Academic Appointments and Graduate Student Employment

Graduate Student Teaching Appointments
(Teaching Assistant, Teaching Associate [Associate In], Reader, and Tutor)

Experience as a teaching assistant is considered an important component of the graduate educational experience. Many graduate programs require students to serve as teaching assistants, and almost all programs expect graduate students to serve in a teaching capacity sometime during the course of their graduate programs.

The primary teaching responsibility of the University of California is vested in the faculty.  Graduate student teaching responsibilities generally include assistance in such activities as classroom/laboratory teaching, leading discussion groups, office hours, conferences with students, preparation of materials for instruction, proctoring examinations, and correcting student papers and examinations.  Academic appointment criteria for graduate students, as stated in this guide, are minimum University standards and requirements.  Individual academic unit faculty retain the prerogative to apply stricter standards for teaching appointments within their academic unit.

NOTE: UCI Academic Student Employees (ASEs) appointed as Teaching Assistants, Teaching Associates (Associate Ins), Readers, and Tutors are covered by a collective bargaining agreement between the Regents of the University of California and the Student Workers Union, International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW).

Academic Student Employee Titles (ASEs)

A. Teaching Assistant

An academically qualified and registered graduate student in full-time residence chosen for excellent scholarship and for promise as a teacher, who is assigned to assist in the delivery of instruction under the active supervision of a faculty member.  A majority of graduate students who perform instructional functions are assigned to the Teaching Assistant title.

Responsibilities

  • Assist the supervising faculty member by conducting discussion, laboratory or quiz sections that supplement faculty lectures
  • Grading assignments or examinations
  • May provide input into the development of assignments or exams, and hold office hours             

The final responsibility for the content of the course rests with the supervising faculty member.  A Teaching Assistant is not independently responsible for the instructional content of a course, selection of assignments, planning, examinations, and determination of student grades or decisions on grade appeals; and is not assigned full instructional responsibility for an entire course.

B. Teaching Associate (Associate In)

An academically qualified and registered graduate student in full-time residence employed temporarily to teach a lower-division course.  A graduate student, upon recommendation from the department head, may be assigned an upper-division course or course section (non-graduate level course only) with the written approval of the Graduate Dean and the UCI Academic Senate’s Subcommittee on Courses.  Such approval must be obtained in writing prior to the student beginning their assignment/appointment. 

Responsibilities

  • Assist in the instruction of any lower-division course or
  • May be assigned to conduct the entire instruction of a lower-division course

All instructional activities of graduate student Teaching Associates are to be supervised by a faculty member.  A Teaching Associate with extensive teaching experience may be presumed to require less direct supervision.

C. Reader

An academically qualified and registered graduate student (or qualified undergraduate student may be employed when graduate students are not available) employed as a course assistant. A Reader will not be given the responsibilities customarily assigned to Teaching Assistants.   

Responsibilities

  • Grading of homework, papers, laboratory reports, or examinations and
  • Holding of office hours to respond to students’ questions about such assignments

D. Tutor

An academically qualified and registered graduate or undergraduate student who provides tutoring to individuals (one-on-one) or small groups of students.

Responsibilities

  • Facilitate independent learning and
  • Assist students in understanding course materials.

 

B. Graduate Student Researcher Appointments (GSR and GSAR)

Experience as a graduate student researcher is considered central to the preparation for a future career whether in an academic or research environment.  Depending on the field, students may begin work in research under the direction of a faculty advisor at various times following admission.  Pre-dissertation and dissertation research are all guided by the same principles concerning ethical issues and classified or proprietary research.

Responsibility for conducting research at the University of California is vested in the faculty.  In some fields, graduate students may serve as research assistants on sponsored research grants or contracts under the guidance of a faculty member.  The degree to which the research performed by a student is independently conceived and conducted will vary depending on both the nature of the field of research and the sponsorship.  Academic appointment criteria for graduate students, as stated in this manual, are minimum University standards and requirements.  Individual academic unit faculty retain the prerogative to apply stricter standards for research appointments within their academic unit.

NOTE: UCI Graduate Student Researcher appointments are covered by University academic personnel policies.

  1. Graduate Student Researcher

An academically qualified and registered graduate student, enrolled full-time, who performs research related to his or her degree program in an academic department or research unit under the direction of a faculty member or authorized Principal Investigator.  The Graduate Student Researcher may or may not collaborate in the publication of said research.

