General Information on Graduate Student Academic Appointments

Student Academic Employment positions provide the single largest source of UC Santa Barbara graduate student support. They also constitute an important aspect of graduate training under faculty guidance. Graduate Student Academic Employment encompasses the following positions:

  • Graduate Student Researcher

  • Associate Instructor

  • Teaching Assistant

  • Reader

  • Remedial Tutor

Students who are appointed to Associate Instructor, Reader, Remedial Tutor, and Teaching Assistant and Graduate Student Researcher titles fall under an agreement between the Regents of the University of California and the International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW), pursuant to the provisions of the Higher Education Employer-Employee Relations Act (HEERA). See the relevant UC-UAW Collective Bargaining Agreement (ASE Contract; GSR Contract). For questions concerning the contracts, please contact HR-Labor Relations here.

Student Academic
Appointment Types

A Graduate Student Researcher (GSR) is a full time registered UC graduate student (minimum of 8 units) in full-time residence (with exception for students approved for In Absentia status), who performs research related to the student’s degree program in an academic department or research unit under the direction of a faculty member or Principal Investigator.

In addition to the general eligibility criteria described on the Graduate Division site here, and in the campus Red Binder here, Graduate Student Researchers are subject to the following requirements:

  • Appointees must hold a BA/BS degree.
  • Doctoral students must be within the departmental and Graduate Council approved number of years for both advancement to candidacy and degree completion as specified in Academic Senate Regulation 350A.
  • Master’s students must be within the four-year time limit set for the master’s degree as specified in Academic Senate Regulation 300A.
  • The work performed may contribute to the educational objectives of the student; and/or
  • The student functions as an active collaborator and/or fundamental contributor to the intellectual content of the research.

In certain cases, an Exception to Employment Policy may be requested by the home department to appoint a student who does not meet certain eligibility criteria. More details on that process are described below in the Employment Eligibility Exception Requests section.

A continuing graduate student must be registered in the previous spring quarter and have an open degree to be eligible for a summer GSR appointment. New students who register early for fall quarter in at least 8 units are eligible for summer GSR appointments if they are doing work in summer that will continue into fall (except for International Students). For more details, please consult the Human Resources site here.

For more information, please refer to the Academic Personnel site here.

A Teaching Assistant is a full time registered UC graduate student (minimum of 8 units) in full-time residence, chosen for excellent scholarship and promise as a teacher, who serves an apprenticeship under the supervision of a regular faculty member.

In addition to the general eligibility criteria described on the Graduate Division site here, and in the campus Red Binder here, Teaching Assistants are subject to the following requirements:

  • Appointees must be within the departmental and Graduate Council approved number of years for both advancement to candidacy and degree completion as specified in Academic Senate Regulation 350A.
  • Master’s students must be within the four-year time limit set for the master’s degree as stated in Academic Senate Regulation 300A.
  • International students must be certified as having language proficiency in spoken English if their native language is not English. Additional details are available on the English for Multilingual Students program website.
  • After a year or more of graduate work, the graduate record will be substituted for the candidate’s undergraduate record in appraising scholarly performance.

The department chair, acting upon nominations made by department members, is authorized to appoint TAs. However, the Dean of the Graduate Division must approve all exceptions for students who do not meet the appointment criteria described in the Employment Eligibility and Limitations on Service sections as described in Red Binder IV-1 General Information. More details on that process are described below in the Employment Eligibility Exception Requests section. The selection, supervision, and training of all TAs are important responsibilities of the teaching department, and in particular the department chair. All candidates for appointment and reappointment should be subjected to careful review and recommendation.

The TA is not responsible for the instructional content of a course, for selection of student assignments, for planning of examinations, or for determining the quarter grade for students. A TA should not be assigned responsibility for instructing the entire enrollment of a course or for providing the entire instruction of a group of students enrolled in a course. The TA is, instead, responsible for the conduct of recitation, laboratory, or quiz sections under the active direction and supervision of a regular member of the faculty to whom final responsibility for the course's entire instruction, including the performance of TAs, has been assigned.

For more information, please refer to the Academic Personnel site here. For summer Teaching Assistant Appointments, please contact the Office of Summer Sessions.

An Associate Instructor is a full time registered UC graduate student (minimum of 8 units) employed temporarily to give independent instruction for a course.

In addition to the general eligibility criteria described on the Graduate Division site here, and in the campus Red Binder here, Associate Instructors are subject to the following requirements:

  • Appointees must be within the departmental and Graduate Council approved number of years for both advancement to candidacy and degree completion as specified in Academic Senate Regulation 350A.
  • Appointees must hold a Master's degree, or be advanced to candidacy, and have at least one year of teaching experience.
  • An Associate Instructor should be competent to conduct independently and without supervision the entire instruction of a course.

