Academic Staff (AS): This is a professional and administrative employee whose duties are exempt from the overtime provisions of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and who performs work that is primarily associated with a higher education institution or its administration.

Employee-in-Training (ET): This is someone who is not a matriculated student and is appointed primarily to pursue advanced study or research, usually at the postdoctoral level. There are several subcategories of an employee-in-training:

• Postdoctoral Research Associate (ET1 or PD012): This is someone whose primary focus is research or training after their doctoral studies. Their funding typically comes from a research grant. If supplemental to a Postdoctoral Fellow or Trainee position, the combined appointments cannot be greater than 133%.
• Postdoctoral Fellow (ET2 or PD003) or Trainee (ET2 or PD004): This is someone whose primary focus is their own research after earning their doctorate. Their funding source comes from either a fellowship or traineeship. 
• Postgraduate Trainee (ET3 or PD007-PD011): This someone whose primary focus primary focus is postgraduate training after their doctorate. 
• Research Intern (ET3 or PD013): This is someone without a doctorate whose primary focus is their own research or training after their bachelor's or master's degree. 
• Intern (Non-Physician) (ET3 or PD002): This is a rare position. 
• Graduate Intern or Trainee (ET4 or PD001): This an enrolled student without a doctorate who is serving a required internship.

Faculty (FA): This is someone who holds the rank of professor, associate professor, assistant professor, or instructor in an academic department or its functional equivalent in UW-Madison, as outlined in UW-Madison Faculty Policies and Procedures (FPP). Their codes may be FA020, FA030, FA040, or FA050.

Limited Appointee (LI): This is an appointee to a designated administrative position, the holder of which serves at the discretion of the authorized official who made the appointment. Certain positions must be designated as limited appointments under Wis. Stat. §§ 36.17(2), while the appointing authority may designate other positions as limited appointments at the time of appointment.

Pre-Doctoral Student Assistant (SA): These are graduate students who hold meet one or more of the following criteria:

• They hold a fellowship, scholarship, or traineeship. 
• They hold an appointment that is intended primarily to further their education and training.
• They are employed to assist with research training or other academic programs or projects and/or have been assigned teaching responsibilities in an instructional department under the supervision of a faculty member.
• Note: Domestic students can hold appointments up to a maximum of 75% FTE while foreign nationals can hold appointments up to a maximum of 50%.

Additionally, Student Assistant titles are available to undergraduate students when no qualified graduate student is available to perform a function that would normally be assigned to graduate students (e.g., Undergraduate Assistant requires advance approval of the dean), or when the terms of a supporting grant or contract preclude the use of other normally appropriate titles (e.g., Undergraduate Intern).

There are several subcategories of a student assistant:

• Advanced Opportunity Fellow (SA1 or SA001)
• Fellow (SA1 or SA002)
• Scholar (SA1 or SA010)
• Trainee (SA1 or SA013)
• Research Assistant (RA) (SA2 or SA009): The maximum appointment for this position is 50%.
• Undergraduate Assistant (SA4 or SA014)
• Program Assistant (Grader/Reader) (SA5 or SA007)
• Project Assistant (Grader/Reader) (SA5 or SA008)
• Program or Project Assistant (PA) (SA5, SA005, or SA006)
• Teaching Assistant or Senior Teaching Assistant (TA) (SA5, SA011, or SA012)
• Undergraduate Intern (SA6 or SA015)
• Lecturer (SA) (SA004): This is an enrolled student who, usually, has yet to earn their doctorate. 
• Graduate Assistant (SA023)
• Housefellow or Resident Assistant (SA003)

Student Hourly (SH): These are student workers who provide part-time and/or temporary administrative, clerical, laborer, technical, or other general support to UW-Madison faculty and staff. Student hourly workers meet the eligibility requirements below:

1. The individual's position must be incidental to the individual's purpose or presence at the institution as a student. In other words, the individual's presence on campus is primarily to be a student, not an employee. It is not permissible to hire a person as a Student Hourly if the student is taking credits merely to be eligible for student hourly employment. This is a judgment that needs to be made by the employing unit. Factors to consider when making this decision include whether the individual is taking courses for credit, whether the individual is working towards a degree, and whether the individual has a pattern of taking less than a half-time load.
2. The individual must be enrolled for academic credit at an educational institution. An educational institution is defined as:
   1. an accredited institution of higher learning granting associate degrees or higher;
   2. a technical college;
   3. a vocational or trade school; or
   4. a high school.

University Staff (US): This is an employee who is non-exempt from the overtime provisions of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and therefore is eligible to receive overtime for all hours worked over forty in a pay period. University Staff appointments may be ongoing or Fixed-term Finite. This also includes formerly known Classified Permanent, Project, and Limited.

• Escalations for questions regarding eligibility:
  • Should be classified as:
    • US-PM Software
    • Service: Computers, Hardware & Software
    • Category: Campus Software Library (CSL)
    • Subcategory: Access/Login Issue
  • For ALL incidents, gather the following minimum required information:
    • Clear, detailed description of the problem
    • Complete customer contact information, including UW-Madison NetID.
    • Any recent changes to customer's status with UW-Madison.

Internal Notes

Where to Find Employee Category Code