In light of OSU’s current budget environment, 2010-11 recommended graduate assistant stipend levels have not been increased over 2009-10 rates. Departments and programs are encouraged to build increases into their graduate assistant stipends as budgets permit. Graduate assistants are exempt from the current salary freeze and are not to be subject to furlough.
Appointments of graduate teaching assistants typically are computed on the basis of an academic year (9 months). Appointments of graduate research assistants typically are computed on the basis of a fiscal year (12 months). In each instance, an appointment may be for a portion or all of the 9- or 12-month period. No appointment can be for less than 0.20 FTE or more than 0.49 FTE for any academic term.
All graduate assistants are required to be enrolled for a minimum of 12 credits each term of their appointment during the academic year (9 credits during summer session) to be eligible for the graduate assistantship stipend, tuition remission, and an 85% graduate assistant-only health insurance premium subsidy. Audit registrations, course withdrawals, and INTO-OSU E-campus course work may not be used to satisfy the 12-credit enrollment requirements. Please also note thatgraduate assistant tuition remission may not be applied to INTO-OSU and/or E-campus tuition charges.
Graduate assistants not performing service are required to perform duties at OSU to justify their stipends. For example, graduate assistants on 0.30 FTE appointments are expected to provide effort of 156 hours during each 13-week term of their appointment. Graduate assistants at other FTE levels are expected to provide proportional levels of effort. Since graduate research assistants ordinarily use research under their appointment as part of a thesis, separating work for which they are paid and work for their thesis is not an easy task. Therefore, it may be appropriate to spend more hours per week on research activities when they are related to the student's thesis. In any case, care should be taken to assure that the level of effort is commensurate with the level of FTE for both graduate teaching and graduate research assistants.
Although tuition remission accompanies an assistantship and enhances the value of the appointment to the student, the tuition remission is not a part of the stipend. The tuition remission per se is not to be considered in determining the hours of service required of the assistant.
Departments are required to articulate in each graduate assistant’s letter of offer the details of the appointment (e.g., contract start and end dates, FTE, monthly stipend/salary, tuition remission); highlight information concerning the mandatory graduate assistant health insurance plan; and outline expectations regarding specific work assignments and work schedules. Model appointment letters are available on the Office of Human Resources web site. Specification of these details at the onset diminishes the potential for miscommunication later and is good practice.
As specified in the OSU Tuition Remission Policy, only academic units may award tuition remissions. Administrative units may award tuition remissions indirectly by supplying associated stipend dollars to an academic unit to be used to recruit an eligible graduate student.
The OSU Tuition Remission Policy defines academic units as "all academic Colleges including the Graduate School and interdisciplinary degree programs reporting to the Dean of the Graduate School."
Administrative units may continue to use graduate assistants, but they must do so by coupling their stipend funds to a tuition remission by partnering with an academic unit/program.
Intent of Policy
Graduate assistant tuition remissions are used as part of financial packages to recruit and retain academically superior
graduate students to OSU. To maximize the use of graduate tuition remission resources, only academic programs may
determine the quality and competitiveness of graduate students to be recruited to OSU.
Guidelines for Administrative and Academic Unit Partnerships
To achieve policy objectives, an administrative unit is required to collaborate with an academic unit prior to the
beginning of the graduate assistant hiring process. The following describes the steps required to engage in
administrative and academic unit partnerships for the purpose of hiring graduate assistants:
Note: All academic units as defined above have full authority to extend offers and process graduate assistantship appointments regardless of the program of enrollment of the appointee. Academic units are encouraged to consult with the student’s academic home to ensure he/she has been admitted and his/her academic progress warrants the appointment.
The following represents an agreement between Oregon State University, University of Oregon, Portland State University and Western Oregon University regarding the employment of graduate students. OUS graduate students employed as graduate assistants on any OUS campus participating in this agreement will be subject to the eligibility requirements, policies and procedures established for graduate appointments by the employing campus. Appointments in which the employing institution is not the student’s academic home institution must receive prior approval by the Graduate Dean/Director of the employing institution.
Appointments of Non-OSU Graduate Student on OSU Graduate Assistantship
Attempts to fill the position from among the pool of OSU enrolled graduate students must be exhausted. All provisions
of the OSU Graduate Tuition Remission Policy and the CGE bargaining agreement must be met, including minimum
and maximum appointment levels and enrollment requirements. Letters of appointment for non-OSU graduate students
must inform the student that as a condition of their continued appointment as a graduate assistant at OSU, he/she must
register and maintain a minimum of 12 credits at his/her home institution during all terms of the assistantship (9 credits
during summer session.) Should subsequent changes in registration result in enrollment below 12 credits for the term,
eligibility for the appointment will be forfeited. It is the student’s responsibility to notify the employing department and
the OSU Graduate School of changes in registration that would render the student ineligible for the assistantship and
subsequent benefits.