  1. Graduate Student Assistant Researcher

An academically qualified and registered graduate student, enrolled full-time, who performs research under the supervision of a Principal Investigator on a research project which is not related to the student’s degree program.

Academic Qualifications for ASEs and Graduate Student Researchers:

  1. Enrollment Requirement:

      For new and continuing graduate students:

  • Enrollment in at least 12 units (full time) during the current quarter

      ONLY Readers and Tutors employed at 25 percent time or less may be enrolled part time. (max. 8 units)

  • Combined campus wide employment of no more than 50 percent time (220 hours of assigned workload) or less during any academic quarter.
  1. Grade/GPA Requirement:

For continuing graduate students, during each of the three most recent quarters of enrollment:

  • Completion of 8 units or more of upper division or graduate level credit courses.
  • A letter grade of C, S, or above in all courses completed.
  • No more than two incomplete (I) grades except where stricter school policies apply.
  • A cumulative GPA of 3.1 or higher for Teaching Assistants (TA) and Teaching Associates (Associate In)
  • A cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher for Graduate Student Researchers (GSR), Graduate Student Assistant Researchers (GSAR), Readers and Tutors
  • Satisfactory academic progress toward the degree objective
  • For Readers only: Should have taken and received at least a letter grade of B in the course or equivalent for which the student is being recommended for appointment

Additional Academic Qualifications/Limitations for Teaching Assistants and Teaching Associates

  1. Teaching Assistant/Associate Quarter Limit

Teaching Assistant/Associate appointments may not exceed 12 quarters prior to advancement to candidacy.  Students must advance to candidacy towards their Ph.D. in order to be employed as a Teaching Assistant/Associate beyond 12 quarters.  Teaching Assistant/Associate appointments cannot exceed 18 quarters total per student.  Any quarter in which the student is appointed and compensated, at any amount/rate or percent time, is counted toward this maximum.  This policy applies irrespective of whether a student enrolls in more than one academic program.  Under no circumstances will a 19th quarter exception be granted.

  1. Doc2A Definition & Guidelines

              (Updated by Graduate Council 12/2013)

By definition, a Doc2A student is enrolled more than nine (9) quarters past their advancement to candidacy for the Ph.D. The Doc2A quarter count begins with the quarter immediately following their advancement to candidacy date. The university does not receive state funding for students who are in Doc2A status nor are they included in official enrollment counts. Graduate students in Doc2A status may be appointed to GSR/GSAR titles at the hiring department’s discretion, provided they meet academic qualifications including enrollment and grade/GPA requirements, and are making satisfactory academic progress; and to ASE titles at the hiring department’s discretion if they are within the 18-quarter service limit for Teaching Assistants and Teaching Associates; meet academic qualifications including enrollment and grade/GPA requirements; and meet English language proficiency requirements for Teaching Assistants and Teaching Associates (for international and U.S. permanent resident students who are not citizens of countries where English is the primary or dominant language). 

  1. English Language Proficiency Requirements

(Updated by Graduate Council 3/2021)

An instructor’s ability to communicate effectively in English is critically important to the success of students in meeting learning outcomes. Accordingly, all graduate students, except those who have earned an undergraduate degree from an institution at which English was the sole language of instruction according to the World Higher Education Database, are required to demonstrate oral English proficiency before they are appointed to Teaching Assistant or Teaching Associate titles. The aforementioned exception will apply only when the undergraduate degree has been earned within five years prior to admission to a graduate program at UCI.

Campus-approved Tests

  • TOEFL iBT (Internet-based Test of English as a Foreign Language)

Minimum score: 26 on the speaking section

The TOEFL iBT is administered by ETS at authorized test centers around the world. Scores are valid for two years after the test date.

  • IELTS (International English Language Testing System)

Minimum score: 8 on the speaking section

There are IELTS test locations in more than 140 countries. Scores are valid for two years after the test date.

  • TOEP (Test of Oral English Proficiency)

Minimum score: 5

The TOEP is administered by the Program in Academic English at UCI. Scores are valid for the duration of the time a student is enrolled at UCI.

  • SPEAK (Spoken Proficiency English Assessment Kit)

Minimum score: 50

The SPEAK is administered by the Humanities Studio at UCI. Scores are valid for the duration of the time a student is enrolled at UCI.

