This handbook is not meant to replace or contradict the language that is contained in the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) or applicable University policy and is not a substitute for reviewing contract articles carefully. The guidance in this handbook will be interpreted as consistent with the CBA and, in the event of a conflict, the language of the CBA or applicable policy will control. This handbook may be amended to reflect changing operational needs, amendments to the CBA, and feedback from University administrators.

General Information

The titles GSI, Reader, Tutor, Acting Instructor-Graduate Student, and Graduate Student Researcher are covered by a collective bargaining agreement between the University and the United Automobile Workers (UAW). Under the language of the contract, students hired in these titles are referred to as Academic Student Employees (ASEs). See the current UAW Academic Student Employee contract. The title Graduate Student Student Researcher is covered by another collective bargaining agreement between the University and the UAW. See the current UAW Graduate Student Reseacher contract. Student academic appointments are typically limited to 50% (20 hours) maximum to allow for at least half-time study and academic degree progress. Requests for exceptions to work over 50% (including in non-academic appointments, e.g., student assistant or staff titles) are possible. See Exceptions to Policy section below.

The Graduate Division governs policies and provides information regarding graduate appointment eligibility. To that extent, the information we are able to provide can be found in this handbook. Student inquiries should be directed to their departmental Graduate Student Affairs Officer first (your GSAO can be found on the lower-left Advisor Card on your Cal Central page) or the hiring unit for your appointment. If you have already spoken to your GSAO or hiring department, and still need assistance, please contact us at [email protected].

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Searching for Appointments

GSR positions are appointed directly by faculty researchers; some departments have application procedures and forms on their website. Staff and faculty in the departments are the best sources for appointment availability information.

ASE positions are selected within the departments according to academic, budgetary, and staffing circumstances. The projected number of GSI, Reader, and Tutor appointments for each department during the following academic year is posted on the Labor Relations website with names and e-mail addresses for departmental contacts. In spring the Labor Relations website lists ASE opportunities for Summer Sessions.

You may search for open GSI and GSR positions on the Graduate Division’s centralized posting webpage.

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Appointment Eligibility

It is the hiring unit’s responsibility to ensure the graduate student to be hired qualifies for graduate student academic employment. Before making a formal job offer to the student, the hiring unit must confirm that the student meets academic eligibility requirements. Eligibility can be queried in Campus Solutions in the Reporting Center.

Minimum Requirements and Criteria for ASE or GSR Appointment Eligibility:

  • Students must be registered for the entire semester for which they hold a graduate student academic appointment and must be registered by the end of the fifth week of classes. Current registration status can be confirmed on CalCentral. The definition of registration is:
    1. Enrolled in at least one class (separate from minimum 12 unit requirement to hold an appointment),
    2. Have paid a minimum of 20% of assessed fees/tuition,
    3. Have no registration blocks.
  • Students are not eligible to hold academic appointments after the last day of the term in which they earn their degree.
  • Students must be enrolled in a minimum of 12 units by the end of the fifth week of classes and must maintain the minimum of 12 units for the entire semester. Exceptions for DSP reduced course load may be requested by the student’s department using the Request for Exceptions Requiring Graduate Division Dean’s Approval form. Submit form to [email protected]. UC Hastings College of the Law students are not eligible to serve as ASEs/GSRs.
  • New incoming students must fulfill the Violence Prevention Education Requirement or registration could be blocked. For more information and questions see PATH to Care Center.
  • Students on filing fee status are not eligible to hold Graduate Student Instructor (GSI) or Graduate Student Researcher (GSR) appointments. These students are eligible to be appointed as Readers and Tutors.
  • Students on “In Absentia” status are not eligible to hold Graduate Student Instructor (GSI), Reader or Tutor appointments but could hold a Graduate Student Researcher (GSR) appointment and could be eligible for the fee remission program with a qualifying GSR appointment.
  • Minimum GPA for holding an academic appointment is 3.0.
  • Academic appointees may have no more than 2 incomplete grades in upper division or graduate courses.
  • Students must be making satisfactory degree progress, which includes meeting program benchmarks, not being on academic probation or in lapsed candidacy, and meeting goals set by the faculty.
  • Appointees must be clear of certain disciplinary probations based on the Code of Student Conduct.
  • All first-time ASEs and GSRs must attend the New ASE Orientation sponsored by the campus’ Labor Relations Office during the semester of their appointment. If the ASE/GSR fails to attend, he or she is ineligible for future appointments until this requirement is satisfied.
  • GSIs who are required to complete the English oral proficiency test must take and pass the test before they can be appointed.
  • New GSIs are required to fulfill the following requirements:

Readers and Tutors are not required to be registered and enrolled students. However, registered students who are appointed to these titles must still meet all minimum requirements by university deadlines.

* Please refer to the May 2, 2016 Graduate Council’s revised Policy on Appointments and Mentoring of Graduate Student Instructors.

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Experience-Based Salary Points and Salary Scales for ASEs

Graduate Student Instructors (GSI) Appointments

The term Graduate Student Instructor (GSI) is synonymous with Teaching Assistant (TA) at other universities. A GSI serves under the active supervision of a faculty member who is the Instructor of Record for the course. GSI appointments are for one academic year or less, and reappointment is not automatic. Assigned workload is measured by how many hours the University could reasonably expect a GSI to take to satisfactorily complete the work assigned. 

  1. A GSI with a 50% appointment shall not be assigned a workload of more than 220 hours per quarter or 340 hours per semester. This standard shall apply proportionately to other percent appointments. 
  2. In addition, a GSI with an appointment of 50% or less shall not be assigned a workload of more than 40 hours in any one week or assigned to work more than eight (8) hours in any one day. The number of hours worked in excess of twenty (20) hours per week may not total more than 50 hours per quarter or 77 hours per semester. 

GSIs shall initiate discussions with their supervisor as soon as they anticipate any workload related issues that would result in a violation of this article.

Teaching Assistants and Associate Instructors shall be placed on the new Experience Based Salary Wage Schedule as follows: 

GSI salary points equate with teaching experience at UC Berkeley.  Once a student has been approved to advance to a higher step, he or she may not be moved to a lower level when subsequent teaching assignments are made. Summer appointments are not counted towards experience-based step placement.

For more information on GSI Roles, refer to the Graduate Council’s Policy on Appointments and Mentoring of Graduate Student Instructors.

Experience-Based Placement

Placement Experience
TA 1 0 – 1 semester* as a GSI at UCB
TA 2 2 – 3 semesters* as a GSI at UCB
TA 3 4 or more semesters* as a GSI at UCB

* ASE appointments during Summer Sessions do not count towards experience-based placement.

Duties include leading discussion sections or labs and instructing prescribed course content. GSIs may not be solely responsible for instructional content of the course, selection of assignments, planning of exams, or final determination of course grades, although the GSI may assist in above tasks in collaboration with the instructor of record who has final authority. GSIs cannot be compelled to deliver a lecture.

