New Student Information

Dear New Colleagues, Welcome to Emory!

Welcome letter from Dean Lisa A. Tedesco

Laney Graduate School Orientation

New students are required to attend the Laney Graduate School Orientation. Orientation will be held on Tuesday, August 27, 2013 on the third floor of Cox Hall, from 9:00-1:00 pm. Breakfast will be served, and there will be presentations by Dean Tedesco and university offices and organizations. 

Laney Graduate School Welcome Picnic

The Welcome Picnic will be held on Tuesday, August 27, 2013 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm at the Math and Science Center building (lower lobby). All new and continuing graduate students, faculty, and staff are welcome. The picnic is a great opportunity for you to begin building relationships with other graduate students and with faculty and staff with whom you will work during your graduate studies at Emory. 

Student Support Services

For information about various offices across campus that provide student support services, such as counseling and health services, information technology, parking, transportation, and many others, please see our Student Support Services page.

Official Transcripts

If you haven’t already done so, please make sure you submit official final transcripts to the Laney Graduate School by August 1, 2013. We must have official transcripts showing receipt of degrees and all post-secondary work before you can register in an Emory degree program. Please send your transcript directly to us at Laney Graduate School, Emory University, 209 Administration Building, Mailstop 1000-001-1AF, 201 Dowman Drive, Atlanta, GA 30322.  Impoirtant details about submitting official transcripts is in the document below.

Submitting Official Transcripts

Tuition and Fees

In mid-July you will receive an electronic bill from Emory’s Financial Services office. The statement will show charges for fall semester tuition and fees. If you have been awarded a Laney Graduate School scholarship, your statement should indicate a credit of $19,967 leaving a balance due of $317*     

Charges (2013-14)
Tuition
$18,400
Activity fee
$89
Athletic fee
$120
Computing fee
$50
Mental Health fee
$58
Enrollment fee
$1,250
Total
$19,967
Credit
($19,650)*
Balance due from student
$317

*Diversity and Woodruff scholarships cover fees, for a total credit of $19,967.

There is more information on our tuition and fees page.

OPUS -- the student information system

OPUS is Emory's online database used for student information and more. You will use OPUS a great deal -- for registration, financial information, transcripts, and so on.  This is also where we track your address information: when you move here, you should update your address in OPUS. 

You log in to OPUS using your Emory net ID, the same one you use for email (see the Registration and Email Instructions posted to the right).

OPUS login page

Health Insurance

You have the option to enroll in the University Health Services Aetna/Chickering plan or waive it by demonstrating comparable coverage. You must take action by July 1 by logging onto OPUS and either enrolling in or waiving the plan. You'll find more information about billing and waivers on the Student Health and Counselling Services web site.

If you enroll in the plan or if you do not take action before July 1, your student account will be charged the Fall installment of the premium (annual premium this year is $2,360; half charged Fall semester, half charged Spring semester). The electronic statement you receive in July will include a charge for health insurance of $1,180. If your Laney Graduate School award includes a health insurance subsidy, your statement should indicate a credit (100% for most eligible students). There is more information on our health insurance page.

Stipends

If you have been awarded a stipend, your letter of admission indicated the amount and the term of your stipend. Stipends are paid monthly on the last business day of the month; the first payment will be September 30, 2013.

Students in the following programs receive nine monthly payments, September – May: Art History, Comparative Literature, Computer Science & Informatics, English, French, History, Mathematics, Nursing, Philosophy, Political Science, Graduate Division of Religion, Sociology, and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.

Students in the following programs receive twelve monthly payments, September – August: Anthropology, Behavioral Sciences and Health Education, Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Biostatistics, Business, Chemistry, Environmental Health Sciences, Epidemiology, Health Services Research and Health Policy, Physics and Psychology.

Recipients of special Laney Graduate School fellowships (Arts and Sciences, Diversity, and Woodruff) receive 12 monthly payments, September – August, regardless of the programs they are in.

There is more information on our tuition scholarships and stipends page.

Hiring Paperwork

Stipends are disbursed via the university’s compensation structure.  The staff in your program will “hire” you. You will need to complete an on-line orientation session.  As part of the on-line orientation session, you will complete electronic versions of state and federal tax forms, an I-9 Eligibility to Work Form and a direct deposit authorization form. You may review the forms in advance, but please remember that only the on-line versions of the forms that are completed via the orientation will be accepted.  The program staff will send you a link to the orientation session in the weeks before you start the academic year.

Forms can be found in the sidebar at right for review.

The IRS website is an essential first stop for all students with questions about taxes. IRS Publication 520, which deals with scholarships and fellowships, will be of special interest to graduate students.

Non-resident Aliens

International students must meet with Mary Chenault, the University’s non-resident alien tax advisor, before completing paperwork and being hired into the Emory system. Contact Ms. Chenault at mchenau@emory.edu as soon as you arrive at Emory.

Electronic Pay Advice

Each month, a few days before funds are deposited into your bank account, the payroll department will notify you by email that payment has been processed.  The email will state: “Your Pay Advice is now ready for online review at the following website: http://leo.cc.emory.edu/.”  Please note: the funds are not deposited on the day you receive the pay advice; they are deposited on the last working day of the month.

Emergency Loans

The Laney Graduate School administers an emergency loan fund to help students meet unexpected financial needs. Emergency loans are interest-free when repaid within four months of issue. New students may apply for emergency loans when they have completed registration. There is more information on our emergency loan page.

Federal and Private Loans

Information about student loans is available through Emory’s Office of Financial Aid.

English Language Proficiency Testing Requirement (All Non-native English Speakers)

All new degree-seeking students in the Laney Graduate School, for whom English is not their native language, must participate in an English language proficiency assessment or receive an exemption from the English Language Support Program before registering for classes. More information is in the document to the right and on our ELSP page.

Questions about Funding?

Check first on our website and with your program office. If neither can answer your questions, contact Theresa C. Kenney (404-727-6032; tcoxken@emory.edu) in the Laney Graduate School. GDBBS students, please contact Margie Varnado (404-727-2803; margie.varnado@emory.edu).

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Important Dates, Fall 2013

August 19: International Student Orientation (more information here)

August 23: PSI 600 (see Program for Scholarly Integrity website to learn more)

August 27: New student registration

August 27: Orientation

August 27: Laney Graduate School Welcome Picnic

August 28: Classes start

October 15: PSI 600 (see Program for Scholarly Integrity website to learn more)

Helpful Information for New Students

Estimated Cost of Attendance, 2013-14

Submitting Official Transcripts

Connect to Emory -- Email and OPUS Instructions

New Student Calendar

English Language Proficiency Testing Requirement

All students whose native language is not English must read this information. Visit our ELSP web pages.)

Office of Disability Services

Self-identification form:
pdf version
rich text format version
Use this form, in either version, to inform the ODS about any disability/chronic medical condition that may require assistance or accommodations from Emory University

Housing information

Parking Information

Campus Map

Download forms:

Federal Tax W4

Georgia State G4INS

I9 -- Eligibility to Work

Direct Deposit