  The Graduate Division must receive official score reports from the testing centers and validate that minimum scores have been achieved before departments may extend offers of Teaching Assistant or Teaching Associate appointments.

 *For those graduate students required to demonstrate English proficiency at the time of admission and who have an official TOEFL iBT or IELTS score report on file, a passing score in the Speaking section will remain valid for Teaching Assistant or Teaching Associate appointments for the duration of the time a student is enrolled at UCI.

            Exemptions

       Students who have received an undergraduate degree in an institution with English as its sole language of instruction and who are more than five years beyond degree may request an exemption to the policy; such exemption requests will be considered by the Program in Global Languages & Communication.

            Students appointed to Teaching Assistant or Teaching Associate positions for advanced language courses where the entire course is conducted in a language of instruction other than English are exempt from the English language proficiency requirement in this policy.

 Limitations and Remediation

If the head of a unit or appropriate delegate finds sufficient grounds to believe that any graduate student appointed as a Teaching Assistant or Teaching Associate does not have spoken English proficiency adequate for undergraduate instruction, they must require the student to undertake a remediation process, in consultation with the Program in Global Languages & Communication and approved by the student’s academic unit, prior to additional appointment as a Teaching Assistant or Teaching Associate. Such a determination should be made on the grounds of inadequate proficiency alone (as indicated in student evaluations, faculty observations, or the like). This remediation process will be required regardless of how the student was initially certified for oral English proficiency (that is, regardless of earning an undergraduate degree at an institution where English was the sole language of instruction or by achieving a passing score on one of the tests noted above).

Academic Unit Responsibilities

If the academic unit awards a Teaching Assistant or Teaching Associate appointment to an incoming graduate student who fails to be certified in English proficiency, the unit must honor its financial commitment to the student even though the student will not be allowed to serve as a Teaching Assistant or Teaching Associate. It is therefore advisable for units that expect incoming graduate students to serve as Teaching Assistants or Teaching Associates in their first term either to require those students be certified prior to awarding Teaching Assistant or Teaching Associate appointments, by passing one of the tests noted above, or to make the Teaching Assistant or Teaching Associate appointment conditional upon certification and upon meeting all other academic qualifications for employment. Units must provide clear notification of these conditions in their financial support offer letters to incoming students. Units are strongly encouraged to include the following or similar language in all financial support offer letters:

A condition of all fellowships and Teaching Assistant/Associate and Graduate Student Researcher appointments is that the student maintain satisfactory academic progress, be continuously enrolled as a full-time graduate student, and meet all other university criteria (including but not limited to adequate English language competency for Teaching Assistant or Teaching Associate appointments) to receive campus-based funding. Continued employment is also contingent upon satisfactory performance as a Teaching Assistant/Associate or Graduate Student Researcher.

  1. Teaching Associate Additional Qualifications

In addition to the general and basic qualifications for Teaching Assistants and Teaching Associates, all of the following additional qualifications apply for appointment as a Teaching Associate:

  • A master’s degree or equivalent training.
  • At least one year of teaching experience (such as that of a Teaching Assistant) within or outside of the University.

To teach an upper division course, a Teaching Associate must meet the following additional requirements:

  • Advancement to candidacy for a Ph.D. degree.
  • Within normative time-to-degree.
  • In advance of the appointment, written approval from the Graduate Dean and the UCI Academic Senate’s Subcommittee on Courses.

Benefits for Graduate Academic Student Employees (ASEs)

a. Teaching Assistants, Teaching Associates, Readers and Tutors

For graduate students who are appointed as Teaching Assistants and Teaching Associates at 25% time (110 hours of assigned workload) or greater, and  for graduate students who are appointed as Tutors and Readers for a guaranteed minimum of 110 hours of assigned workload within the respective quarter’s service period, the following benefits apply:

  • Payment of the Graduate Student Health Insurance Program (GSHIP) premium.
  • Partial fee remission: 100% of the sum of the Student Services Fee and Tuition components of a student’s assessment. Note that this does not include payment of Nonresident Supplemental Tuition.
  • Remission of $100 per quarter to partially cover campus-based fees (effective with the academic term beginning January 2019).
  • Defined Contribution Plan (DCP) coverage in accordance with UC Retirement Plan. (Summer employment only)
  • Childbirth Accommodation Leave (salaried ASE positions ONLY) and Childcare Reimbursement.
  • Eligible ASEs may receive up to six weeks of paid Childbirth Accommodation Leave.
  • Eligible ASEs may request reimbursement for qualified childcare expenses. Please see the Graduate Division website for the maximum quarterly amount of reimbursement. Information on these and other employment-related benefits is contained in the ASE contract.

