This is a nine-month program from October to June. The academic year is divided into three segments, with a three month period per quarter as follows:

During each of the quarter periods indicated above, a student may not be appointed at the same time using the GSR job code 003266 and the GSRTF title code(s) 003262, 003263, 003264, 003284, 003285, 003286, 003287. A student is either eligible for the GSRTF program for all months during the quarter period or not eligible (title code 3266) for GSRTF during the period. Additionally, if eligible for GSRTF, a student should only be employed on the GSRTF job code of their academic home department. A student may not be appointed at the same time using one or more GSRTF job codes. 

The GSRTF monthly assessment (average rate) is prorated when an eligible GSRTF is paid from more than one fund source during the same month. 

See also Formulas for GSRTF Assessment.

GSR Appointments Eligible for GSRTF

A GSR must satisfy all the following conditions in order to qualify for tuition and fee remission:

1. Be appointed for a minimum 25% time for the full quarter in which tuition and fees are paid, or the dollar equivalent (e.g., 50% for half the quarter). Note: the dollar equivalent is calculated by working days in the GSR pay periods. (Example:  In Fall 2022 there are 60 days in the quarter, but 65 working days from 10/01-12/31.  Total quarterly salary should be divided by 65 to get the daily rate for the calculation.  Check with the graduate employment team for assistance in calculating.)

2. Be within campus time limits for support.

3. For Non Resident Supplemental Tuition remission, be within the first year of graduate study at UCSD (unless an international student). US citizens and permanent residents should establish California residency by the start of their second year. 

4. Not have a fellowship or traineeship which provides tuition and fees. 

GSR Appointments Not Eligible for GSRTF

There are some situations when a GSR, even though appointed at 25% or more during a quarter, is not eligible for GSRTF.

1. A student has an extramural fellowship or traineeship that pays full tuition/fees (and a monthly stipend) and the extramural fellowship or traineeship is the primary award.  If a student receives an extramural fellowship with a monthly stipend and full tuition/fee payment, and the total stipend amount for the quarter exceeds the monthly GSR salary for the quarter, the GSR would not be eligible for GSRTF.  The GSR would be appointed on job code 003266 (salary only). 

2. A student’s tuition/fees are already paid via a third-party contract.  (For example, an international student has his tuition/fees paid by his home government.  The GSR appointment would be on job code 003266 (salary only).  A copy of the third-party contract must be on file in the Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs.) 

3. A student in one of the Joint Doctoral Programs between UCSD/SDSU pays registration tuition/fees at San Diego State University.

   1.    The following Joint Doctoral Programs employ GSRs meeting the criteria listed in #3:  Clinical Psychology, Mathematics and Science Education, and Public Health. (For example, a student in the Clinical Psychology Joint Doctoral program and is paying tuition/fees at SDSU.  A GSR appointment will be on job code 003266 (salary only).)  

The hiring department should coordinate this fee payment request with the student’s Academic Home Department at the time pre-approval for employment is requested.  Academic Home Departments are responsible for submitting fee payment requests for all their students regardless of where the students are employed on campus. The Academic Home Department should submit a fee payment request in the Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs Financial Support Request Tool.  Timely fee payment submission and payroll time reporting is mandatory in accordance with the UAW contract and university policy.

Note: The GSRTF will not be paid at the beginning of the quarter if the student has a registration or financial “hold” placed on the student account because the student is in arrears from a previous quarter.

The fund source that pays the GSR salary is assessed an average monthly charge for the cost of GSRTF.  The charging of tuition-and-fee remission to federally sponsored research grants and contracts was approved for the San Diego Campus by the department of Health and Human Services on August 3, 1984.

There are seven separate GSRTF pools (CSE, ECE, MAE, SE, PHYS, SIO, General) that have a corresponding GSRTF title code and average rate (see calculation below).  Based on the title code entered in UCPath, the corresponding rate is charged to the salary fund source on a monthly basis to collect monies for the GSRTF payments issued on the student’s behalf. See Student Academic Title Pay Rates for the list of GSRTF Pools and their associated Job Codes and rates.