GSI Restrictions

  • Students on Filing Fee status may not be appointed as GSIs.
  • Students may not be appointed as GSIs during a period of in absentia registration status.
  • Students may not be enrolled in the course for which they are appointed.
  • Students may not simultaneously serve as a GSI and a Reader or a Tutor for the same course.
  • During the academic year, graduate students with appointments may not exceed half time, nor may such appointments in combination with other University appointments exceed half time without an exception.
  • Students may normally be assigned to perform the duties of a GSI only for undergraduate courses. According to departmental need, a department may appoint a graduate student who has been advanced to candidacy at the doctoral level for a graduate course. However, for a graduate student who has not yet been advanced to doctoral candidacy, appointment as a GSI for a graduate course always requires advance approval by the Head Graduate Advisor of the student’s academic department. See Exceptions to Policy below for details.
  • Graduate students are limited to eight semesters of service in any one teaching title or any combination of teaching titles (GSI, Acting Instructor-Graduate Student, TA, Associate, or Teaching Fellow titles). Requests for exception to this policy for a ninth or tenth semester of teaching may be approved by the Head Graduate Advisor in the student’s academic department. Requests for exception to the policy for an eleventh or twelfth semester of teaching must be approved in advance by the Associate Dean for Student Support. The maximum number of years of service is six (twelve semesters), which is established by UC’s Office of the President (UCOP) and cannot be exceeded for any reason per APM 410-17. Note: in August 2021, the UC Provost approved a continuation of the temporary seventh year (two semester) extension to the total length of service performed by Academic Student Employees, including Readers and Tutors on annual stipends, and Graduate Student Instructors. Please read the updated UC memo online. This temporary extension may be granted to “any matriculated graduate student enrolled in Spring 2020 through Spring 2022”, but must be requested in writing using the Request for Exception for Graduate Dean’s Approval.

GSI Salaries

Go to the HR website for the ASE Salary Scales, including GSI, AI-GS, Readers and Tutors. GSIs appointed at Berkeley prior to Fall 2023 are placed on a different payscale that can be found on the ASE Salary Scale chart. (Note Experience-Based Salary Points and Salary Scales information above for current contract language)

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Reader and Tutor Appointments

Readers and Tutors will usually be graduate students, but qualified undergraduate students may be employed as Readers or Tutors when graduate students are not available. Professional readers, not enrolled as students, may be employed to meet special needs.

Duties are assigned by the hiring department and are included in the written notification of appointment provided to the appointee by the department. Appointees to the Reader title are employed to render diverse services as course assistants, which will normally include the grading of student papers and examinations. Subject to assignment by the department, duties might also include attendance at lectures, office hours, consultation with the instructor, and other course-related duties. Readers may not perform teaching duties. Appointees to the Tutor title are employed to render individual or group instructional activities in support of regular academic programs. Under supervision, a Tutor’s duties may include individual tutoring sessions, group tutoring sessions, presentation at workshops, and other duties as assigned. Tutors do not perform teaching duties assigned to the GSI series.

Reader and Tutor Qualifications

Registered students:

  • Must have at least a 3.0 grade-point average; and
  • May not have more than two Incomplete grades in upper division and graduate courses on the transcript; and
  • Must be in good academic standing (i.e., may not be on academic probation or have had their degree candidacy lapse) and be clear of certain disciplinary probations based on the Code of Student Conduct; and
  • Must have taken and received at least a B grade in the course or another course equivalent to the one in which they are serving; and
  • Must be UC students enrolled in at least twelve units of course work during the semester in which they are serving; and
  • Must attend the New ASE Orientation sponsored by the Office of Labor Relations for the semester of the appointment, if this appointment is the student’s first ASE assignment.

Non-registered students:

  • Must have maintained at least a 3.0 grade-point average in their previous academic work; and
  • Must have taken and received at least a B grade in the course or another course equivalent to the one in which they are serving; and
  • Must attend the New ASE Orientation sponsored by the Office of Labor Relations for the semester of the appointment, if this readership is the student’s first ASE assignment.

Reader and Tutor Restrictions

  • Students may not be appointed as Readers or Tutors during a period of in absentia registration status.
  • Students may not be enrolled in courses for which they are a Reader or Tutor. Students may not serve as a GSI and a Reader or Tutor for the same course. Registered graduate students may normally be assigned to perform the duties of a Reader or Tutor only for undergraduate courses. According to departmental need, a department may appoint a graduate student who has been advanced to candidacy at the doctoral level for a graduate course. However, for a graduate student who has not yet been advanced to doctoral candidacy, appointment as a Reader or Tutor for a graduate course always requires advance approval by the Head Graduate Advisor of the student’s academic department. See Exceptions to Policy below for details.
  • During the academic year, registered graduate students appointed as Readers or Tutors may not exceed half time, nor may such appointments in combination with other University appointments exceed half time without an exception.
  • Reader or Tutor appointments for one academic year or less are self-terminating unless the appointee is otherwise notified.

Reader and Tutor Salaries

Go to the HR website for the ASE Salary Scales, including GSI, AI-GS, Readers and Tutors. (Note Experience-Based Salary Points and Salary Scales information above for current contract language)

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Acting Instructor-Graduate Student (AI-GS) Appointments

Acting Instructor-Graduate Student appointees are employed to render services as the Instructor of Record for a particular upper division course, although they are still under faculty supervision. The AI-GS has independent responsibility for developing the course syllabus (which must be reviewed and approved in advance by a member of the Academic Senate’s Committee on Courses and Instruction), setting reading assignments, assignment of grades, including response to grade appeals, and other duties as assigned by the hiring department.

More information on AI-GS duties and responsibilities can be found in the revised May 2, 2016 Policy on Appointments and Mentoring of Graduate Student Instructors.

AI-GS case submission guidelines and deadlines are below.

AI-GS Qualifications

  • Appointees must be UC Berkeley graduate students.
  • Students must be advanced to candidacy at the doctoral level before a department may nominate them for AI-GS positions.
  • Nominees for AI-GS positions require demonstrated ability as a teacher whose expertise is appropriate to the course, with at least two years (4 semesters) of university- or college-level teaching experience. COCI will not consider GSIs for an AI-GS appointment with fewer than four semesters of teaching experience at Berkeley.
  • Candidates for AI-GS appointments must be in good academic standing (i.e., may not be on academic probation or have had their degree candidacy lapse), have a minimum 3.0 grade-point average, and have no more than two Incomplete grades in upper division and graduate courses on the transcript.
  • Appointees must be clear of certain disciplinary probations based on the Code of Student Conduct.
  • Appointees must be registered during the semester in which they are serving as an AI-GS.