 

  1. Tutors and Readers

Graduate students who are appointed as Tutors and Readers for less than 110 hours of assigned work, but subsequently complete 110 hours or more of work during the quarter will be entitled to reimbursement of the GSHIP premium and the partial fee remission, if paid from personal resources.  If a graduate student’s fees/tuition and/or GSHIP were previously paid as a fellowship by the academic unit, upon completing 110 hours of work, the academic unit will be given an accounting credit for the costs associated with the partial fee remission and/or GSHIP as applicable.  In no case will a student receive a direct cash payment if s/he did not incur any out-of-pocket expense related to fees or GSHIP; nor will the unit receive a credit for GSHIP if the student waived participation in the program.

NOTE:   After completion of 110 hours of assigned work during the service period by a graduate student Tutor or Reader, whose appointment notification letter did not guarantee a minimum of 110 hours of work, the academic unit is required to provide the following to the Graduate Division:

  • A written request via email for reimbursement to the student or an accounting credit to the department, signed by an appropriate departmental designee/authority, which includes the student’s name and both the employee and student identification numbers.

The Graduate Division will review the request for reimbursement or accounting credit, approve it for processing, or contact the requesting department for clarification, if needed.

Teaching Appointment Periods and Limitations

The maximum academic student employee appointment limitation is 50% time (220 hours of assigned workload) during any academic year quarter.  The assigned workload determines the percent of time of the appointment. 

If a graduate student has more than one appointment, the combination of all campus-wide appointments (including By Agreement appointments) may not exceed 50% time during any academic quarter. This workload includes specific required training (with the exception of pedagogy courses for which enrollment of the Teaching Assistant or Teaching Associate may be required), time in the classroom, preparation time, grading, proctoring and office hours.  Readers and Tutors are compensated on an hourly basis.  Assigned workload is measured by how many hours the University could reasonably expect an ASE to satisfactorily complete the work assigned.  (Related Documents: APM 110(40); APM 410-17b; APM 410 Appendix A; APM 420-17c; Student Worker Guidelines (UCI/HR Compensation); 8CFR214.2fq)

NOTE:  When hiring a student from another academic unit, it is the hiring unit’s responsibility to coordinate with the student’s home department to determine eligibility for the appointment and to ensure that the student is not precluded from accepting employment because of other support, academic ineligibility, or other employment limitations.

Selection and Assignment

Among the considerations in departmental decisions regarding appointments of academic student employees (Teaching Assistants, Teaching Associates, Readers, and Tutors) is undergraduate student demand for courses, the availability of funds, and budgeted FTE (full-time equivalent) positions.  Since the needs and resources of academic units vary, there is a considerable variation from one academic unit to another in the length and percentage of time for which students may be appointed. 

a. Campus-Wide Posting of Appointment Opportunities

By March 15th of each year, anticipated employment opportunities for Academic Student Employees (ASEs) for the following academic year will be submitted by employing departments and posted on a central campus website.

b. Appointment Notification

Individuals offered an academic student employee appointment will be provided with written notification in spring quarter or as soon as practicable after hiring decisions are made.

c. Supplemental Documentation

At least 30 days prior to the commencement of a term, or as soon as practicable thereafter, the ASE will be provided with supplemental documentation, including:

  • faculty member or supervisor to whom the individual will report;
  • the location where the work will be performed, if known;
  • the class assigned, if applicable;
  • the duties that may be required and;
  • other information deemed appropriate by the University that was not included in the initial appointment notification.

The University will provide notice when the above referenced duties are changed significantly.

d. Training and Orientation

All required training and orientation is considered part of the workload for the term, with the exception of pedagogy courses in which an ASE may be required to be enrolled. The University may require an ASE to satisfactorily complete required training to begin or to continue their appointment.  The University may require that an ASE, who has not satisfactorily completed required training, repeat the training without it counting as workload.

