Human Resources Mission, Vision, and Strategic Goals For You

Terminology and Policies

Terminology

Full-time equivalent (FTE), or whole time equivalent (WTE), is a unit that indicates the workload of an employed person (or student) in a way that makes workloads or class loads comparable across various contexts. FTE is often used to measure a worker's or student's involvement in a project, or to track cost reductions in an organization. An FTE of 1.0 is equivalent to a full-time worker or student, while an FTE of 0.5 signals half of a full work or school load.

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.

The position's qualification for inclusion in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). An exempt employee isn't subject to FLSA rules on overtime and, therefore, isn't entitled to overtime pay. The FLSA is the federal statute that governs overtime pay for employees who work more than 40 hours in a work week. There are state statutes that also govern overtime pay, and when the federal and state rules differ, the one that favors the employee is the rule employers must follow. Visit Purdue and FLSA webpage for more information.
Outlines verification for employee’s identify and establish work authorization as evidence they are authorized to be employed and paid wages, regardless of citizenship or immigration status. Visit the I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification web page.
Assists nonresident aliens with completing their necessary Internal Revenue Service forms. Visit https://www.online-tax/net to access GLACIER.

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:
  • 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.