New Graduate Student Checklist
Department of [insert name here]
North Carolina State University
***Example***
Now
Communicate the assistantship start date you’ve confirmed with your adviser to [Graduate Services
Coordinator/HR Rep] (email.address@ncsu.edu)
Successful Log-in to MyPack Portal
Successful Log-in to NCSU Email
Fall 2015 Enrollment
(International Students) Visit the Office of International Services (OIS) website (under “Future
Students”) for information regarding what you need to do before, upon, and after arrival to NC
State.
Early-May
Electronically sign Graduate Assistantship documentation
Terms & Conditions of Assistantship
Personal Information Form
Before Employment Start Date
Gather required documents for completing your I-9 before relocating to Raleigh, NC.
Update mailing address to local Raleigh address in MyPack Portal
Establish plan for paying 2015-2016 semester fees, whether through one payment or monthly
payment plan
(Out-of-State students able to establish in-state residency) Begin planning residentiary establishing
actions
(International Students) Check back to the Office of International Services (OIS) website (under
“Future Students”) to make certain you are on track with all OIS new student requirements.
1
New Graduate Student Checklist
Department of [insert name here]
North Carolina State University
***Example***
Immediately On or Soon After Start Date/Arrival
International students MUST attend International Student Orientation on August 12th and
schedule an appointment to meet with the International Taxation Office as soon as possible after
arrival
Domestic students must complete I-9 in [insert location here] within 48 hours of actual start date
(Out-of-State students able to establish in-state residency) Begin making residentiary establishing
actions as soon as possible. You will need these actions to apply for residency before Fall 2016.
All students must attend Graduate School Orientation on August 17th
Attend Department Orientation on August 18th
Set-up Direct Deposit and Tax Withholding information in MyPack Portal
Review ISA Form in MyPack Portal
Visit West Dunn Building for Wolfpack One Card (student ID)
Important Dates to Remember
Upon Arrival [To be Scheduled by the International Student]: Meeting with International Taxation
Office
Within 48 hrs of Employment Start Date [To be Addressed by the Domestic Student]: Completing I-9
in [insert location here]
8/12/2015: International Student Orientation
8/17/2015: Graduate School Orientation
8/18/2015: Department Orientation
8/19/2015: First Day of Fall Classes
8/25/2015: Last Day to Add a Course without ermission from Instructor
9/1/2015: Census Day
Deadline for Residency Reclassification
2
New Graduate Student Checklist
Department of [insert name here]
North Carolina State University
***Example***
Enrollment, MyPack Portal, & NCSU Email (now)
Enrollment
Enrollment for the Fall 2015 semester has already begun. Classes for Fall semester begin on Wednesday,
August 19th. I advise that you register for courses as soon as possible in order for the department and
Graduate School (if eligible for the Graduate Student Support Plan) to handle your tuition, fees (if
applicable), assistantship stipend, and health insurance as seamlessly as possible.
For information about degree requirements and the Plant Pathology core curriculum, please
see, http://plantpath.cals.ncsu.edu/academics/graduate-program-requirements/.
You can check out the available Fall graduate classes and enroll through MyPack Portal. For instructions
regarding MyPack Portal login, please see the "MyPack Portal Access" section below. Please communicate
with your adviser regarding selecting the appropriate courses.
It is required that you remain enrolled full-time, at all times, during the course of your graduate studies
with the Department of [insert name here] (9 credit hours your first semester). Full-time enrollment is also
required in order to remain eligible for the graduate student support plan (tuition and health insurance
support). These minimum required hours decrease as you further in your graduate studies. For more
about the Graduate Student Support Plan (GSSP) and full-time academic course load, please visit:
www.ncsu.edu/grad/support-plan/docs/gssphdbk.pdf
www.ncsu.edu/grad/support-plan/students.html
www.ncsu.edu/grad/catalog/full-part-time.html
NCSU - MyPack Portal Access
You should now be able to login to MyPack Portal. MyPack Portal is a "one-stop shop for your student
account needs." One can login to the portal in order to register for classes, check grades, change contact
information, and accomplish many other employee and student related tasks. For more information about
MyPack Portal, please visit the links below.
www.ncsu.edu/registrar/guides/students/tutorials.html
oit.ncsu.edu/unity-accounts/your-unity-account
oit.ncsu.edu/infonews/shibboleth-mypack-portal-login-steps-facultystaffstudents
Trouble Logging In
If you have trouble logging in for the first time, please visit the password change site listed below. After
changing the initial system generated password, you can revisit MyPack Portal and login using the
"Faculty/Staff/Students" portal.
3
New Graduate Student Checklist
Department of [insert name here]
North Carolina State University
***Example***
Unity Password Change Tool
https://sysnews.ncsu.edu/passwd/
If you still have trouble logging into MyPack Portal, you should call the OIT Help Desk at 919.515.HELP.
