A. Assistantship Policies

The various departments of the University appoint students as teaching (TA), research (RA), pre-professional graduate (PGA) or graduate assistants (GA). Academic Human Resources has defined the duties associated with each type of assistantship.

To receive and hold an assistantship, a student must be in good standing (III.B.3).

Individuals may not receive an assistantship prior to the admission term. If a unit has an interest in providing a summer assistantship to a person admitted for fall, the unit must recode the application to indicate summer as the term of admission.

Students admitted for summer term who receive assistantships must register.

In the fall and spring terms, students receiving assistantships must be registered for the semesters of appointment. If a student receives a summer assistantship (the period between May 16 and August 15), and the student was registered for the immediately preceding spring semester or has registered for the following fall semester, the campus policy does not require the student to register for the summer term. However, the student’s department may require the student to register in summer. See chapter VII.D.1. for more information about assistantship waivers.

Summer assistantships cannot be offered to students who have graduated in May, unless the student successfully petitioned to continue in another program, and is enrolled for the summer or upcoming fall semester.
International students can receive a maximum of a 50% assistantship per government regulations, and should check with ISSS for additional rules.

1. English Proficiency for Teaching Assistants:
   Illinois law requires that all instructors at the University of Illinois be orally proficient in English. Campus has established a minimum acceptable score for approved English proficiency exams that is required of all non-native speakers of English serving in instructional roles. There are no exceptions. This means that students applying for teaching assistantships in foreign language programs are not eligible to seek an exemption from the requirement for demonstrated English proficiency. Some campus units may require higher scores. In addition, campus policy requires those who pass the proficiency exam to attend the Graduate Academy for College Teaching and have their classroom teaching monitored closely by their departments during the semesters in which they teach. Additional information may be obtained from the Center for Teaching Excellence.
    
2. Hours of Work:
   All assistantship appointments must be processed to reflect the actual percentage and length of time the employee works. The appointment level is based on the appointing unit’s determination of the amount of time it should normally take to perform the assigned duties over the full appointment period including orientation and training. Hours of work are separate and distinct from the time required for an assistant’s own academic course work.
    
3. Stipends:
   The University establishes a campus minimum stipend for assistants and the terms of the GEO Agreement (PDF) with the University sets the minimum for represented assistants. Units may pay above the minimum, and stipend amounts vary from unit to unit. Assistantship stipends are taxable, and state and federal taxes are withheld from stipends. Assistants whose enrollment is deemed to be less than half time (4 hours in this situation) will also have Federal Insurance Contributions Act tax (i.e., the Social Security and Medicare deductions) withheld from their stipends.
    
4. Employment Leaves:
   Assistants are eligible for holidays, sick leave, parental and bereavement leave. See graduate employee information posted on the AHR site for full information. Assistants who are appointed on a twelve-month basis are entitled to University holidays and are eligible for 24 vacation days at the percentage of their appointment, with a maximum accumulation of 48 workdays at the percentage of their appointment. Questions about leave policies should be directed to the Office of Academic Human Resources at 333-6747 or 807 South Wright Street, Room 420.
    
5. Teaching of Graduate Level Courses:
   Teaching assistants may not, either intentionally or by default, be given sole responsibility for instruction of courses or sections of courses at the 400- or 500- levels or for the assignment of final grades in such courses (except 400-level course sections in which enrollment is limited to undergraduates). Teaching assistants may only assist the responsible instructor in grading, laboratory supervision, and similar activities for courses at the 400- or 500-level. Infrequent lecturing is permissible. Exceptions are rarely granted. Departments requesting an exception must provide the dean of the Graduate College with a letter explaining the special circumstances that justify the exception, including the qualifications (expertise in subject, nearness of date on which the doctorate is expected, and so forth) of the student who is proposed as the teacher. Sometimes it is possible for the department to appoint the student as lecturer or instructor. A student is not allowed to enroll in a course in which he or she is a teaching assistant.
    
6. Renewal, Resignation, Graduation, and Termination of Appointments:
   Assistantships are ordinarily assigned on a semester-by-semester or year-by-year basis. An appointment remains in effect only if the student maintains good academic standing, makes satisfactory academic progress, and provides satisfactory service. Assistants are eligible for reappointment at the sole discretion of the unit based on past performance of the assistant, availability of funds and the determination of the need for services. Departments are encouraged to communicate with assistants concerning plans or prospects for new appointments. Departments have differing policies on the length of time students may hold assistantships and sometimes limit the total number of semesters an assistant may serve. Many departments require that teaching assistants obtain and maintain certain teaching standards in order for their assistantships to be renewed. It is essential for the student to be aware of his or her department's policy and to plan accordingly.

   A student who resigns an assistantship appointment or whose appointment is canceled before service is rendered for at least three-fourths of the term (91 days during a spring or fall semester and 41 days in summer term) loses the accompanying tuition and fee waiver. This means that the student would be required to pay the full amount of appropriate tuition and fees for that term. There are two exceptions. The waiver remains in effect if the student withdraws from the University (see chapter VII.C) on or before the last day of the assistantship appointment, or resigns from the assistantship and then completes all degree requirements for graduation within seven calendar days of the resignation.

   Effective spring 2008, students with assistantship appointments (RA, TA, GA PPGA) are eligible to hold their assistantships through the end of the semester in which they deposit if that or a later date was the end date of the appointment when offered and accepted.  For example, a student with a spring appointment processed to end May 15 may hold the assistantship through May 15, even if the student deposited the thesis anytime between January 1 and May 15.  This does not obligate the student to continue the assistantship, and the campus policy permits students to resign their assistantships and retain their waivers, if they complete all degree requirements for graduation within seven calendar days of the resignation, as detailed in the paragraph above.  For students with academic year assistantship appointments, their assistantship would end at the end of the semester in which they deposit and may not continue into the next semester.

   An assistantship appointment may be terminated during the term of the appointment if the assistant is no longer registered, is no longer making satisfactory progress, or substantially fails to perform assigned responsibilities. The assistant must be provided with written notice and an opportunity to respond to the department head prior to termination.  For more information about procedures for terminating an assistantship appointment, see Graduate Student Assistantship Conflict Mediation and Appointment Termination. Assistants with questions about their appointments and benefits may contact the Office of Academic Human Resources. Teaching assistants and graduate assistants may also consult the GEO Agreement with the University of Illinois (PDF).