The University requires graduate student appointments to be assigned and processed accurately and in a timely manner, as described in this policy. Each school and department is expected to work with its students and faculty advisors/principal investigators (PIs) to ensure the correct appointment type is assigned. The students’ appointments should be based on whether there is an expectation of service in return for payment; the appointment should not be determined by the funding source. (See Policy 305 - Tuition Remission).

While students may hold more than one appointment simultaneously, a student is generally not permitted to hold a combination of fellowship appointments with RA, TA, and/or Instructor appointments. However, an exception can be granted if a student receives a fellowship that provides partial support. Other exceptions to this policy must be submitted to GPS and will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

It is not uncommon for graduate students to hold different types of appointments throughout their academic journey. However, once a student has been assigned to a research advisor and there is an expectation of service, their appointment should not revert to a graduate fellowship unless the student receives a competitive external fellowship award (i.e., NSF GRFP, GEM, NIH, NRSA), or internal fellowship award (including, but not limited to, a university, school or department fellowship). Without such competitive fellowship awards, the student's appointment should remain in the capacity of a research assistant or other relevant appointment type.