Graduate Assistant Tuition Exemption Process

University Student Compensation, Tuition & Fees Policy requires that proposals that include graduate assistant compensation/stipend support should also include tuition unless unallowable or otherwise prohibited by the sponsor, unless an exemption is approved. This webpage provides guidance on the process for requesting and documenting exemptions to that requirement.

Exemption Approval Authority

Authority to approve exemptions rests with the Dean or Vice President of the unit that anticipates employing and paying the graduate assistant. For purposes of this exemption process, the approving unit is the unit in which the graduate assistant’s employment/payroll is expected to reside, regardless of whether the individual student has been identified at the proposal stage.

The Dean or Vice President of the relevant unit may establish criteria, procedures, or internal review requirements for exemption requests within their unit. Principal Investigators and proposal preparers should consult their unit’s internal guidance before submitting a proposal that excludes graduate assistant tuition where appropriate and allowable.

Role of the Principal Investigator

Principal Investigators may enter the exemption justification in the Grants Portal or delegate the data entry to the proposal preparer; however, the justification must reflect an exemption that is consistent with the exemption criteria established by the Dean or Vice President of the employing unit.

PIs should not determine exemptions independently. If graduate assistant tuition is appropriate and is not included in the proposal budget, the PI is responsible for ensuring that the proposed exemption is consistent with the criteria and approval process established by the relevant Dean or Vice President.

Documentation in the Grants Portal

When a proposal anticipates graduate student support and graduate assistant tuition is not included in the budget, a justification is required in the Grants Portal. The justification should explain the basis for the exemption and confirm that the exemption is consistent with the process established by the Dean or Vice President of the unit that anticipates employing the graduate assistant.

For the purposes of Sponsored Projects Administration (SPA), completing the required Grants Portal fields is sufficient documentation of the exemption request. Units may require additional internal documentation, approvals, or records at their discretion. The proposal transmittal will be routed electronically to the dean or vice president (or their delegate), and they will be prompted to review and indicate their approval of the exemption request. Once the dean, vice president, or delegate approves the exemption, no further action is needed.

Responsibility of Other Units

Only the Dean or Vice President of the unit that anticipates employing and paying the graduate assistant is responsible for approving the exemption. Other units that may receive academic credit, center and institute credit, or other proposal-related credit, or other units that have another relationship to the graduate student but do not employ/pay the student, are not responsible for approving the tuition exemption.

Questions

Questions about a unit’s criteria or internal exemption process should be directed to the relevant Dean’s or Vice President’s office. Questions about proposal routing or Grants Portal documentation may be directed to Sponsored Projects Administration.