2. Graduate Student Researchers (GSR) and Graduate Student Assistant Researchers (GSAR)

  1. Step Progression within Titles

The Graduate Student Researcher title consists of 10 salary steps. Since inherent differences exist in academic disciplines at UCI, this policy provides flexibility to academic units.  Each academic unit has the direct responsibility for establishing and implementing a written plan that ensures equitable compensation and treatment for all graduate students appointed to research positions within their unit.

 A copy of the school’s written plan(s), and any subsequent revisions, must be placed on file with the Graduate Division.  An “academic unit” is defined as a “School” or “functional school equivalent,” but may be further re-defined as a “department”. The academic units retain the authority to administer all graduate student appointments within their unit. GSR/GSAR salary information is available on the Academic Personnel website.    

The Graduate Student Assistant Researcher title consists of two salary steps.  Progression may be made from Level I to Level II depending on the student’s research experience as determined by the employing unit.

  1. Conditions of Appointment

To clarify the nature and conditions of graduate student researcher appointments, the Graduate Council requires that each spring quarter all academic units provide the following:

  • Display departmental policies and criteria for the selection, appointment, and assignment of graduate student researchers.
  • Make explicit the extent to which continuing graduate student researchers in good standing may expect continued support. Continuing students should be notified during spring quarter regarding expected employment status for the upcoming academic year. Departments have an obligation to provide notification as early as possible to students whom they will be unable to support.
  • Send an offer letter in writing to graduate student researchers that outlines the nature and conditions of their appointment. The acceptance of an offer of employment is a binding agreement between the graduate student and the employing department.
  1. GSR and GSAR Appointment Benefits
  • Campus policy regarding GSR/GSAR fee and tuition remission applies to all students employed in the GSR/GSAR series with an appointment of at least 25% time for the entire quarter. Each eligible student’s total assessed fees/tuition (and nonresident supplemental tuition, if the student does not qualify for California residency status), must be paid as a condition of their GSR/GSAR appointment. Charges are to be debited directly to applicable extramural awards or other appropriate funding source(s) paying the student’s salary when the student registers each quarter.  This policy takes precedence over all other types of student appointments.
  • Specifically, this policy also requires that, unless prohibited by the funding source, all GSR/GSAR fee and nonresident supplemental tuition remission payments must be debited to the same funding source that funds the GSR/GSAR’s salary and other benefits. Since all GSR/GSARs must be treated equally under this plan, campus funding sources (including departmental, fellowship, and other funds) must fund the remission for all eligible GSR/GSARs whose salaries are paid from General UCI Funds.  Only if the sponsor generally prohibits remission of student fees may other University funds be used to fund the remission benefits.

NOTE: The term “fees” is intended to include all graduate student fees/tuition as listed on the Registrar’s website; i.e., Student Services, Tuition, GSHIP, and miscellaneous campus-based fees.

  • Childbirth Accommodation Leave and Childcare Reimbursement for GSR/GSARs appointed at 25% time or more for the entire quarter.
  • Eligible GSR/GSARs may receive up to six weeks of paid Childbirth Accommodation Leave.
  • Eligible GSR/GSARs may request reimbursement for qualified childcare expenses. Please see the Graduate Division website for the maximum quarterly amount of reimbursement.
  1. GSR and GSAR Appointment Grievances

Graduate Student Researchers who have concerns related to their appointments should consult with the faculty member in charge of the research activity.  If the problem is not resolved by informal discussion it should be brought to the attention of the Department Chair and, if necessary, the Associate Dean or Academic Dean of the respective school.  If no resolution can be achieved at the school level, concerns should be brought to the attention of the Graduate Dean.

The Graduate Dean investigates the student’s concerns or grievances and determines appropriate resolutions. When circumstances warrant, every effort will be made by the Graduate Dean to protect the confidentiality of the student raising the concern. In cases in which informal procedures do not resolve the conflict, Section 140 of the Academic Personnel Manual (APM) provides formal grievance procedures for Graduate Student Researchers and Graduate Student Assistant Researchers.

C. Other Employment Issues

1. Exceptions to Policy  

General Guidelines:

Requests for any exceptions to academic and personnel policies affecting a student’s appointment eligibility must be requested in advance by the hiring department chair/head or graduate advisor.     

