six year time frame. They will have to pay the NRST if they need to extend their time in their Ph.D. programs.