AI-GS Restrictions

  • Appointments always require approval in advance by the Dean of the Graduate Division and by the Committee on Courses of Instruction (COCI) of the Academic Senate.
  • Students may be assigned to perform the duties of an AI-GS only for upper division courses numbered 100-199.
  • Students on Filing Fee status may not be appointed as an AI-GS.
  • Students may not be appointed as an AI-GS during a period of in absentia registration status.
  • Students may not be enrolled in the course for which they are an AI-GS.
  • Students may not simultaneously serve as an AI-GS and a Reader or a Tutor for the same course.
  • During the academic year, graduate students appointed as an AI-GS may not exceed half time, nor may such appointments, in combination with other University appointments, exceed half time without exceptional approval.
  • Graduate students are limited to eight semesters of service in any one teaching title, or any combination of teaching titles (GSI, Acting Instructor-Graduate Student, TA, Associate, or Teaching Fellow titles). Requests for exception to this policy for a ninth or tenth semester of teaching may be approved by the Head Graduate Advisor in the student’s academic department. Requests for exception to the policy for an eleventh or twelfth semester of teaching must be approved in advance by the Associate Dean for Student Support. The maximum number of years of service is six (twelve semesters), which is established by UC’s Office of the President (UCOP) and cannot be exceeded for any reason per APM 410-17. See Exceptions to Policy below for details.

AI-GS Salaries

Go to the HR website for the ASE Salary Scales, including GSI, AI-GS, Readers and Tutors. (Note Experience-Based Salary Points and Salary Scales information above for current contract language)

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Preparing Acting Instructor-Graduate Student (AI-GS) Case Submissions

Acting Instructor-Graduate Student (AI-GS) appointments must be approved by both the Graduate Division Associate Dean for Student Support and the Academic Senate’s Committee on Courses of Instruction (COCI) before the appointment can be formally offered to the student and entered into UCPath. COCI has final authority to approve these cases.

Qualifications for an AI-GS Appointee

(refer to ‘Conditions’ of COCI Handbook 3.1.2):

  • Be a registered UCB graduate student during the semester of service as an AI-GS (does not apply to Summer Session appointees unless registration is required for filing purposes.)
  • Be advanced to doctoral candidacy.
  • Demonstrated ability as a teacher whose expertise is appropriate to the course, with a minimum of two years (4 semesters) of university- or college-level teaching experience, and at minimum, meet the eligibility criteria of an appointment at the GSI Step II level. COCI will not consider GSIs for an AI-GS appointment with fewer than four semesters of teaching experience. (Summer teaching experience does not count toward the 2 years or 4 semesters of teaching requirement).
  • Be in good academic standing.
  • Course to be taught must be an Upper Division course (100-199). Courses below or above 100-199 will absolutely not be considered by COCI. (See COCI Handbook 1.1 for guidelines on lower division courses 1-99).

Required materials to request an AI-GS appointment

  • Memo or letter from the chair of the department or hiring unit addressed to both the Associate Dean of Student Support, Graduate Division and COCI. Include the following:
    • Student’s SID, academic degree goal and year in program, the number of semesters (excluding summers) taught at Berkeley, and most recent GSI step level. Please include a brief description of student’s academic progress and plans for degree completion.
    • An explanation of circumstances that require the need for a student to assume full responsibility.
    • The name of the faculty supervisor who will oversee the appointee.
    • The course number and course title.
    • Sentence explaining the syllabus for the course has been reviewed and approved by an appropriate faculty member from the department making the request; include the faculty member’s name.
  • Copy of the syllabus for the Upper Division course (courses numbered 100 – 199) to be taught by the student and for the semester to be approved.
  • Most recent Curriculum Vitae (CV). Be sure to update the PhD “expected by” date, if applicable.
  • A summary page of the evaluation scores from the last two semesters the student taught or letters of recommendation that speaks to the student’s experience and ability as a college-level instructor. (COCI no longer requires each individual teaching evaluation; please submit only a summary of the evaluation scores.)
  • If student will be teaching for the 9th or 10th time, include a copy of the Request for Exception Requiring Head Graduate Advisor Approval.
  • If student will be teaching for the 11th through 14th semesters, include a Request for Exception Requiring Graduate Division Dean’s Approval.
  • Submit the case including the required materials as one PDF attachment through the following google form by the deadlines below: Acting Instructor-Graduate Student (AI-GS) Case Submission form

Graduate Division AI-GS Case Submission Deadlines

  • Fall Appointments: July 1*
  • Spring Appointments: November 1*
  • Summer Appointments: April 1*

*Or the following business day if the deadline falls on a weekend or holiday.

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ASE Letters of Appointment

Each student appointed as a GSI, AI-GS, Tutor, or Reader must receive from the hiring unit a written notice of appointment (which can be via email) and supplemental documentation as specified in Article 2 of the contract between the University and the UAW. Appointments are contingent upon budgetary decisions and the results of advance class enrollment, as well as on the approval of any pending requests for exceptions (including, but not limited to, appointments exceeding 50 percent time). Departments must not issue Letters of Appointment until necessary exceptions and other approvals are obtained. Hiring is not final until 1) a formal written offer is made by authorized departmental staff and 2) the ASE accepts the offer in writing.

Departments are required to notify all ASEs of expectations and workload requirements at the beginning of the semester, and of any substantial changes that might occur during the semester in accordance with the UC–UAW agreement. Course assignments may be changed if enrollments are significantly higher or lower than expected. This notification may be by letter or electronic mail.

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Academic Student Employee (ASE) Hiring Guidelines

Please remember all appointment offers must be made in writing by authorized departmental staff using only the approved appointment letter format. No e-mail or verbal promises of employment should be made. Hiring is not final until a formal written offer is made by authorized departmental staff and the candidate has accepted in writing. Adherence to these guidelines serves to ensure that:

  • The department can review all hiring recommendations in light of course needs.
  • The candidate has met all Graduate Division and departmental eligibility criteria for employment.
  • The appointment letter(s) comply with the requirements set forth in the Academic Student Employee collective bargaining agreement.

Once it has been determined that a) the student meets the minimum academic requirements to hold a Graduate Student Academic Appointment and b) if necessary, a Request for Exception has been approved by either the Head Graduate Advisor of the student’s academic department or in some cases, submitted to and approved by both the student’s Head Graduate Advisor and the Graduate Division Associate Dean (please see Requests for Exception below), the hiring unit must issue a formal written notice of appointment (letter or electronic mail) to every student hired as an ASE (GSI, AI-GS, Reader or Tutor).

The Appointment Notification letters and Supplemental Notification letters for ASEs are outlined under Article 2 of the UC-UAW contract. The template for the Appointment Notification Letter can be found at the UCB Human Resources website. Any questions should be directed to Labor Relations. A copy of the student’s written acceptance of the ASE job offer as well a copy of the appointment notification letter to the student should be kept on file in the department or hiring unit.

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Requirement for All First-Time ASEs

All first-time appointed Academic Student Employees or ASEs (GSI, AI-GS, Reader and Tutor) must attend the New ASE Orientation sponsored by the UCB Labor Relations Office. It is a 30 minute orientation that is absolutely mandatory for all first-time appointed ASEs. For more detailed information such as how students can enroll, when and where, please click on the link above which will take you directly to the UCB Labor Relations site.