All exception requests must be submitted in writing with appropriate signatures for review by the Graduate Dean.  A complete justification and explanation of all relevant facts must be included. Exception requests are reviewed on a quarter-by-quarter basis. The written exception request must include all items as indicated on the checklist at the Graduate Division Forms page.  

  1. Teaching Associate (Associate In) Requests

Upon written recommendation from the department chair/head or graduate advisor, a graduate student appointed as a Teaching Associate (Associate In) may be assigned to teach an upper-division course or course section with the written approval of the Graduate Dean and the UCI Academic Senate’s Subcommittee on Courses.  If the hiring department is not the graduate student’s home department, the request must also be approved by the appropriate authority, i.e., department chair/head or graduate advisor within the home department. Requests generated from the Schools of Biological Sciences, Engineering, Humanities, ICS, Medicine, Social Ecology, or Social Sciences must also be approved and signed by the school’s Associate Dean for Graduate Studies.

The written request must include all items as indicated on the checklist at the Graduate Division Forms page, be addressed to the Graduate Dean and the Subcommittee on Courses, and be forwarded to the Graduate Student Employment Analyst (120 Aldrich Hall, Zot 3180) for consideration/approval.  If approved by the Graduate Dean, the request will be forwarded to the UCI Academic Senate’s Subcommittee on Courses for review and notification of the decision to the hiring department.  Sufficient time, i.e., 5-6 weeks minimum, is required for the approval process.  Final approval must occur prior to the issuance of an appointment notification to the graduate student and prior to the beginning of the teaching assignment.

3. Service Limitations

During any academic year quarter, a graduate student may not be appointed in any capacity by the University of California beyond a maximum of 50% time.  The purpose of this University-wide policy is to limit the amount of time graduate students devote to University activities that do not lead directly to the successful completion of their academic degree program requirements in a timely manner.  (Related Documents: APM 110 (40); APM 112 (39); APM 410-17b.; APM 410 Appendix A; APM 420-17c.; Student Worker Guidelines (UCI/HR Compensation); 8CFR 214.2f9)

Graduate students are encouraged to voluntarily participate in worthwhile University or community activities such as student government, but they must make satisfactory progress toward their primary academic degree objectives.  Before accepting additional obligations (compensated or not), graduate students are urged to consult their Graduate Advisor or the Associate Dean of their academic program. 

  1. Late and Retroactive Appointments

It is expected that ASEs and GSRs/GSARs will be appointed to relevant titles no later than the beginning of the quarter.

Exception letters will be required if a department wishes to appoint a graduate student retroactively, two weeks or more beyond the start of the normal service period. A written exception request should be addressed to the Graduate Dean and forwarded to the Graduate Student Employment Analyst (120 Aldrich Hall, Zot 3180), and must be approved prior to entering the appointment into the University’s payroll system.  An exception is not required for a retroactive fund change. Consult your Contracts and Grants Officer if the retroactive fund change is against an extramural fund source and applies to over 120 days ago.

Exception requests resulting from a delay in grant funding cannot be approved.  Any late appointment exception requests must be infrequent and will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. 

  1. Appointments between Academic Sessions

Graduate students, other than those receiving agency-restricted fellowship or training grant stipends, may be appointed full-time between academic year sessions (quarters) or during a summer recess. During these periods, aggregate compensated UC employment in a given month may not exceed 100% time.  (Related Documents: APM 110 (40); 8CFR 214.2f9)

  1. Employment of Part-Time Graduate Students

Preference for employment will be given to full-time graduate students (enrolled in 12 units or more).  Part-time graduate students (enrolled in 8 units or less) may be appointed as Readers, Tutors, or in other appropriate titles, but combined campus-wide employment cannot exceed 25% time (110 hours of assigned workload) during any academic quarter.    

  1. Employment of Graduate Students Participating on Training Grants

a. Student Employment

It is recognized that trainees may need to seek part-time employment coincidental to their training program to further offset their expenses or to meet academic degree requirements. The academic units may provide additional funds in the form of employment (as salary and applicable fee/tuition remission) for services such as a TA, GSR, Reader, etc. but only on a limited part-time basis.  UCI’s Graduate Council defines limited part-time basis as employment not to exceed 75% time over the three quarters of an academic year; e.g., 25%-time for the fall, winter, and spring contiguous quarters would result in the maximum limit. Aggregate employment shall not exceed 75% for one academic year session.

b. Student Compensation Paid from Research Grants

Training grants may not be used to fund student employment.  If a student supported on a training grant is also employed on another research grant, the project must be separate and unrelated to the research funded by the training grant.  Such employment may not interfere with, detract from, or prolong the student’s training program.

