L&S Summer Budget Proposals

This document provides technical instructions for completing the Summer Budget Proposal spreadsheet in the College of Letters & Science. Updated September 16, 2025.

Updates for Summer 2027

  • Fringe rates used in the 2027 Summer Budget Proposal Exercise are based on the current approved Research and Sponsored Programs (RSP) rates. These rates are estimates based on FY 2026 values and may change before Summer Term 2027. 

  • Summer 2027 Paid Credit Value - $300 : Departments will receive $300 as revenue per paid credit. This is a change from $350 last year. Revenue per paid credit is periodically reviewed by the Associate Dean for Innovation and Strategic Budgeting and updated on trends in enrollment and revenue generation.

Summer Budget Proposal

Download & instructions

Deadline: Thursday, October 15, 2026 (end of day) 

Download the Summer 2026 Budget Proposal Spreadsheet

Review final paid credits per course from your 2026 Final Financial Report. 

Consider using this as your enrollment if you plan to offer the course again. Adjusting this enrollment estimate based on expected changes is okay, but TLA recommends using 2026 paid credit levels for courses that are not expected to experience large enrollment shifts for 2027. 

Complete the spreadsheet.

It may be helpful to review your department’s submissions from previous summers in your 48-#### Summer Sessions folder on Box. Due to changes to the Summer 2026 Budget Proposal Spreadsheet, do not directly copy and paste information from previous versions of the spreadsheet. 

  1. Complete the list of courses on the Course Input page first. 

    1. Note that Summer Term Chair has been added by default. In general, departments must have a Summer Term Chair for Summer. If your department will not have a Summer Term Chair please note that in the "Additional Course info" column on the Course Input page.

  2. Add appointments for instructional staff, summer term chair and TAs to the Instructional Salaries worksheet.

  3. Update the Other Expenses worksheet with related summer expenses (grader/readers, student hourlies, supplies & expenses).

Review Revenue Projections on the Financial Summary worksheet.

Submit completed spreadsheet by uploading to your Summer Sessions folder on Box ([Department Name] - Summer Sessions) by end of day on Thursday, October 15, 2026.  

Next steps:

See below for information on initial approvals and making changes

Get Help:

1. Course Input

  • Enter department name and summer term contacts (including Summer Term Chair, if known) at the top of the worksheet.
    • Summer contacts will be added to a google group for L&S Summer emails.
  • Enter the courses your department will offer in summer.
  • See Summer Course Guidance in L&S for recommended sessions & strategies.
List of Courses

Department Name

(top of sheet, cell B3)
  • Enter this first. All active courses for the department are populated into the dropdown in the ‘Course or expense category’ column based on this cell.
Course or expense category
  • Add all summer courses to this list.
    • Active courses for departments are filled in the dropdown based on the Department Name (cell B3). The dropdown is sorted to show courses that have been scheduled in previous summers first, then other active courses. 
    • List all summer courses, including those that are not part of the summer budget model (e.g., professional masters or capstone programs).
    • Courses offered multiple times in summer should be entered separately for each course (e.g., topics courses). 
    • For courses with multiple sections: you may enter them as one “summed” row or a row per section, based on how you wish them to appear in the reporting. (If separately, add the section number or topic title to the title in the “Additional Course info” field.)
    • If a course is missing from the dropdown, it can be typed into the worksheet.
  • Enter other expenses costed on the Summer Sessions Program. These expense categories do not appear in the dropdown. They should be typed into the worksheet.
    • Summer Term Chair has been added by default.
Additional Course info (if needed)
  • Enter topics and/or section numbers for courses. 
  • If a course is listed multiple times in the ‘Course or expense category’ column, always enter information in this column to distinguish the courses.
Instruction Mode
  • Select from the following options
    • Classroom
    • Online only
    • Online (some classroom)
    • Use 'n/a' for non-instructional entries like Summer Term Chair
Session
Session dates
  • Shows the dates that the course will run (does not include prep week that may be part of an appointment).
  • Do not change values in this column. 
  • These dates are calculated based on the session date selected. 
TLA Session Date Review
  • Based on Session Code selected in Session column.
  • TLA review is required for Session Dates ending after 8/8/27.
  • Sessions beginning before 5/17/27 are unavailable for Summer Term (any Session Code beginning with Y).
Estimated Enrollment
  • Indicate the overall planned capacity for the course.
Credit Hours
  • List the course’s credit hours.
Estimated Paid Credits

2. Salaries

  • This sheet references the list of courses from the Course Input worksheet.
  • This sheet lists planned appointments for instructors, chairs and TAs.
  • Summer Term Chair appointment has been added by default.
  • Directions

    • Columns describing appointments are filled with default values based on the session entered on the Course Input sheet. These values can be edited if needed. 