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Requirements for First-Time GSIs

All first-time GSIs are required to fulfill the following requirements, which are overseen by the GSI Teaching and Resource Center:

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Requirements for First-Time International GSIs

All first-time International GSIs must also satisfy the requirements of the English Language Proficiency Program before being appointed as a GSI. If the student does not speak English as a native language, has not passed the Test of Spoken English (TSE) or the speaking portion of the TOEFL iBT, or does not hold a bachelor’s degree from an institution in the United States, he/she must pass the SPEAK or OPT test BEFORE an appointment offer can be made. Students should complete the Language Proficiency Questionnaire if they are unsure whether they satisfy this requirement. Please contact the GSI Teaching & Research Center staff at [email protected] for more information on meeting the English Proficiency requirement at UCB.

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Undergraduate GSIs

Generally, undergraduate students may not be appointed as GSIs, but they can be appointed as Readers or Tutors; undergraduate Readers and Tutors are not eligible for the fee remission program (please refer to Article 11 of the UC-UAW contract). However, if a department is unable to recruit any qualified graduate students or hire a lecturer to fill an essential GSI position, the department may submit a written request of exception to the student’s own college to approve the appointment of an undergraduate GSI (UGSI). In such cases exceptions are allowed for undergraduate GSI appointees, but under NO circumstances can undergraduate students be appointed as GSRs.

Effective May 2019, the Dean of the Graduate Division delegated authority to the relevant dean of the student’s own college to approve undergraduate GSIs. See the memo here.

Once an undergraduate has been approved to serve as a UGSI by their college, questions about the appointments process and exception requests for UGSIs may be sent to [email protected].

Requirements for Undergraduate GSIs:

  1. Registered in the semester in which they are teaching and remain registered through the end of the semester.
  2. Be fully enrolled (within College policy) during the semester in which they are teaching (depending on the policies of the student’s own college);
  3. Summer Sessions UGSIs must be continuing students. (A continuing student during the summer was enrolled in the Spring semester and is enrolled for the Fall semester).
  4. If the Summer Sessions UGSI is graduating with his/her terminal degree in August, they may UGSI during that summer prior to their Summer graduation. (Please refer to Office of the Registrar’s section on Transcripts and Graduation).
  5. Upper Division status when undergraduate begins teaching.
  6. Overall GPA of 3.0 or higher.
  7. Previously taken the course for which undergraduate is being appointed, its equivalent or a more advanced course, with a grade of A-or better. (If it is a course equivalent or more advanced course, please point that out on the form when submitting the request.)
  8. Adhere to the same criteria of eligibility required for graduate student GSIs. If the undergraduate appointee does not speak English as a native language, they must pass the English Proficiency requirement before they can teach (please refer to the GSI Teaching & Resource Center for more information). Departments/hiring units are responsible for making sure the student has passed the English Proficiency requirements prior to requesting approval for the UGSI appointment. Please contact [email protected] with questions about a student’s English language proficiency eligibility.
  9. If serving as a first-time GSI, departments/hiring units are responsible for ensuring that the UGSI fulfills the following requirements:

Undergraduate GSI appointees are eligible for fee remission per the UC UAW contract; Undergraduate GSI appointees are not eligible for SHIP fee remission. Undergraduate GSI fee remissions are not processed by Graduate Division; departments are responsible for remissions associated with Undergraduate GSI Appointments.

Students hired in courses in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences (EECS) and Data Science courses offered by Data Science Undergraduate Studies (DSUS) should reference what is included in the local agreement as it relates to uGSIs.

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GSR Letters of Appointment

A Graduate Student Researcher (GSR)  appointment  is established only  by  the  issuance of a Written Notice of Appointment.  Each student appointed as a GSR must receive from the hiring unit a written notice of appointment (which can be via email) and supplemental documentation as specified in Article 2 of the contract between the University and the UAW. Appointments are contingent upon budgetary decisions, as well as on the approval of any pending requests for exceptions (including, but not limited to, appointments exceeding 50% time). Departments must not issue a Written Notice of Appointment until necessary exceptions and other approvals are obtained. Hiring is not final until 1) a formal written offer is made by authorized departmental staff and 2) the ASE accepts the offer in writing.

Departments are required to notify all GSRs of expectations and workload requirements at the beginning of the semester, and of any substantial changes that might occur during the semester in accordance with the UC–UAW agreement. Course assignments may be changed. This notification may be by letter or email.

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Graduate Student Researcher (GSR) Hiring Guidelines

Please remember all appointment offers must be made in writing by authorized departmental staff using only the approved appointment letter format. No email or verbal promises of employment should be made. Hiring is not final until a Written Notice of Appointment is provided by authorized departmental staff and the candidate has accepted in writing. Adherence to these guidelines serves to ensure that:

  • The department can review all hiring recommendations in light of research needs.
  • The candidate has met all Graduate Division and departmental eligibility criteria for employment.
  • The Written Notice of Appointment complies with the requirements set forth in the Academic Student Employee collective bargaining agreement.

Once it has been determined that a) the student meets the minimum academic requirements to hold a Graduate Student Academic Appointment and b) if necessary, a Request for Exception has been approved by either the Head Graduate Advisor of the student’s academic department or in some cases, submitted to and approved by both the student’s Head Graduate Advisor and the Graduate Division Associate Dean (please see Requests for Exception below), the hiring unit must issue a Written Notice of Appointment (letter or email) to every student hired as a GSR.

The Appointment Notification letters and Supplemental Notification letters for ASEs are outlined under Article 2 of the UC-UAW contract. The template for the Appointment Notification Letter can be found at the UCB Human Resources website. Any questions should be directed to Labor Relations. A copy of the student’s written acceptance of the GSR job offer as well as a copy of the Written Notice of Appointment to the student should be kept on file in the department or hiring unit.

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Requirement for All First-Time GSRs

All first-time appointed Graduate Student Researchers (GSR) or must attend the New ASE-GSR Orientation sponsored by the UCB Labor Relations Office. It is a one hour orientation that is absolutely mandatory for all first-time appointed GSRs. For more detailed information such as how students can enroll, when and where, please click on the link above which will take you directly to the UCB Labor Relations site.

Experience-Based Salary Points and Salary Scales for Graduate Student Researchers (GSR)

There are six points in the GSR series; each hiring unit on the campus should have written guidelines specifying the hiring criteria for the points that it uses. The experience-based minimum salary point that a GSR may be appointed at is established by the article on Wages of the UC-UAW contract. Departments and hiring units are free to appoint students starting at or above their experience-based minimum salary point, but assignments should be consistent and equitable according to departmental criteria.

Hiring departments/units must provide written notice to individuals offered a GSR appointment. This appointment notification letter template must be used because it includes required topics for the notice as specified under the contract between the University of California and UAW (see the Article on Appointment Notification of the UC-UAW Contract for reference).

Experience-Based Placement 

Placement Experience
GSR salary point 2 or higher 2 semesters as a GSR at UCB
GSR salary point 3 or higher 4 semesters as a GSR at UCB


GSR Salary scales

See the UCOP website for GSR salaries and increments.

