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Student Employee Benefits

As a student employee of the university, you may be eligible for certain kinds of benefits. The charts on this page outline some of the benefits that may be available to you, depending on your student job title. Additional eligibility requirements, such as those explained in the notes to the charts, may apply.   If you’re not sure what your job title is, ask your supervisor or the HR representative in the department where you work.

If you’re a graduate student academic employee who qualifies for the university’s employee insurance benefits, more information is available on the Insurance and Benefits page.

Benefits Eligibility for Student Employees

This chart outlines the benefits that may be available to student employees based on their employment in a position requiring student status (“student-status job”):

Student-Status Job Benefits

Benefit Student Academic Titles Student Non-Academic Titles
  Teaching Assistants
(Graduate academic title)
Assistant Instructors
(Graduate academic title)
Graduate Research Assistants
(Graduate academic title)

Academic Assistants, Assistants, Tutors
(Graduate academic title)

Undergraduate Research Assistants
(Undergraduate academic title)
Assistants, Tutors
(Undergraduate academic title)
 
Tuition assistance1 Part of compensation Part of compensation Not eligible Not eligible Not eligible Not eligible Not eligible
Tuition remission2 May be available at department discretion May be available at department discretion Encouraged, directed in some cases May be available at department discretion May be available at department discretion May be available at department discretion May be available at department discretion
Resident (in-state) tuition3 Eligible Eligible Eligible Eligible Eligible Eligible Not eligible

Notes:
1. Teaching Assistants and Assistant Instructors receive tuition assistance as part of their compensation if they are appointed at least 10 hours per week in a long session and at least 20 hours per week in a summer session. The benefit amount is indexed to the number of hours of the appointment. Financial support for tuition assistance generally is provided by the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost. If the student’s tuition bill has been paid in full from other sources prior to payroll processing, the full tuition benefit amount, less employment taxes, will be paid directly to the student. Details of the tuition assistance process are available from the Graduate School.

2. Tuition remission is departmental payment of all or a portion of a student’s tuition bill. This payment is applied directly to the tuition bill. The student does not receive any funds directly. Departments are encouraged to provide tuition remission for Graduate Research Assistants and are directed to include payments for tuition remission in grant proposals and contracts whenever possible. A university Policy Memorandum applies to tuition paid from federally funded projects.

3. To qualify for a resident (in-state) tuition entitlement, a student must work in an academic student title at least 20 hours per week, be appointed monthly (not hourly), and be appointed on or before the 12th class day through the last class day for a long semester or on or before the 4th class day through the last class day for one six week period of the summer semester. The position also must relate to the student’s degree program.

This chart outlines the eligibility of student employees working in student-status jobs for general staff benefits:

Staff Benefits

Benefit Student Academic Titles Student Non-Academic
Titles
  Teaching Assistants
(Graduate academic title)
Assistant Instructors
(Graduate academic title)
Graduate Research Assistants
(Graduate academic title)
Academic Assistants, Assistants, Tutors
(Graduate academic title)
Undergraduate Research Assistants
(Undergraduate academic title)
Assistants, Tutors
(Undergraduate academic title)
 
Employee insurance benefits1 Eligible Eligible Eligible Eligible Not eligible Not eligible Not eligible
Paid annual leave Not eligible Not eligible Not eligible Not eligible Not eligible Not eligible Not eligible
Paid sick leave Not eligible Not eligible Not eligible Not eligible Not eligible Not eligible Not eligible
Paid holiday leave Not eligible Not eligible Not eligible Not eligible Not eligible Not eligible Not eligible
Teacher Retirement System / Optional Retirement Program Not eligible Not eligible Not eligible Not eligible Not eligible Not eligible Not eligible
Voluntary Retirement Programs Eligible Eligible Eligible Eligible Eligible Eligible Eligible
Leave without pay Not eligible Not eligible Not eligible Not eligible Not eligible Not eligible Not eligible
State service credit Eligible Eligible Eligible Eligible Eligible Eligible Eligible

Notes:
1. To be eligible for employee insurance benefits, a student must be appointed in a graduate-student academic title for at least 20 hours a week for at least 4.5 months. Special summer coverage rules apply.