OUS Graduate Students on Inter-institutional (Split) Appointments
The OSU portion of a split graduate assistantship must meet all provisions of the OSU Graduate Tuition Remission
Policy and the CGE bargaining agreement. The OSU portion of the split appointment must represent a work effort of a
minimum .20 FTE (104 hours) during each 13-week period. When combined, the total employment effort for all
portions of the split appointment must not exceed .49 FTE (255 hours) during each 13-week period. Graduate students
employed on split graduate assistantship appointments must be enrolled for a minimum of 12 credits at OSU (9 credits
during summer session.) When all previous conditions have been met, tuition remission will be prorated according to
the proportional FTE paid by each institution. In addition, the graduate assistant will be eligible for the OSU graduate
assistant salary supplement and health insurance benefit. The health benefit will be offered and paid by OSU according
to the policy/plan in effect at the time of the appointment only if the graduate assistant's other employing institution
does not offer a health insurance option.
Recommended guidelines for graduate stipends in 2010-11 are included in Tables 2 and 3 below. Examples are given for graduate assistants appointed at 0.20, 0.30 FTE and 0.49 FTE. Adjustments to other FTE levels between 0.20 and 0.49 may be computed by the department as necessary. The recommended 2010-11 minimum annual rates have been developed to equalize actual monthly stipends for appointments at 9- and 12-month terms of service. In addition, recommended minimum annual rates are footnoted to reflect the stipend necessary to provide full financial certification for international students appointed at .49 FTE.
The collective bargaining agreement between OSU/OUS and the Coalition of Graduate Employees (CGE) American Federation of Teachers Local 6069 specifies a required minimum full-time equivalent monthly salary rate of $2,811 (see Article 11, Section 1.) While the 2010-11 Graduate School guidelines specify a recommended minimum full-time equivalent monthly salary rate of $3,542 to remain competitive in the global graduate student marketplace, in all cases, the CGE required minimum of $2,811 must be met or exceeded.
In addition to specifying the required minimum full-time equivalent monthly salary rate of $2,811, the collective bargaining agreement also calls for a three percent (3%) annual increase for graduate employees reappointed at a full-time equivalent monthly salary rate of $3,164 or less. Please refer to the Collective Bargaining Agreement for complete details.
The Graduate School recommends that stipends not be less than the minimum specified in Level I for graduate assistants at either the 9- or 12-month levels (0.20 FTE). Departments are strongly encouraged to provide stipends above these recommended levels as resources permit. Please review FTE and stipend levels to assure that there are no inadvertent gender or ethnic disparities among appointments. Levels II through IV portray recommended stipends that correspond to assignments with increased experience and education requirements.
To assist departments and programs in their understanding of important converging issues with regard to graduate assistant stipends at both mandatory and optional levels, Table 1 identifies both the collective bargaining agreement base minimums that must be met or exceeded and the stipend levels that are needed to fully satisfy international student budgets for financial certification purposes.
| Table 1 Base Minimums Required to Satisfy Specific Policy or Purpose |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Specific Policy or Purpose | 2010-11 Monthly Full-time Rate (at 1.00 FTE) | 2010-11 Full-time Annual Rate 9-month basis | 2010-11 Full-time Annual Rate 12-month basis | Appointment FTE | Meets Graduate School Recommended Minimum (yes/no) | Mandatory or Optional Minimum |
| a) CGE Collective Bargaining Agreement, Article 11 - required minimum | $2,811 | $25,299 | $33,732 | .20 - .49 FTE | No1 | Mandatory |
| b) CGE Collective Bargaining Agreement, Article 11 - 3% salary increase required for reappointments at this level | $3,164 or less | $28,476 or less | $37,968 or less | .20 - .49 FTE | No1 | Mandatory |
| c) To fully satisfy international student financial certification, 9-month appointments | $3,1542 or greater | $28,386 | - | .49 FTE | No1 | Optional |
| d) To fully satisfy international student financial certification, 12-month appointments, while meeting CGE required base minimum | $2,8113 or greater | - | $33,732 or greater | .49 FTE | No1 | Optional |
| 1Graduate School recommends 9-month annual rate of $31,878 and 12-month annual rate of $42,504. | ||||||
| 2,3Reappointments at this monthly full-time rate subject to 3% salary increases as specified in point b) above. | ||||||
The Resolution adopted by the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) concerning offers of financial support and their acceptance during the graduate student recruitment cycle may be downloaded from the CGS web site (www.cgsnet.org). This long-standing policy states that, "Students are under no obligation to respond to offers of financial support prior to April 15; earlier deadlines for acceptance of such offers violate the intent of this Resolution." Offers of financial support include scholarships, fellowships, traineeships, or assistantships. Signing bonuses should also be considered as an offer of financial support. This Resolution also states that, "…acceptance given or left in force after April 15 commits the student not to accept another offer without first obtaining a written release from the institution to which a commitment has been made."