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LBNL GSRA Appointments

Sometimes a UCB graduate student will serve in a Graduate Student Researcher Assistant (GSRA) position at LBNL (Lawrence Berkeley National Lab). GSRA is equivalent to a UCB campus GSR appointment and is eligible for the fee remission program. However, LBNL fee remissions are considered by the Billing and Payment system as outside awards and take priority over a campus fee remission (please refer below to Priority List of Awards & Fee Remission).

A student may have both a campus and an LBNL appointment concurrently, however, per UCOP policy, only one location can pay a student. Such concurrent appointments should be set up through the use of a multi-location appointment form.

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ASE/GSR Disability Accommodations

The University provides reasonable accommodation to otherwise qualified academic appointees who are disabled or become disabled and need assistance to perform the essential functions of their positions. An accommodation is reached after an interactive process between the University and the appointee. Please read the Berkeley Accommodation Process for Academic Appointees with Disabilities from the Academic Personnel Office’s website to understand the process at UC Berkeley.

The Academic Personnel Office (APO) has launched an ASE Physical, Environmental, and Mental (PEM) Form to detail the demands of Graduate Student Instructor, Reader or Tutor positions, and a GSR Physical, Environmental, and Mental (PEM) Form to detail the demands of Graduate Student Researcher positions. The forms can be accessed on the APO website under “Helpful Links” as the “ASE PEM Form” and “GSR PEM Form”.

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Payroll Processing and Administrative Logistics

Effort Reporting

GSI and GSR appointments are set up in UC Path as monthly exempt employees and receive a fixed monthly salary based on a predetermined percentage of time spent on work-related activities such as instruction or research. A GSI or GSR’s salary is based on the percentage of total weekly effort performed during the given dates of the appointment rather than exact hours worked. Time sheets to record specific hours/minutes worked are not necessary for payment of salary; however, verified documentation of the weekly effort committed to the appointment should be kept for potential auditing or workload adjustments by the PI or hiring department. Monthly salaries are paid on the first for the prior month’s effort.

Hourly Time Reporting

Readers and Tutors may be paid as variable positive time employees in UC Path who must document the exact hours and minutes worked each day in order to be paid and considered ‘active’ in the payroll system. Time sheets are critical. If hours worked per day are not recorded and submitted to the payroll system in a timely manner, the student will not get paid.

DCP/Safe Harbor Deductions

Students aren’t typically* charged Defined Contribution Plan (DCP) – Casual/Safe Harbor deductions. The UCB Registrar’s Office transmits data of students who are registered and enrolled to the Central Payroll Office. If any of the following factors are revealed as inconsistent the student is flagged by Payroll as a Safe Harbor participant and DCP is deducted from salary:

  1. Student has an outstanding balance
  2. Middle Initial is included with the Registrar but might not be in the payroll system or visa/versa
  3. Incorrect Birth date
  4. Incorrect Social Security Number (SSN)
  5. Enrolled in less than ½ the minimum unit requirement

To be removed from DCP/Safe Harbor deductions students should contact Central Payroll at [email protected] and request to be removed from DCP/Safe Harbor participation. The student will also need to email proof of registration and enrollment along with the request. This process can take from 4 to 6 weeks before a refund is issued. Questions regarding DCP/Safe Harbor deductions should be directed to the Central Payroll Office.

*Please also note that if the student is working 80% time or more at any point in the year, DCP is always deducted from earnings.

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Absences and Leaves

Employees are responsible for reporting absences from campus and any missed work assignments to the faculty member in charge or to the appropriate departmental assistant. If an absence is unexpected (i.e., due to a sudden illness or accident) or will be for an extended period the departmental administrator must be notified in a timely manner so that alternate arrangements can be made to limit impact.

ASEs and GSRs may also be eligible for various paid and unpaid leaves, including military leave, short-term family-related leaves, long-term family-related leaves, bereavement, and jury duty. Please refer to the Academic Personnel Office for the Leave Chart for Graduate Student Employees.

ASEs and GSRs are eligible for eight weeks of paid leave for pregnancy disability, childbirth, and related medical conditions; ASEs and GSRs who give birth are eligible for an additional two weeks of unpaid leave for baby bonding provided such unpaid leave does not extend beyond the date of appointment. Departments may be eligible to apply for Childbirth Accommodation Leave, which provides for the costs of a substitute GSI or GSR for doctoral students who give birth.

ASEs and GSRs are also eligible for eight weeks of paid leave due to the ASE’s/GSR’s serious health condition, to care for a family member who has a serious health condition, or to care for and bond with a newborn child or an adopted/foster child; the ASE/GSR may be approved for an additional two weeks of unpaid leave provided such unpaid leave does not extend beyond the date of the appointment. Please refer to the Academic Personnel Office for the Leave Chart for Graduate Student Employees. For any questions regarding this policy, please contact the Academic Personnel Office at [email protected].

The Childbirth paid leaves described above may be combined for a maximum of eight (8) weeks of paid leave during the academic year. Occasionally a graduate student may request a medical leave or a childbirth leave during their ASE or GSR appointment, and a variety of resources are available to assist the student parent and the department during and after the leave.

 

COVID-19-Related Leave Policies

In the most recent guidance, ASEs/GSRs are eligible for EPAL, EPSL and EFML. However, at UC, instruction is deemed an essential service of the University. GSIs would not be eligible to take EPAL. They are eligible for EPSL and EFML as these are federal leaves where the identified group of essential workers are health care workers and emergency responders. For more detail, please refer to the Academic Personnel Guidance Regarding COVID-19 Related Leaves and Job Protections memo (issued 4/27/20), which can be found on APO’s COVID-19 page.

Resources for ASEs or GSRs going on parental leave:

Paid and Unpaid Leaves of Absence for Fee Remission Eligible Appointments

A period of unpaid leave of absence in UCPath for a graduate student academic appointment will trigger a reversal of the fee remission because the student is no longer eligible. For extended unpaid leaves of absence, under certain circumstances, a department or hiring unit may use the Award Entry system to pay the student’s fees as ‘student aid’ and may pay the salary as a stipend.

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Childcare

ASEs may be eligible for up to $2,062.50 per semester in fall and spring terms and $1,375 in the summer term in reimbursements for certain childcare expenses. Details can be found on the Human Resources web page.

Each eligible GSR may also be eligible for up to $1,375 per fiscal quarter (as defined in the collective bargaining agreement) in reimbursements for certain childcare expenses. Please review the ASE & GSR Child Care Reimbursement Program Fact Sheet and reimbursement form provided by UCOP.

The Graduate Division’s Financial Support for Student Parents can also be helpful.

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Child Dependent SHIP Reimbursement

The University of California’s Graduate Student Researchers (GSRs or BR) and Academic Student Employees (ASEs or BX) represented by the United Auto Workers (UAW) are eligible for a remission for their child dependents through a program established in the BX and BR collective bargaining agreements between UC and the UAW. 