For more IT Information for Students, please visit:
oit.ncsu.edu/n/oit-services-students
NCSU - Email Access
Now that you have successfully logged into MyPack Portal, you should also be able to access your
new NCSU email address. To login to your new email, please visit:
gmail.ncsu.edu
The unity ID and password that you recently established when logging in to MyPack Portal are also used
to access your email.
Your new email address format: yourUnityID@ncsu.edu
Fall 2015 | Tuition and Fees (now)
After you enroll in courses, the NCSU Cashier's Office will email you its first billing notice for Fall 2015
tuition and fees. You may also notice that you have a balance due in your student "customer" account.
Please know that, if you have met/established all eligibility requirements for the Graduate Student
Support Plan, the NCSU Graduate School will be processing payment for applicable tuition expenses soon
(the GSSP does not sponsor semester fees).1 There are many GSSP (graduate student support plan) eligible
students on campus, and so, processing all tuition payments takes time. Please rest assured that your
tuition will be paid before the semester begins if you have met all GSSP eligibility requirements ahead of
the semester (and before Census Day). You are, however, responsible for paying your semester fees — both
fall and spring (estimated to be about $1,200 each semester for 2015-2016 academic year).2 You may pay
your semester fees at once each semester or set-up a monthly payment plan using the Tuition Management
System. In any case, please keep this expected semester payment in mind when managing your finances.
1
Typically, these payments are processed closer to the beginning of the semester, so you may continue to receive e-bills from
the NCSU Cashier's Office. Please do not be concerned about these tuition notices. If you receive a particularly concerning ebill notice, however, please do not hesitate to forward this notice to the department Graduate Services Coordinator so that
they can look into the circumstance further. Do not contact the Graduate School directly.
2
Based on 9 semester hour enrollment (full-time). Estimate is based on 2015-2016 fees ($1,170.94). One can find the
schedule for tuition rates at the NCSU Cashier’s Office website.
4
New Graduate Student Checklist
Department of [insert name here]
North Carolina State University
***Example***
During your graduate studies with the Department of [insert name here] you may, however, incur some
expenses that are not tuition or semester fee related (ex: pharmacy, library fines, late enrollment penalty,
etc). These expenses are your responsibility and should be paid in a timely manner to avoid schedule
cancellation.
2015-2016 Graduate Assistantship Paperwork (early-May):
Please note that the information below is outdated now that the NextGen Appointments system is in
place. Please detail when the student can expect to receive notification that a T&C is ready for review
based on your own departmental processes.
The documents discussed below will arrive to you through email in early-May. Kindly complete these
documents and return them to me through one of the following methods:
• Email (requires a printer and scanner)
• the postal service (USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL)
Attn: [insert recipient name here]
[insert mailing address here]
Raleigh, NC 27695
In-person
[insert
physical department address here]
•
Please notify me if you anticipate have trouble returning the documents before June 15th.
Explanation of Attached Documents
• T&C: Terms & Conditions Contract for Graduate Assistantship with the Department of [insert
name here]. Read through the contract, then, sign and date.
• PIF: Personal Identification Form for NCSU HR. Complete form, then, sign and date the last
page.
• *I-9 Acceptable Documents: Within 48 hours of your start date, you will need to visit [insert
location here] in order to complete an I-9. Acceptable required documents are listed in Appendix
B. Please make certain that you gather the appropriate documents before traveling to Raleigh, NC.
*This document does not need to be returned to me.
Compensation Method
All NCSU employees participate in direct deposit in order to receive their compensation. You will not
need a voided check to establish this service. Employees can list their checking account information
through MyPack Portal > Employee Self Service. Nonetheless, this portion of the portal (Employee Self
Service) will not become available until NCSU HR has processed all employment paperwork and your
employment has commenced.
5
New Graduate Student Checklist
Department of [insert name here]
North Carolina State University
***Example***
Updating MyPack Portal Address & Health Insurance (after
assistantship contract signed):
Once you have established a residence in the Raleigh, NC area, please take a moment to update your local
mailing address in MyPack Portal. Please speak with your Graduate Services Coordinator about when your
health insurance coverage will begin. Your new insurance card will be mailed to the mailing address listed
in MyPack Portal. If you do not have a local address before your employment start date, please contact me
for other address options. For more information about the health insurance plans available at NCSU,
please see the links listed below.
(1) All on-campus, degree seeking, graduate students ($863.50/semester)
University Mandatory Plan (Student Blue | Blue Cross & Blue Shield of NC) – Administered
through the Student Health Center
Plan Benefits and Rates
Contact Information for the University Mandatory Plan
Eligibility Requirements
(2) Graduate Student Support Plan (GSSP) Eligible Students Only3 (no cost to the student)
NCSU RA-TA Plan (Student Blue | Blue Cross & Blue Shield of NC)
Plan Benefits and Rates
Contact Information for the NCSU RA-TA plan
Eligibility Requirements
All questions related to health insurance plan benefits and the policy itself, should be directed to Student Blue.