    • Columns labeled Calculated Values should not be edited. These values are calculated based on other information entered in the spreadsheet.
    • The 'Session Code' field is only shown on this sheet for reference; update this value on the Course Input sheet.
    • There are fields that will populate with default appointment values for a three credit course (Appt %, Appt Start, Appt End). These fields are not locked against editing, please modify as needed.

Faculty, Academic Staff and Lecturer (SA) Appointments

  • Add details planned instructor and chair appointments to this table.
Fields entered by the department
Course / Expense category
  • This is a drop down column and is populated by the courses and expense categories on the Course Input sheet.
  • Only enter options from the dropdown. If a course is missing from the dropdown, go back to the Course Input sheet and enter it there.
  • Include other summer sessions appointments even if they aren't directly linked to a course (e.g., Summer Chair). These appointments need a matching entry on the Course Input sheet.
Funding
  • Select from dropdown:
    • Summer Sessions
    • Other
  • Summer Sessions is the default funding funding for summer instructional sessions. Summer Sessions in the Summer Budget Proposal refers exclusively to this funding.
Title (use drop-down), Employee ID, and Employee Name
  • Add Title, Employee ID, and Employee Name if known.
  • Title is a drop-down field. If a title is not listed in the drop-down list, it can be typed into the field.
  • If you do not yet know who will fill the position, enter TBD in these fields. 
Pay Account (use drop-down)
  • Select pay account used for position. 
  • Drop-down options:
    • Summer
      • 9-month / S-basis appointments
    • Annual
      • Annual / A-basis appointments
    • Lump Sum
Salary Base Rate / Lump Sum
  • List the full-time, 9-month rate.
    • List current rates when possible.
    • If the rate is unknown, make an educated estimate or list a standard STS rate.
Fields populated by the spreadsheet; modify if needed
Appt %
  • Planned appointment percentage.
  • This field will populate with the standard percentage level for a three credit course. This is based on the session selected for the course. This field may be modified as needed.
  • Appointment levels - Instructors
  • This field will display N/A for Annual (Teaching Load) or Lump Sum positions.
Appt Start
  • Start date of the appointment; this is typically one week before the start of the course session.
  • This field will populate with the standard appointment start date, based on the session selected for the course.
  • This is a dropdown field, and a different start date may be selected if needed.
Appt End
  • End date of the appointment; this typically matches the end date of the course's session.
  • This field will populate with the standard appointment end date, based on the session selected for the course.
  • This is a dropdown field, and a different end date may be selected if needed.
Fields calculated by the spreadsheet; do not modify

Session
  • For reference only; this pulls the session code from the Course Input sheet.
Salary
  • The salary column is calculated based on the following fields:
    • Base Rate
    • Appt %
    • Appt Start
    • Appt End
Salary w/ Fringe
  • This field is the Salary column plus the current fringe estimate. Note Lecturer (Student Assistants) have a different fringe than Faculty and Academic Staff instructors. These different fringes are estimated based on the Title. If the Title is 'TBD', fringe for Faculty and Academic Staff will be used.
  • This value is used for the Financial Summary sheet.

Teaching Assistants

  • Add planned TA appointments to this table.
Fields entered by the department
Course
  • This is a drop down column and is populated by the courses on the Course Input sheet.
  • Only enter options from the dropdown. If a course is missing from the dropdown, go back to the Course Input sheet and enter it there.
Funding
  • Select from dropdown:
    • Summer Sessions
    • Other

  • Summer Sessions is the default funding funding for summer instructional sessions. Summer Sessions in the Summer Budget Proposal refers exclusively to this funding.
# of TA's
  • Enter anticipated number of TA's (headcount) for the course.
Pay Account (use dropdown)
  • Select pay account used for position. 
  • Dropdown options:
    • Summer
      • 9-month / S-basis appointments
    • Lump Sum
      • This option should generally not be used for TA's
TA Base Rate
  • List the full-time, 9-month rate, for each course's Teaching Assistants.
  • Base rate for most: $61,228
  • L&S Standard Rates
Fields populated by the spreadsheet; modify if needed
Appt %
  • Planned appointment percentage.
  • TAs are often appointed at similar levels to instructors, so this field will populate with the standard percentage level for a three credit course. This is based on the session selected for the course. TA appointments are based on hours, so please modify this value as needed.
  • Appointment levels - Teaching Assistants
Appt Start
  • Start date of the appointment; this is typically one week before the start of the course session.
  • This field will populate with the standard appointment start date, based on the session selected for the course.
  • This is a dropdown field, and a different start date may be selected if needed.
Appt End
  • End date of the appointment; this typically matches the end date of the course's session.
  • This field will populate with the standard appointment end date, based on the session selected for the course.
  • This is a dropdown field, and a different end date may be selected if needed.
Fields calculated by the spreadsheet; do not modify

Session
  • For reference only; this pulls the session code from the Course Input sheet.
Salary
  • The salary column is calculated based on the following fields:
    • # of TAs
    • TA Base Rate
    • Appt %
    • Appt Start
    • Appt End
Salary w/ Fringe

3. Other Expenses

  • This page lists less common expenses paid on Summer Sessions Program (131 funding).
  • This sheet references the list of courses from the Course Input page.