  1. The ASE/GSR must be eligible to receive a health insurance premium remission under the collective bargaining agreement through an appropriate GSR or ASE appointment, or through a combination of GSR and ASE appointments.
  2.  The ASE/GSR is a registered graduate student with GSR/ASE appointment(s) totaling 25% or more of full-time for a given term in a State-supported or Self-Supporting Program.
  3. The ASE/GSR’s income must exceed the designated Medi-Cal eligibility threshold.
    1. If the ASE/GSR has a spouse, and the combination of their income places the ASE/GSR’s family over the designated Medi-Cal eligibility threshold then the ASE/GSR is not eligible for the child dependent premium remission.
    2. Information about Medi-Cal eligibility.
  4. The ASE/GSR must enroll eligible child dependents in the Berkeley Student Health Insurance Program (SHIP). Eligible child dependents are defined by SHIP plan regulations. Deadlines for enrollment.
  5. To receive a reimbursement for the cost of Child Dependent SHIP, the ASE/GSR must show proof (e.g., payment receipt and enrollment record) that they enrolled qualifying dependent(s) and paid for the premium by the enrollment deadline.
  6. The ASE/GSR must attest to meeting the eligibility criteria under the collective bargaining agreement by submitting the attached Child Dependent Health Insurance Attestation Form. See the Program Overview for more information.
  7. Reimbursement requests, along with all required documentation, should be submitted to [email protected]

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Fee Remission Eligibility for Late Start Appointments

Due to changes in the collective bargaining agreements for GSRs and ASE and resulting changes in fee remission eligibility including full fee remissions for appointments of 25% or greater, the former Late Appointment Percentage Calculator is not delivering helpful information, and has been removed until further notice. If a student employee needs to be hired or onboarded late, the hiring department should consult their Berkeley Regional Services (BRS) partner for guidance.

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International Students on F-1 or J-1 Visas

Students on F-1 visas do not require permission to hold University employment or academic appointments for 20 hours per week or less if they are registered during the semester. They may also work full-time on campus during the summer break if they will be registered the following semester. All J-1 students, however, must have permission from their program sponsors to hold any employment or academic appointment. Students on F-1 and J-1 visas may not work more than 20 hours per week during the academic year; there are no exceptions to this federal regulation. Questions about employment for holders of F-1, J-1, or other non-immigrant visas should directed to the Berkeley International Office.

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Undocumented Students/Qualifying for Employment:

Only undocumented students who have been granted status by the Department of Homeland Security in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and have received an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) may legally be employed.

If the undocumented graduate student does not have DACA status and does not have an EAD, the Graduate Division encourages departments to consider other forms of teaching opportunities outside of GSI employment. Please refer to the Fall 2014 memo for guidance.

For hands-on teaching experience, undocumented students who do not have a work permit are eligible to lead DeCal courses. Teaching DeCal courses afford students the experience of syllabus development, creating reading assignments, delivering class lectures and activities, mentoring, evaluation, and general curriculum design.

Please also note that some undocumented students may have DACA status and an EAD but might not qualify for AB 540 status, these student may establish residency for tuition purposes by meeting the other tuition resident requirements.

DACA: To apply for and learn about DACA, visit the Department of Homeland Security web page:

AB 540: To learn more about AB 540 status and how to establish residency for tuition purposes only, visit these links below:

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Withdrawals

If a student holding a GSR or GSI position has to withdraw due to a sudden medical or family emergency, the Registrar will prorate the fees according to their withdrawal schedule.

GSRs who withdraw for medical or family emergencies: Withdrawal status will reverse a fee remission regardless of withdrawal reason. Departments may consider paying the student’s fees and/or salary using the Award Entry system when a GSR goes on a leave and cannot be paid on the PI’s grant.

ASEs (especially GSIs) who withdraw for medical or family emergencies: Departments in these circumstances should contact Labor Relations. Withdrawal status will reverse the fee remission regardless of withdrawal reason. Hiring units are advised to provide as much support as they are able, even if beyond contract requirements. Departments may consider paying the student’s fees and/or salary using the Award Entry system when an ASE goes on a leave. GSIs and other ASEs are usually hired on state funding; hiring units may use the salary source of the GSI appointment to pay fees/salary through Award Entry in such situations.

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Grievance Procedures

The grievance procedures for ASEs are found in the UC-UAW Agreement.

The grievance procedures for GSRs are found in the UC-UAW Agreement.


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Fee Remissions

Overview

Fee remission is a benefit of eligible employment for graduate student academic appointments (GSI, GSR, AI-GS, Reader or Tutor employment). Fee remission is charged to the fund source(s) of the eligible employment. When a graduate student holds a fee remission eligible appointment, or combines GSI, GSR, AI-GS, Reader or Tutor appointments that then create the minimum fee remission eligibility criteria of a 25% appointment, a fee remission is generated; the appointments’ chart strings will be charged for the cost of fee remission divided proportionately according to the appointment percentages.

Fee Remissions cover different fees, based on the type of appointment and percentage of time worked in a semester. See the eligibility criteria and remission types.

Fee remission is generated from eligible employment entered into the UC Path system and serves as an offset (a credit) in CalCentral to reduce the amount the student owes the University for his or her assessed fees and tuition in the semester the student is holding a fee remission eligible appointment. Fee remission generated from an appointment in a specific semester can be applied only to fees & tuition assessed in the semester of appointment.

UC Berkeley Bargaining Unit Job Titles and Remission

Departments should consult with their BRS partner to confirm the correct Title Code. Effective October 1, 2023 onward. 

Academic Student Employee  (ASE)

Bargaining Unit Job Title Fee Remission Type Title Code
Teaching Assistant-1/10-GSHIP Full Fee Remission 2320
Teaching Assistant-1/10-Non-GSHIP No Fee Remission 2321

UGSIs also at 2321 increments 1-3

Bargaining Unit Job Title Fee Remission Type Title Code
Associate Instructor-AY-1/10-GSHIP Full Fee Remission 1508
Associate Instructor-AY-1/10-Non-GSHIP No Fee Remission 1509

Reader

Bargaining Unit Job Title Fee Remission Type Title Code
Reader-Non-Student None 2500
Reader-GSHIP Full Fee Remission 2850
Reader-Non-GSHIP No Fee Remission 2851

Tutor

Bargaining Unit Job Title Fee Remission Type Title Code
Tutor-Non-Student None 2510
Tutor-GSHIP Full Fee Remission 2860
Tutor-Non-GSHIP No Fee Remission 2861

Graduate Student Researcher (GSR)

UCPath title Fee Remission Type Title Code
GSR-FULL FEE REMISSION Full Fee Remission 3282
GSR-FULL TUITION AND FEE REMISSION NRST Full Fee Remission & NRST 3284
GSR-NO REMISSION Paid via Award Entry 3266

Graduate Student Researcher “Trainee” and “Fellow”

UCPath title Fee Remission Type Title Code
GSR-TRAINEE-NO REMISSION No Fee Remission 3150
GSR-TRAINEE-TUITION AND FEE REMISSION Full Fee Remission 3151
GSR-FELLOWSHIP-NO REMISSION No Fee Remission 3140
GSR-FELLOWSHIP-TUIT AND FEE REMISSION Full Fee Remission 3141

Graduate Student Research Assistants at Lawrence Berkeley National  Laboratory

UCPath title Fee Remission Type Title Code
Graduate Student Research Assistant (GSRA) Fee Remission 214.1 – 214.X

Fee Assessment and Remission

Each semester, the Office of the Registrar assesses fees and tuition for enrolled UCB students. Fee remission only generates for those specific fees and tuition that the Office of the Registrar has assessed in the student’s CalCentral account.

