Terminology and Policies
Terminology
Academic Year appointments are employed the period of the year during which students attend an educational institution. The Graduate Staff Employment Manual outlines the start and end dates for the Academic year appointments. The Pay Calendar outlines the academic semester start and end dates.
An Academic Year appointment is given when the expectation is for you to work/attend classes for the fall and spring semesters.
Fiscal Year appointments start and end anytime during the fiscal year.
A Fiscal Year Appointment is given when you are expected to work/attend classes all year.
Graduate Fee Remission
The fee remission granted to graduate student employees of the University is a form of compensation paid as salaries, or in lieu of salaries, to graduate students that have a salaried appointment at the University. Graduate employees are relieved from the obligation to pay full tuition and fees, and are required to pay a nominal staff fee.
Tuition and Fees
Tuition and fees is a student aid cost for which there is no requirement for services to be rendered. An employee-employer relationship does not exist between the student and the University.
Outlined on the Bursar website within the following topics:
- Fellowships
Many graduate students are awarded fellowships each year, either by the University or by external agencies. Benefits from a fellowship can include:- Stipend/salary: covers living expenses such as food and rent
- Full or partial tuition coverage: pays part or all of the graduate tuition
- Student fees: pays part or all of the student fees
- Medical insurance supplement: contributes to or covers the total cost of medical insurance for the duration of the fellowship.
- Graduate assistantships allow graduate students to work for a specific University unit in exchange for certain benefits. Those benefits include:
- Salary
- Tuition coverage
- Medical insurance benefit
- Visit the Assistantships webpage for more information.
- Scholarships are typically small awards made to students to support their education in amounts ranging from $200 to $5,000.
- Grants are small amounts of funding that are designated for specific uses, such as travel grants, small research grants, and childcare grants.
Policies
The University Policy Office maintains all policies. Visit their website to learn more about the policies. Below are just a couple of examples. The Graduate School also offers manuals that reference polices.
- Graduate Student Staff Benefits (S-3)
- Terms and Conditions of Employment of Graduate Student Staff (VI.F.11)
- Background Checks
- During onboarding, students receive an additional email from HireRight (our Background Check vendor) to gather information required to complete the sex and violent offender registry check.