Grader / Readers

Fields entered by the department
Course
  • This is a drop down column and is populated by the courses on the Course Input sheet.
Funding
  • Default funding = Summer Sessions
  • Select "Other" if using any other worktag driver.
Enter # of Hours
  • Estimate the number of reader hours needed for the course.
Fields calculated by the spreadsheet; do not modify
Cost
Cost w/ Fringe

Student Hourlies

Fields entered by the department
Course
  • This is a drop down column and is populated by the courses on the Course Input sheet.
Funding
  • Default funding = Summer Sessions
  • Select "Other" if using any other worktag driver.

Enter Est. Student Hourly Costs
  • Provide an overall estimate of the amount of student hourly salary for this course.
Fields calculated by the spreadsheet; do not modify
Cost w/ Fringe
  • This field is the Cost column plus a fringe estimate.
  • This value is used for the Financial Summary sheet.

Supplies & Expenses

  • Supplies and expense support with summer term is provided only for expenses directly related to the offering of a particular course (e.g., field trip expenses, lab supplies).
Fields entered by the department
Course
  • This is a drop down column and is populated by the courses on the Course Input sheet.
Funding
  • Default funding = Summer Sessions
  • Select "Other" if using any other worktag driver.
Explanation
  • Provide a brief description of the expense. E.g., lab supplies.
Enter Est. S&E Cost
  • Provide an overall estimate of the cost.

4. Financial Summary

The entire Financial Summary sheet is automatically populated based on information from the Course Input, Salaries and Other Expenses sheets. No information is entered directly on this sheet.

This sheet calculates the overall surplus estimate for the department. It also shows the estimated contribution of each course to department surplus, along with the paid credits needed for the course to break even. See Summer Budget Model Definitions for an explanation of Paid Credits.

Financial Summary fields

The following fields are pulled from the 'Course Input' page:

  • Course Number and Name
  • Instruction Mode
  • Est Enrollment
  • Credit Range
  • Estimated Paid Credits

The following are calculated fields:

Financial Summary
Estimated Costs to Summer Sessions

This column sums the estimated costs for each course, as listed on the Salaries and Other Expenses pages. This field only sums costs where funding equals 'Summer Sessions'.
Estimated Revenue

'Estimated Paid Credits' figure multiplied by $300.
Paid Credits Needed for Positive Course Contribution

This figure shows the number of paid credits needed for the course to break even:

'Estimated Costs to Summer Sessions' divided by 300'
Salaries or Expenses reported for course?

This field helps departments ensure they have entered salary/expense details for courses they plan to offer. Courses that lack salaries or expenses will show a red X and should be double-checked.

If any salaries or expenses were reported, the field will show a green check mark.
Estimated Surplus

This figure shows the surplus per course. The total listed in this column equals the overall surplus estimate for the department.

'Estimated Revenue' minus 'Estimated Costs to Summer Sessions'

5. Summer Session Codes

Session Codes
Code Three digit session code used in SIS.
Course Start Session start date
Course End Session end date
Appt Start Default appointment start date; typically one week before the session start date.
Appt End Default appointment end date; typically matches the session end date.
Course Weeks Number of course session weeks.
Standard appt level, 3 credit course Standard appointment percentage for a three credit course for the given session.

Next steps

Initial Approvals

The following approval documents will be sent via Box in mid-November:

  • Expense Details report - L&S - This report contains specific details for instructors, student appointments, and supplies & expenses.
  • Initial Financial Report - This report creates a surplus estimate for the department, based on estimated paid credits and planned expenses.

These initial approvals will be sent ahead of the curricular update deadline (11/13/26). Departments should enter their summer courses into SIS ahead of receiving the formal approval from L&S. 

Changes to summer plans

Changes to summer plans
Changes after the initial exercise
Canceling summer courses

Primary Contacts for L&S Administration

  • L&S Teaching, Learning, and Academic Planning 
    • Rob Schultz, Instructional Program Manager for Teaching, Learning, and Academic Planning
    • Cathy Yu, Administrative Assistant for Teaching, Learning, and Academic Planning
  • L&S Budget Office

See Also


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Doc ID:
85475
Owned by:
Rob S. in L&S KB
Created:
2018-09-06
Updated:
2026-09-17
Sites:
L&S KB
Clean URL:
https://kb.wisc.edu/wiscel/summerproposals