If the ASE or GSR decides to waive the health insurance (through University Health Services), no SHIP fee will be assessed and no SHIP remission will be applied. The funds for that unused remission return to the funding source and are never refunded to the student.

  • The Office of the Registrar assesses fees/tuition according to the student’s particular degree program and plan.
  • Students must enroll in units each semester to be assessed fees of any sort in CalCentral.
  • If an eligible appointment is entered into the UC Path system, a fee remission generates to offset the cost of specific fee assessments in a student’s account.
  • Fee remission is never awarded in any form of cash and any unused remissions are returned to the funding source.
  • Fee remission offsets are only generated for the semester in which the student is employed in a fee remission eligible appointment.
  • Fee Remissions are generated only for Fall and Spring semester graduate student academic employment. Fee remission never generates for summer appointments.

Registration and Enrollment Requirements

Registration and enrollment requirements vary according to the type of appointment. Readers and Tutors do not need to be registered students.  As nonstudents they will not be assessed fees, and are ineligible to receive fee remissions. GSI, GSR, AI-GS, Reader or Tutor positions be enrolled in at least 12 units no later than the end of the third week of classes and remain enrolled in at least 12 units for the semester (with exceptions for students with academic accommodations for disabilities, approved long-term leave and workplace accommodations).

Summer GSI, GSR, AI-GS, Reader or Tutor appointments do not require enrollment and do not pay fee remissions. Only continuing students may hold GSI, GSR, or AI-GS positions in the summer. A continuing student is a student who was registered and enrolled in the spring semester and has not completed their degree.  Fall enrollment for continuing students is encouraged.

New incoming students are ineligible to be hired as a GSI or AI-GS for Summer Sessions appointments.

New students entering in the fall semester may begin GSR appointments on July 1 if they have submitted a Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) on or before that date, and they are enrolled as a non-degree student (i.e., Visiting Student) in Summer Sessions. All requirements for employment and all academic eligibility rules apply. 

With the exception of International Students, new students entering in the spring semester may begin GSR appointments on December 1 if they have submitted the SIR on or before that date and if they are enrolled in units for spring semester.

Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) Fee Remission

Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) premiums are automatically remitted as part of the fee remission program for graduate students unless the student has a waiver of health insurance coverage on record with University Health Services.

If a student has a SHIP waiver, the Office of the Registrar will not assess the SHIP fee and there will be no SHIP remission awarded. For more information on waiving SHIP, please refer to the University Health Service website.

Undergraduate Fee Remission (GSI Appointments Only)

Undergraduate Graduate Student Instructor (uGSI) appointees must be approved in advance by the student’s College Dean.

Per Article 11 of the UAW Contract, uGSIs are eligible for a full fee remission of Tuition, Student Service, and Campus Fees; Undergraduate GSIs are not eligible for SHIP fee remissions. Fee remissions for undergraduate GSIs are not generated through the Graduate Division. The hiring unit is responsible for processing uGSI fee remission awards via Award Entry in Campus Solutions.

For detailed instructions on uGSI eligibility requirements and the approval process, see Undergraduate GSIs (separate doc).

Students hired in courses in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences (EECS) and Data Science courses offered by Data Science Undergraduate Studies (DSUS) should reference what is included in the local agreement as it relates to uGSIs.

Combining Academic Student Appointments

When a student holds multiple GSI, GSR, AI-GS, Reader, or Tutor appointments totaling 25% time or more (i.e., reaches the required number of working hours in a semester), then a fee remission will be generated and all the appointments’ chart strings will be charged for the cost of fee remission divided proportionately according to the appointment percentages.

Multiple GSI, GSR, AI-GS, Reader or Tutor appointments may combine to create a fee remission regardless of each individual appointment’s percent time being below the 25% requirement. This is due to two factors:

  • The student could take on additional academic graduate student appointments unbeknownst to the other department(s) during a current semester, thus creating fee remission eligibility.
  • The combination of multiple GSI, GSR, AI-GS, Reader & Tutor appointments total 170 hours of workload, the minimum requirement for generation of fee remission and the equivalent of a 25% time semester long appointment. Please refer to the UC UAW 170 hour rule explained below.

It is the hiring unit’s responsibility to factor potential benefits/fee remission costs into an appointment’s salary source even if, on its own, the appointment percent time and or dates are not fee remission eligible.

170 Hour Rule: Workload versus Fee Remission Eligibility

In accordance with Article 11 of the UC-UAW contract and the February 2002 Labor Relations memo on late Academic Student Employee (ASE) appointments (GSIs, AI-GSs, Readers, and Tutors), any ASE appointment, any GSR appointment, a combination of ASE appointments, or a combination of ASE appointment(s) and GSR appointment(s) with eligible title codes that equal 170 working hours (not including weekends) can generate a fee remission, irrespective of appointment dates and percentage. The UC UAW contract stipulates that the workload of a 25% appointment equals 170 hours, while the calculation for fee remission will be dependent on the semester’s calendar of working days.

Decoupling Fee Remission from Salary Fund Source

In most cases, benefits (including fee remission) cannot be decoupled (separated) from the salary source(s) of a qualifying graduate student academic appointment or a qualifying combination of these appointments (GSI, GSR, AI-GS, Reader, or Tutor). The cost of benefits is charged to the fund source(s) that pay the salary of the qualifying appointment(s).

However, there are two specific instances where decoupling the cost of benefits from the salary source(s) of the appointment(s) is allowed:

GSR Title Code 3266

GSR title code 3266 allows benefit (including fee remission) costs to be charged to separate funds from those funds used to pay salary. This gives departments and hiring units the option to pay salary and benefits separately to accommodate grants where the expenditure of funds on tuition and fees (benefits) is disallowed. Please refer to the April 28, 2014 memo from Dean Susan J. Muller for more information.

GSR title code 3266 criteria include:

  • Used specifically for GSR appointments of 25% or greater where separation of benefits (fee remission) from the salary source is necessary.
  • Departments/hiring units must provide a student aid award equivalent to a Full Fee Remission (25% or greater) to be paid to the student’s account.
  • Appointment does not combine with other GSI, GSR, AI-GS, Reader or Tutor appointments to generate or share cost of fee remission.
  • Appointment eligibility, registration & enrollment requirements are the same as all other GSR appointments.

