L&S Standard Rates for Short-term Instructional Staff (STS) and Student Assistants

Units are expected to follow these standards unless an exception is reviewed and approved by L&S Human Resources.

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Effective Dates

Please note that the effective date for rate changes depends on the compensation basis of the position/appointment. The following effective dates apply to Short-Term Staff (STS), Lecturer Student Assistants (LSAs), and Graduate Student Assistants (SAs). 

Rate effective dates for 2026-2027

Short-Term Instructional Staff (STS)

Definition and Use

Short-Term Instructional Staff (STS) are temporary academic staff employees hired to perform instructional duties on a fixed-term basis. STS appointments are commonly used for:

• Teaching courses (primary instructor of record)
• Guest instruction or short-duration teaching needs
• Covering instructional gaps (e.g., leave replacement)
• Specialized or non-recurring instructional offerings

STS appointments are not intended for ongoing instructional roles that should instead be filled through longer-term academic staff or faculty appointments.

Standard Instructional Rates

The standard rates for STS in L&S are listed below. L&S Human Resources evaluates each appointment to determine the appropriate rate at the time of the offer.

L&S maintains standard compensation ranges for instructional academic staff titles to promote consistency and equity across departments.

Academic Staff Rates

Student Assistants

Definition and Use

Student Assistant (SA) is an employee category at the University of Wisconsin for UW-Madison graduate students. These titles are used for students who:

• Hold a fellowship, scholarship, or traineeship.
• Have an appointment primarily intended for education and training.
• Assist with research, academic programs, or projects.
• Have teaching responsibilities under faculty supervision.

SA Titles:

• Advanced Opportunity Fellow (AOF) SA001
• Fellow SA002
• Lecturer (LSA) SA004
• Project Assistant (PA) SA006
• Project Assistant - Grader/Reader (PA-G/R) SA008
• Research Assistant (RA) SA009
• Teaching Assistant (TA) SA011
• Trainee SA013
• Undergraduate Assistant SA014 
• Scholar SA010

While graduate students may be employed as Student Assistants, their primary role at UW-Madison is to complete their education

Standard Rates

The compensation rates for Student Assistant appointments at UW–Madison are published online to provide transparency and support informed decision-making for prospective graduate students:

Graduate Student Assistants – UW–Madison

• These rates help students compare UW–Madison’s compensation with other U.S. graduate programs.
• When combined with cost-of-living data, this information helps students evaluate the financial support they can expect while pursuing a graduate degree.
• The rates of Student Assistantship appointments for each graduate program at UW-Madison are noted on the Graduate School Graduate Assistantships webpage.
• Graduate School: Assistantships Stipend Minimums and Rates by Program/Department Policy UW-1238

How Rates are Reported and Used

• Rates are listed based on a 50% Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) to align with standard reporting practices across U.S. institutions.
• For hiring purposes, the actual compensation is calculated by doubling the 50% rate to reflect a 100% FTE. Example RA Compensation in the table below

• The campus sets minimum compensation rates annually.
• The College of Letters & Science may request higher rates than the campus minimum.
• Graduate programs may also increase rates above the minimum to remain competitive in recruiting top students.
• The Graduate School centrally reviews, approves, and publishes these rates annually (based on 50% FTE).

2026-2027 Yearly L&S Student Assistant Rates: listed at 100%
2026-2027 Yearly Graduate Student Assistant Program Rates: listed at 50%

2025-2026 Yearly L&S Student Assistant Rates: listed at 100%
2025-2026 Yearly Graduate Student Assistant Program Rates: listed at 50%

Pay Rate Determination by Job Title

Research Assistants (RA): 
Paid according to the rate set by their academic home department, regardless of where they are employed on campus; this ensures equity among all RAs within the same graduate program. To verify a student’s academic home department, refer to the SIS (Student Information System). Example: A Physics graduate student working in the Math department is still paid the Physics program RA rate.

Teaching Assistants (TA): 
Paid according to the rate set by the employing department, not the academic home department.

Project Assistant - Grader / Reader

Project Assistant (SA006)

Research Assistant (SA009)

Teaching Assistant (SA011)

Contacts for L&S Administration

• L&S Teaching, Learning, and Academic Planning
  • Shirin Malekpour, Associate Dean for Teaching and Academic Planning
  • Lynn Prost, Assistant Dean for Graduate Affairs
  • Rob Schultz, Instructional Program Manager for Teaching, Learning, and Academic Planning
• L&S Human Resources
  • hrstaff@ls.wisc.edu
  • studentplu@ls.wisc.edu