Normally an Associate Instructor will conduct the entire instruction of a course. Associate Instructors may not be assigned an upper-division undergraduate course without the approval from the Committee on Courses and General Education (CCGE) and may not teach a graduate course without approval from the Graduate Council. Associate Instructors may not evaluate fellow graduate student appointees (e.g., TAs). If TAs are assigned, a faculty member must be named responsible for the evaluation of the TA(s).

For more information, please refer to the Academic Personnel site here. For summer Associate Appointment Requests, please contact the Office of Summer Sessions.

A Reader appointment is for a student to serve as a "course assistant," which will normally include grading of student papers and final examinations. Graduate Students in this role must be registered full time (minimum of 8 units).

In addition to the general eligibility criteria described on the Graduate Division site here, and in the campus Red Binder here, Readers are subject to the following requirements:

  • Graduate student appointees must be within the departmental and Graduate Council approved number of years for both advancement to candidacy and degree completion as specified in Academic Senate Regulation 350A.
  • Master’s students must be within the four-year time limit set for the master’s degree as stated in Academic Senate Regulation 300A.
  • Readers will normally be graduate students; however, qualified undergraduates or non-students may be employed to meet special needs or when graduate students are not available. Readers are subject to the provisions of the UC-UAW Collective Bargaining ASE Contract regardless of student status.
  • Readers should have maintained at least a 3.0 grade-point average in their previous academic work, and should have taken and received at least a “B” grade in the course or equivalent in which they are serving.
  • For students who have completed at least one full year of graduate work, the record of the year just past will be substituted for the undergraduate record. The appointing department will have the responsibility of ascertaining that these standards are maintained.

A Reader should not be given the responsibilities customarily accorded to a TA. Readers will usually be graduate students, but qualified undergraduates may be appointed to this position.

For more information about Readers, please refer to the Academic Personnel site here.

A Remedial Tutor assists students in understanding course concepts, discovering solutions to problems, modeling study strategies, developing methods for independent work, and preparing for upcoming exams.

In addition to the general eligibility criteria described on the Graduate Division site here, and in the campus Red Binder here, Remedial Tutors are subject to the following requirements:

  • Graduate student appointees must be within the departmental and Graduate Council approved number of years for both advancement to candidacy and degree completion as specified in Academic Senate Regulation 350A.
  • Master’s students must be within the four-year time limit set for the master’s degree as stated in Academic Senate Regulation 300A.
  • Remedial Tutors will normally be graduate students; however, qualified undergraduate students may be employed in established undergraduate tutoring programs. Remedial Tutors are subject to the provisions of the UC-UAW Collective Bargaining ASE Contract regardless of student status.
  • Additional appointment criteria, such as completion of specific coursework, may be required for Remedial Tutor positions.

Remedial Tutors may be either graduate students or qualified undergraduates. For more information about Remedial Tutors, please refer to the Academic Personnel site here.

Employment Eligibility Exception Requests

In order to hold academic employment, graduate students must meet all student employment eligibility criteria described in each title above. In certain cases, an Exception to Employment Policy may be requested by the home department in order to allow a student who does not meet these criteria to be employed.

Exception to Employment Policy Requests should be submitted to the Graduate Division at least six weeks prior to the impacted academic quarter to ensure timely processing. Below you will find the conditions that require submission of a request to allow for impacted students to be eligible for academic employment.

  • Appointment of graduate students on academic probation.

  • Appointment of graduate students who have already worked a combined total of 18 quarters as a TA and/or Associate Instructor up to a maximum of 21 quarters per temporary extension of the Chancellor’s authority (see memo from the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs).

  • Appointment of graduate students for more than 75% time (however, the 50% time restriction applies to international students and Associate Instructors without exception).

  • Student is 4 or more quarters Beyond Time to Degree or Advancement (with academic progress plan submitted to Graduate Division Academics Unit).

  • Students registered in Part-Time Status. Please see Part-Time Tuition Status page for more details.

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  • Appointment of graduate students while on Monitoring Status (but not on Probation).
  • Appointment of graduate students from 51% to 75% time.
  • Appointment of graduate students 1-3 quarters Beyond Time to Degree (with academic progress plan submitted to Graduate Division Academics Unit).
  • Appointment of graduate students to serve 13 to 18 quarters as a TA and/or Associate. 
  • Appointment of graduate students with a GPA below 3.0.
  • Appointment of graduate students with 12 or more units of incomplete grades.
  • Appointment of graduate students beyond department Normative Time Standards (Pre-Fall 2010 admits).
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Departments are allowed to approve graduate student employment exceptions related to Time-to-Degree for up to three quarters as long as an Academic Progress Plan has been submitted on GradPoint via their Progress Plan Action.