Non Resident Supplemental Tuition (NRST)

  • NRST remission can only be charged to state general funds (such as 19900) if the earnings are on the same fund source. This is allowable because it is a benefit of employment. State general funds cannot be used to pay NRST in other forms (such as fellowship, which is a student benefit not an employee benefit).
  • How to Decouple NRST from the salary source: To decouple (separate) the cost of NRST from the salary source, use GSR title code 3282 (generates full fee remission ONLY) rather than GSR title code 3284 (full fee remission + NRST remission) and then pay the NRST separately using eligible fellowships, block grants, etc.

Priority List of Awards & Fee Remission

Graduate students may receive more than one type of award that is intended to pay fees or tuition and fees for a particular semester. Fee remissions for students with eligible appointments will generally take precedence over concurrent fellowships, departmental awards, and loans. If more than one type of award appears as a credit against tuition or fees in a student’s CalCentral account, a set of established rules governs which award is used to pay the assessments. The sequence in which CalCentral is programmed to accept award credits to offset fees and tuition is generally as follows:

  1. Outside agency awards
  2. LBNL remissions from GSRA appointments
  3. Fee remissions from UCB campus appointments
  4. Department awards made through the Award Entry system
  5. Fellowships
  6. Student Loans
  7. Student payments

Collections Process for Fee Remissions

Effective Spring 2021, the collections process related to Graduate Fee Remissions leverages hiring data from UCPath and student data from Campus Solutions (CS) to generate fee remissions as financial aid awards that are paid to the student through the financial aid disbursement process.

By using the employment information sourced from UCPath combined with student data, processes, and process configuration information in UCB’s Student Information System, student fee remissions are generated, awarded, and maintained in accordance with UC policy.

The accounting entries for fee remission processes are run in batch on a daily basis for all graduate students once we enter ‘award phase’ (i.e. late September for Fall & late February for Spring) by transmitting the expenses and/or adjustments on the general ledger nightly that will then flow from Campus Solutions using the chart string(s) and distribution percentages specified on the students’ position funding entries.

UC Intercampus Fee Remission Transfers

Graduate students who are registered and enrolled in at least 12 units at another UC campus — even if they are not participating in the UC Intercampus Exchange Program — may hold graduate student academic appointments on the Berkeley campus, and receive fee remissions if holding an eligible appointment.

Requirements

If a UC Berkeley department or hiring unit is unable to hire a UC Berkeley graduate student and needs to hire a graduate student from another UC campus in a fee remission eligible graduate student academic appointment, the following policies and procedures apply:

  1. The UC student must be registered and enrolled in at least 12 units either at their home campus (see below) or through the UC Intercampus Exchange Program here at UCB.
    • If Home Campus is on Quarter System: To hold a fall semester appointment at UCB, a student must be registered and enrolled in the fall and winter quarters on the other UC campus, and to hold a UCB spring semester appointment, a student must be registered and enrolled in the winter and spring quarters.
    • If Home Campus is Merced (on semester system): To hold a UCB fall semester appointment, the student must be registered and enrolled for the fall semester at UC Merced.  To hold a UCB spring semester appointment, the student must be registered and enrolled for the spring semester at UC Merced.
  2. UCB hiring units must confirm the student’s eligibility to hold the appointment and all first-time GSI requirements must be met. Eligibility requirements are the same as for a UCB graduate student.
  3. The appointment must be entered into UCPath before a hiring unit can request an intercampus remission transfer.
  4. Intercampus fee remission transfer cannot take place in advance of the semester for which the student will be working at UCB.
  5. The fee remission dollar amount offsets will correspond to the student’s home UC campus fee assessments.
    • For a fall semester UCB appointment, UCB will send the cost of fall quarter + 1/2 of the winter quarter fee remission to the home campus.
    • For a spring semester UCB appointment, UCB will send the cost of 1/2 of the winter quarter + the spring quarter fee remission to the home campus.
    • Merced and Berkeley are both on semesters; fee remissions will be transferred accordingly.
  6. Complete and submit an Intercampus Remission Data sheet
  7. The Graduate Division will create a Journal ID and Date.
  8. The student’s home campus then contacts UCB General Accounting’s Reconciliation group to have the UCB fee remission transferred to the student’s billing account at the home campus.

When UCB graduate students work on another UC campus, that UC campus should contact UCB Third Party Contracts at [email protected] to have the other UC campus fee remission transferred to the UCB student’s CalCentral account.

Retroactive Fee Remission Processing

Occasionally departments and hiring units find they need to make a correction to a graduate student academic appointment in UCPath very late into or after the semester of the appointment has ended. Changes for a current semester appointment in UCPath after November 30th (for Fall) or April 30th (for Spring) will require the department or hiring unit to contact their BRS administrator to request a manual adjustment for late or retroactive fee remissions.

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Exceptions to Policy

Some exceptions to policy can be approved by the Head Graduate Advisor (HGA) of the student’s academic department without oversight by the Graduate Division, and other exceptions to policy require approval from the Associate Dean for Student Support.

Requests for Exception Requiring Head Graduate Advisor Approval (Do not send this exception form to the Appointments Office). The exceptions listed below only require documented approval from the student’s Head Graduate Advisor. These approvals are to be kept on file in the student’s home department.

  • GSI/Reader/Tutor in a graduate-level course who is not advanced to candidacy,
  • ASE/GSR Appointments of 51-75%,
  • GSI appointed for the 9th or 10th semester

Requests for Exception Requiring Graduate Division Dean’s Approval: The exceptions listed below need approval from the student’s Head Graduate Advisor and the Graduate Division.

  • GPA below 3.0,
  • Not in good academic standing, e.g., on academic progress probation,
  • More than two incompletes in upper division or graduate courses,
  • Student taking less than required 12 units for appointment eligibility,
  • GSI appointed for the 11th and 12th semester or, for graduate students enrolled in Spring 2020-Spring 2022 who are eligible for a 13th and 14th semester,
  • GSI or GSR Appointments of 24% or less,
  • ASE/GSR Appointments of 76% or higher.

If a supplemental memo is needed, address it to the Associate Dean for Student Support, attach it to the form, and send to [email protected]. If the exception is approved, the Graduate Division will notify the department, and the hiring unit can proceed with appointing the student.

‘Academic Overlap’ and GSI Appointment Dates

GSI appointment dates are August 1 to December 31 for the Fall semester and January 1 to May 31 for the Spring semester. These dates allow students to receive their first check in September rather than October and receive a full five months of salary. Students who work up to 100% time during summer session or winter break and also begin a GSI appointment on January 1 or August 1 could potentially work over 100% for several weeks early in those months.

To resolve this potential conflict of working beyond 100% time, Graduate Division and Central Payroll allow for what is known as Academic Overlap. Academic Overlap is only acceptable when the student has a Fall or Spring GSI or AI-GS appointment. For example, if a student decides to work on campus at 100% time during Summer Sessions from May 18 (after the Spring semester ends) to August 21 (the day before start of Fall semester), and is also appointed 50% time GSI for the Fall semester from August 1 to December 31, the resulting overage in appointment percentage is referred to as an acceptable Academic Overlap.

*Please refer to the Academic Calendar for begin/end dates of Fall, Spring & Summer terms.

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