Graduate Assistantship Appointments and Rate-Setting Policy
The graduate assistant rate-setting process is as follows:
- After approval by the Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration, the Dean of the Graduate School sets minimum 50% TA, PA, RA, PA grader/reader, and University Fellowship, Advanced Opportunity Fellowship, and Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellowship rates for the next fiscal year.
- The Dean of the Graduate School announces these rates and requires programs to submit their rates to the Graduate School for approval by a specified date.
- Programs must have their rates approved by their school or college prior to reporting them to the Graduate School.
- Rates must be consistent with Graduate School policies on maximum levels of appointment and concurrent appointments.
- Graduate students must be paid the RA rate associated with the academic program in which they are enrolled. If a graduate student is appointed as an RA in a different program, they are paid at the rate associated with their academic program home.
- Any unit that employs PAs and pays them a rate above the campus minimum must report their rate to the Graduate School’s Fellowship Director. This requirement applies to all units that do not participate in the general rate-setting exercise.
- All faculty and PIs must pay the approved program rate.
- Programs are strongly encouraged to set all RA and PA appointments at 50% in order to allow students to compare funding offers from other universities.
- Programs are highly encouraged to provide written offers of 4- or 5-year funding packages to all PhD students.