The base salary for a 50% position (20 hrs. a week)听for AY24/25 is $13,071 per semester. Some departments may pay above this rate based on availability of funds.听Please check with your home department regarding exact salary.
Graduate Student Appointment Definitions
Graduate Assistants: The term graduate assistant is used generically to cover all 4 types of graduate assistants: general graduate assistants, teaching assistants, graduate part-time instructors and research assistants.
Graduate Assistant (GA):听Graduate students who have assignments within the department but are not directly involved in instruction; these appointments are often administrative in nature.
Teaching Assistant (TA):听Graduate students who supervise and lead quiz sections, discussion sections, recitations or laboratory sections, serve as class assistants, or perform comparable activities. Each TA must be under the guidance of a particular professor(s) designated by the department chair or his/her delegate.听TAs are not placed in overall charge of courses.
Graduate Part-Time Instructor (GPTI):听Graduate students who must have master's degree or equivalent, and have demonstrated competence in classroom teaching.听GPTIs generally are given full responsibility for an undergraduate class and designated as the instructor of record.听Their activities may include preparing the course syllabus, instructing their class, holding office hours, determining of grades, etc.
Research Assistant (RA):听Graduate students assisting with and performing research, writing up results of experiments, presenting findings at conferences, etc.
Information for students appointed as TAs, GAs, RAs, and GPTIs
Hours Employed per Week |
Tuition Coverage听 |
Appointment Percentage |
6 |
3 credit hours |
15% |
8 |
4 credit hours |
20% |
10 |
5 credit hours |
25% |
12 |
6 credit hours |
30% |
14 |
7 credit hours |
35% |
16 |
8 credit hours |
40% |
18-20 |
9-18 credit hours |
45-50% |
Conflict Resolution
Whenever possible, graduate students and faculty in graduate programs should seek informal resolution of appointment conflicts. A list of campus resources that may be helpful in identifying and achieving resolutions can be found on the Graduate School website.
听If a student has concerns about appointment duties, time commitment, compensation, etc., these should first be addressed to the employment supervisor. If that is not feasible, or the graduate student is unsatisfied with the outcome they should speak to the employing department鈥檚 Director of Graduate Studies (also commonly referred to as the Associate Chair). Graduate director鈥檚 responsibilities include ensuring fair and equitable treatment of graduate students and adjudicating any inconsistences between the employment contract (e.g., employment offer letter) and actual scope of work. The graduate director will advocate on behalf of the student with the employment supervisor or other faculty if appropriate.
听After working with the graduate director, if the student still feels that they have not obtained a successful resolution they may contact the Graduate School at graduate.school@colorado.edu听to discuss further options.听
听If the issue is not resolved through informal avenues, a student may choose to file a formal grievance with their employing program. If the student is dissatisfied with the听program level grievance decision, then the student may subsequently submit a formal grievance to the Graduate School.
Information for students appointed as Pre-Doc Trainees/Fellows
Pre-Doc Trainee (Fellowship):听Graduate students on training grants or fellowships鈥攏o service to the university is expected.听Payment allows for student to continue their own scholarly and research pursuits. There is no employer/employee relationship between the university and students on these appointments.
There are many types of fellowships/pre-doc trainees, so always check with the funding agency regarding your particular situation.听
Tax Information for Scholarships and Fellowships/Traineeships
The following general information is offered as a resource and should not be considered tax advice. Your individual situation may not be covered by this information.
The general rule is that any income is subject to federal taxation, but scholarships and fellowships are excluded from taxation when the award is a qualified scholarship given to the degree-seeking recipient for the purpose of studying or conducting research at an educational institution.
Qualified scholarships and fellowships are defined to include tuition and fees required for enrollment or attendance at the educational institution and fees, books, supplies, or equipment required for courses of instruction at the institution. Expenses that are NOT tax exempt include room and board, travel, research costs, and equipment and supplies not required for enrollment. For tax purposes you must keep copies of all award notices and announcements. For items you wish to deduct you must have receipts.
In general, students bear the tax burden; federal government agencies require students to determine taxation of scholarships and fellowships when filing annual income tax returns. The University of Colorado does not issue 1099 forms to scholarship holders.
Taxable Income
Besides direct payment funds of tuition, fees, and benefits, all income is subject to taxation and must be reported on federal and Colorado state tax forms, as well as any other forms according to your individual situation. This includes stipends, debit funds, and any other funding you receive from the university that isn鈥檛 considered a qualified scholarship.
Withholding
For stipends and other funds not tied to employment (e.g., stipends received as part of a fellowship or other funding package), the university does not report the stipend on a federal or state form and does not withhold any taxes. This does NOT relieve the recipient from the obligation of reporting these amounts on his/her individual income tax returns and paying the tax liability on the taxable portion of the stipend.