Oregon State University is a participant in this Resolution, and as such, we seek your assistance in complying with its terms. Please read the Resolution carefully so that all parties understand the expectations implicit in agreements for financial support. You may also find helpful the discussion about this topic on the CGS web site. As recommended by CGS, a copy of this Resolution should be provided with each letter of offer, or you may refer students to the CGS web site.
Regular admission requires international students to meet minimum TOEFL score requirements of 550 (paper and pencil test) or 213 (computer based test). Graduate applicants must meet both the following subtest and total scores if Internet-based TOEFL (iBT) scores are submitted:
| Reading: | Minimum 18 |
| Listening: | Minimum 18 |
| Speaking: | Minimum 18 |
| Writing: | Minimum 18 |
| Total Score: | Minimum 80 |
A minimum score of 6.5 on the IELTS may be used as an alternate to the TOEFL test requirement.
Students regularly admitted, admitted conditionally for academic reasons, and/or admitted provisionally as degree-seeking graduate students may qualify for graduate research assistantships. Students admitted for English language conditions may not hold assistantships and are required to participate in language training until they have fully met their conditions.
International graduate teaching assistants (IGTAs) are expected to meet higher English language standards than the minimum required for admission. Departments appointing IGTAs should refer to the English Language Testing and Training Policy for International GTAs.
| Table 2 2010-11 Recommended Minimum Graduate Assistant Stipend Levels1 9-Month Appointments | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| .20 FTE | .30 FTE | .49 FTE | ||||
| Annual Stipend2,3 | Monthly Stipend | Annual Stipend2,3 | Monthly Stipend | Annual Stipend2,3 | Monthly Stipend | |
| GA I (beginning graduate) | $6,376 | $708 | $9,563 | $1,063 | $15,620 | $1,736 |
| GA II (one year experience) | $6,503 | $723 | $9,755 | $1,084 | $15,933 | $1,770 |
| GA III (MS or equivalent) | $6,633 | $737 | $9,950 | $1,106 | $16,251 | $1,806 |
| GA IV (oral prelim completed) | $6,766 | $752 | $10,149 | $1,128 | $16,576 | $1,842 |
| 1Based on a recommended minimum 9-month full-time annual rate of $31,878. | ||||||
| 2A minimum annual rate of $28,485 at .49 FTE is needed to satisfy financial certification for 2010-11, if appointed on 9-month basis. | ||||||
| 3Stipend levels vary among programs. Although the minimum recommended stipend is specified, units may elect to offer higher stipends than those shown. Stipends are computed for illustration purposes only, and may be adjusted proportionately for other FTE levels. | ||||||
| 4Increases of 2% are included in each level above GTA I. Reappointments with a full-time equivalent monthly salary rate of $3,164 or less are eligible for a 3% annual increase as specified by the collective bargaining agreement. | ||||||
| Table 3 2010-11 Recommended Minimum Graduate Assistant Stipend Levels1 12-Month Appointments | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| .20 FTE | .30 FTE | .49 FTE | ||||
| Annual Stipend2,3 | Monthly Stipend | Annual Stipend2,3 | Monthly Stipend | Annual Stipend2,3 | Monthly Stipend | |
| GA I (beginning graduate) | $8,501 | $708 | $12,751 | $1,063 | $20,827 | $1,736 |
| GA II (one year experience) | $8,671 | $723 | $13,006 | $1,084 | $21,243 | $1,770 |
| GA III (MS or equivalent) | $8,844 | $737 | $13,266 | $1,106 | $21,668 | $1,806 |
| GA IV (oral prelim completed) | $9,021 | $752 | $13,532 | $1,128 | $22,102 | $1,842 |
| 1Based on a recommended minimum 12-month full-time annual rate of $42,504 | ||||||
| 2A minimum annual rate of $33,732 at .49 FTE is needed to satisfy financial certification for 2010-11 and to meet collective bargaining agreement requirements, if appointed on 12-month basis. | ||||||
| 3Stipend levels vary among programs. Although the minimum recommended stipend is specified, units may elect to offer higher stipends than those shown. Stipends are computed for illustration purposes only, and may be adjusted proportionately for other FTE levels. | ||||||
| 4Increases of 2% are included in each level above GTA I. Reappointments with a full-time equivalent monthly salary rate of $3,164 or less are eligible for a 3% annual increase as specified by the collective bargaining agreement. | ||||||
Note: One year's experience is defined as:
The equivalent of a master's degree is defined by OUS as 45 graduate credits.