  1. Employment of Students Registered in Self-Supporting Programs

Graduate students registered in self-supporting programs may be hired as an ASE. Self-supporting students should only be considered in the event that it is impossible to identify and appoint 1) a qualified PhD student, not necessarily in the same school or discipline; and 2) a qualified state-supported master’s student, not necessarily in the same school or discipline.

Self-supporting students must meet the same academic standards as state-supported graduate students hired as TAs. Students must also meet the same English proficiency requirements as state-supported students in order to be appointed as a TA. Note that waiving the English proficiency requirement for admissions purposes does not exempt a student from meeting the TA requirement for English proficiency.

Self-supporting students serving as TAs must undergo the same TA training as state-supported graduate students and demonstrate that they have a sufficient teaching foundation (i.e., TAPDAP).

Funding source for ASE salary and remission

Salary and remission should be covered by the hiring unit.

  • If the self-supporting student will be an ASE for an SSGPDP, then the salary and remission must be paid with self-supporting program revenues or other discretionary funding sources available to the program.
  • If the self-supporting student will be an ASE in a state-supported program, then the salary may be charged to the regular TA instructional salary funding source; however, remission must be paid from other discretionary funds.
  • In no case shall remission costs be paid by campus TA remission budget allocations.

ASE Fee remission

  • The fee remission paid on behalf of a self-supporting student will be paid as all other remission is paid, i.e., as a fee credit posted to the student’s Student Billing System (SBS) account. Under no circumstances will the funds be provided directly to the student. The amount of fee remission is equal to the amount of remission paid on behalf of a student in a state-supported program for the Tuition and Student Services components of a student’s fee assessment.
  • The remission should be based on in-state remission and should not include NRST.
  • As with a student in a state-supported program, if the student in a self-supporting program is charged and does not waive out of GSHIP, the GSHIP amount will be included in the fee remission. In no case will fee remission exceed the total charges the student pays to the SSGPDP.
  • If the fee remission total exceeds the total program fee(s), the remission will be reduced accordingly.
  1. Employment of Students Registered in the Medical Doctorate Degree Program

Due to the academic rigor of pursuing a Medical Doctorate (M.D.) degree, students registered in the program are not eligible for appointments in student employment titles. 

  1. Employment of Graduate Students from Other UC Campuses

If eligible, graduate students from other UC campuses may be employed at UCI.  These UC graduate students could include visitors, intercampus exchange students, or those enrolled in a multi-campus program.  No graduate student from another UC campus is permitted to begin an appointment that has not met all of the applicable academic criteria and completed the process outlined below:

  • Written approval from the student’s home department.
  • Written approval from the home campus and UCI Graduate Division.
  • Verification that the graduate student has registered and paid appropriate fees at the home campus is required prior to commencement of employment at UCI.

Verification that student meets UCI academic criteria (see Academic Student Employee Titles (ASEs)

  • Submission of an exception request, if appropriate
  1. Taxation of Student Wages

Compensation or wages for a Graduate Student Researcher, Graduate Student Assistant Researcher, Teaching Assistant, Teaching Associate (Associate In), Reader, and Tutor are paid through the University payroll system and are subject to federal and state tax withholding. 

  1. Academic Credit for Supervised University Teaching

For academic units that appoint graduate student Teaching Assistants, the Registrar has assigned appropriate course codes and listed a 399 course titled “University Teaching” in the Schedule of Classes.  Although use of such a course is not required, it is recommended that graduate students who engage in supervised University teaching (under the supervision of a member of the UCI faculty) enroll for one to four units of 399 credit per quarter only when this activity is part of the student’s training. All University Teaching (399) courses are graded on a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis only. Grades cannot be used to evaluate or discipline teaching assistants on their employment.

  1. Volunteers & Other Titles

Students performing the duties of an ASE (Academic Student Employee) must be appropriately appointed in an ASE title and compensated through the Irvine payroll system for their time and effort.  Students may not perform ASE duties while appointed in other academic or staff titles, or as volunteers.  Additionally, the stipend from a fellowship may not be used as a substitute for salary for an academic appointment.