Please speak with your Graduate Services Coordinator if you have questions about eligibility for the Graduate
Student Support Plan. Do not contact the Graduate School directly.
I-9, Direct Deposit, Tax Withholding, Wolfpack OneCard
(Immediately On or After Start Date):
After I have submitted all of your paperwork to NCSU HR and the Graduate School and your
employment has commenced, you should begin seeing additional access areas in MyPack Portal. "For
Faculty & Staff" and "Employee Self Service” are areas of MyPack Portal that only employees have access.
3
Please see the Graduate Student Support Plan Handbook regarding eligibility requirements for the Graduate Student
Support Plan. If you have further questions regarding your eligibility, please contact your department Graduate Services
Coordinator. Do not contact the Graduate School directly.
6
New Graduate Student Checklist
Department of [insert name here]
North Carolina State University
***Example***
When these appear, you can go ahead and set-up direct deposit, tax withholding, and agree to the ISA
Form.
Completing your I-9 (MUST COMPLETE WITHIN 48 HRS OF STARTING EMPLOYMENT)
You will need to visit [insert location here – linked google map] to complete an I-9 within 48 hours of your
start date. Please read through the acceptable required documents at the end of this document and make
sure you bring all required documentation to [insert location here].
Setting up Direct Deposit & Tax Withholding in MyPack Portal
When you have access to Employee Self Service in the system, you will need to complete your direct
deposit and tax withholding information. Please see the pamphlet in Appendix C & D for instructions on
how to complete these actions. The University no longer requires a voided check to set up direct deposit.
You will be able to simply enter your account information into MyPack Portal.
International students MUST check-in with the Office of International Services (OIS) and meet with the
International Taxation Office before they can receive their first paycheck or any scholarship award. Please
see Appendix A.
Information Security Acknowledgement (ISA) Form
It is not an immediate necessity, but there is also an Information Security Acknowledgement Form in
Employee Self Service that needs to be completed (simply select "I agree") before the department will give
you access to submit travel authorizations and reimbursements. This task usually does not arise until (and
if) the student needs to travel, but it is nice to go ahead and get it out of the way. I have listed the steps for
finding and completing the form below.
1. Login to MyPack Portal.
2. Select "For Faculty & Staff" from the navigation menu at the top.
3. Then, scroll to the grouping titled "Employee Self Service."
4. In that grouping, select "Personal Information."
5. After that grouping opens, select "ISA Form."
6. There, you will be given information about university privacy and security regulations.
7. Read through this information and when you are finish (and if you agree to the terms), select "I
agree."
8. If there is a "submit" option, please select it. ***I am uncertain if there is this option. It may just
automatically submit. When I look at mine it is just a dimmed check mark beside the "I agree"
box.
Path: MyPack Portal > For Faculty & Staff > Employee Self Service > Personal Information > ISA Form
Wolfpack One Card
Once you enroll in courses, you should be able to visit the West Dunn Building in order to have your
student ID (Wolfpack One Card) made. You should be able to do this even if you are not yet active in the
system as an employee.
7
New Graduate Student Checklist
Department of [insert name here]
North Carolina State University
***Example***
Other Resources:
New Student Survival Guide
Arrival Survival - http://www.ncsu.edu/grad/current-students/arrival-survival.html
Other Useful Links for NCSU Graduate Students (Utilities, Child Care, Entertainment, Shopping, etc,)
Housing:
NCSU Graduate Student Housing
walkscore.com
apartments.com
zillow.com
trulia.com
*NCSU zip code 27695
**If you are unfamiliar with the Raleigh-area, it would be beneficial to speak with a fellow graduate student
about their housing suggestions or advice before committing to a long lease. I would be happy to put you
in contact with a [insert department here] graduate student that can offer suggestions based on your ideal
housing.
Places to Eat, Shop, etc.
Yelp! is a great resource for finding specific dining or other necessities. (Download the App for iPhone
or Android)
University Transportation & Parking:
University Transportation - Homepage
Student Parking - University Transportation
Wolfline - Campus bus system homepage
Wolfline Tracker - Tracks all Wolfline buses in real-time. You can also select other local bus
systems to include on your map. Download this app for iPhone, Android, Blackberry, and other
cellular phones ("TransLoc: Transit Visualization").
Capital Area Transit (CAT) & Triangle Transit Resources:
CAT - Real-time
CAT - Homepage
8
New Graduate Student Checklist
Department of [insert name here]
North Carolina State University
***Example***
Triangle Transit - Homepage
9