Fee and Tuition Remission

Graduate students appointed in fee remission bearing titles may become eligible for fee remission as a benefit of their employment. Fee remission is calculated on a quarterly basis and eligibility is determined based on combined effort across all Academic Student Employee (ASE) and Graduate Student Researcher (GSR) appointments for the quarter in question. Please click the information dropdowns for additional information about fee remission levels. For current fee amounts, please see Fees and Costs. The remissions quoted are consistent with the terms of the current UC-UAW Agreement. Please be aware that future wages, terms, and conditions are subject to modification based on the collective bargaining process.

All graduate students are assessed a quarterly fee for mandatory graduate student health insurance (UCSHIP). Full payment of UCSHIP is processed centrally for Graduate Student Researchers, Teaching Assistants, Associate Instructors, Tutors, Remedial Tutors, and Readers who have appointments of 25% time or greater, as defined by the UC-UAW Agreement. All other graduate students must either pay the fee or obtain a waiver. Students obtain waivers by proving to the Student Health Services Office that they have comparable coverage under another health insurance policy. For more information students are encouraged to consult the UCSHIP Information Page or call the Student Health Office, (805) 893-3371.

GSRs hired at 25% to 34% qualify for partial fee remission (tuition, student service fee, and campus-based fees, which consist of GSA fees and Student lock-in fees) and remission of the premium for the University-sponsored student health insurance plan (UCShip). Please note, partial fee remission does not cover the non-resident supplemental tuition assessment.

Graduate Student Researchers (GSRs) qualify for full fee and tuition remission if they are appointed for at least 35% in all GSR appointments combined over the duration of a quarter. Full fee and tuition remission includes the payment of fees (tuition, student service fee, and campus based fees, which consist of GSA fees and Student lock-in fees), the premium for the University-sponsored student health insurance plan (UCShip) and non-resident supplemental tuition.

*For questions about fee and tuition remission for GSR Fellows and Trainees, please contact sa-financial@ucsb.edu.

ASEs whose appointment is at least 25% time qualify for a partial fee remission (tuition, student service fee, and campus-based fees, which consist of GSA fees and Student lock-in fees) and remission of the premium for the University-sponsored student health insurance plan (UCShip). Please note, partial fee remission does not cover the non-resident supplemental tuition assessment.

These benefits must be paid from the funding source that pays the student's salary. The cost of these benefits will be charged to the funding source monthly. GSRs hired at 25% to 34% qualify for partial fee remission, which includes payment of partial fees (tuition, student service fee, and campus-based fees which consist of GSA fees and Student lock-in fees) and remission of the premium for the University-sponsored student health insurance plan (UCShip). Graduate students appointed in both GSR and ASE positions qualify for partial fee remission if appointed for at least 25% combined across all ASE and GSR appointments over the quarter. Please note, partial fee remission does not cover the non-resident supplemental tuition assessment.

Students with ASE and GSR appointments are eligible for full fee remission only if the GSR appointment has an FTE of at least 35%. Please email sa-financial@ucsb.edu if you have questions about how the fee remission benefit will be split between funding sources.

For current fee amounts, please see Fees and Costs.

How to Hire Graduate Students

The hiring process for ASEs and GSRs are described in the campus Red Binder Section IV: Student Academic Titles – See Personnel Actions for the respective Job Title.

GradPoint Financial will generate fee remission during the academic year for qualifying appointments in UCPath.

For summer Teaching Assistant or Associate Appointments, please contact the Office of Summer Sessions.

Department submits Associate Appointment Packets at least eight weeks prior to the start of the academic quarter (Fall, Winter, and Spring) following the procedure established by Academic Personnel. Appointment packets must include the following:

  • Department Letter of Recommendation (for an example, see Academic Policies and Procedures Section IV – 3)
  • UCSB Biography form with initial appointment in department (original plus one copy)
  • Teaching Evaluations
  • Graduate transcript
  • Eligibility Verification from home department form if necessary (see below)

Once endorsed by the Graduate Division, the appointment request for lower division courses from the Bren School and the College of Creative Studies is taken to the Associate Vice Chancellor of Academic Personnel. For all other lower division courses the appointment request is taken to their respective Deans. For upper division and graduate level courses the appointment request is endorsed by the Graduate Division, then taken to the Academic Senate (either the Undergraduate Council or Graduate Council, accordingly) for review and lastly sent to the respective Dean for final approval.

For summer Associate Appointment requests, please contact the Office of Summer Sessions.

The home department completes the Exception to Employment Policy Form, making sure to provide adequate academic justification explaining the reason for the exception. Department submits to the Graduate Division for approval. If approved, the department will receive an approval memo and may proceed with the hiring process.

To obtain approval to hire a student outside their home department, the employing department completes the Eligibility Verification from Home Department Form and submits to the home department for approval. Once approved, the form is kept on file in the employing department. If the student requires an Exception to Employment Policy in order to hold employment, the home department submits an exception to the Graduate Division for approval. Once approved, they sign the Eligibility Verification form and send it back to the employing department.