The average monthly rates (and GSR salary/step levels) also appear on the Student Academic Title Rates chart on the Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs website: https://grad.ucsd.edu/financial/employment/student-pay-rates.html

The Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs has overall fiscal responsibility for managing the seven GSRTF accounts.  Each summer the Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs works with the GSRTF Pool departments to determine and recommend monthly average rates to go into affect the following October 1.

Calculation

Each GSRTF Pool’s annual charge is calculated by summing the projected tuition and fees (including NRST) to be paid by all GSRs in the specific GSRTF Pool in the upcoming year, adding any deficit or subtracting any surplus from the Pool's previous year's account, and dividing this number by the projected number of eligible GSRs in the specific Pool.  Surpluses and deficits are not shared with other GSRTF Pool accounts.

Nonresident Supplemental Tuition may be automatically covered for some students employed as GSRs at 25% or more for an entire quarter:

• NRST will be automatically covered for domestic students in their first year of enrollment

• NRST will be automatically covered for international students

After the first year of enrollment as a domestic student or a Permanent Resident, NRST is no longer automatically covered.

Departments may request to pay NRST for domestic students who are beyond their first year of enrollment and who have not established CA residency without an exception request.

See Appendix: Nonresident Supplemental Tuition (NRST) for full details

See Fee Remission Entry Instructions for details on payment requests.

Prior to AY 2021-2022

1. All proposals which request GSR salaries should include requests for GSR Tuition-and-Fee Remission at the average rate for the projected GSR's graduate department/program.  GSRTF continues to be excluded from indirect costs.

2. For those individual extramural funds that do not accept the GSRTF assessment (ex. American Cancer, American Heart, March of Dimes) the appropriate monthly charge (average rate) will be debited against the special GSRTF Clearing Account which the Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs administers.  The department must complete the GSRTF Clearing Account or Recharge Action Form and submit it to the Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs.  For more details on this process, please see our /wiki/spaces/GRAD/pages/54298360.

3. In 1985, all Department Chairs agreed that those departments in the General Pool and using title code 3284 will have their fellowship block grant adjusted by the amount of the department's over or underpayment to the General Pool. The Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs manages this process.

Significant Changes:

1. Effective FY2122 - Budgeting/Projecting GSRTF (with the proportional split):

   • The most conservative budgeting practice for proposals would be to assume the full cost of tuition remission at the average (pooled) rate for the projected GSR's program/degree. Alternatively, if appropriate, the GSR effort could be scheduled for summer when tuition remission is inactive

   • For accurately projecting expenditures (post-award), Research Administrators will need to coordinate with the student & home department to understand if the student holds multiple appointments, resulting in the proportional split of tuition remission costs. The Proportional Split Sandbox (spreadsheet) may also be helpful for .

2. Effective FY 2021-2022 - Sponsors Disallowing GSRTF:

   • Requests to alter the automated process to post GSRTF to funding sources other than the payroll funding source will not accepted. The Graduate Financial Support Unit coordinates the automated monthly and quarterly remission redistribution process which follows cost accounting standards to ensure that benefits of employment follow the effort assigned to salary fund sources. 

   • For sponsored projects that disallow GSRTF, please work with the appropriate SPF Award Accountant to enact Project Transaction Controls. The automated process will produce an unprocessed cost, at which point the transaction can be redirected appropriately. 

   • Previously, departments were asked to submit a GSRTF Clearing Account or Recharge Action Form to accommodate cost transfers for individual extramural funds that did not accept the GSRTF assessment (ex. American Cancer, American Heart, March of Dimes).  The Financial Support Unit will no longer request these forms or approve these actions and recommend that departments confer with their financial managers and post-award accountants to determine when a cost transfer may or may not be appropriate.  

3. Effective FY1920 - Changes to Block Grant Allocation Model:

   • In FY1920 and FY2021 Block Grant adjustments were paused (allocations remained flat), and in FY2021 the Block Grant model was updated. Departments should refer to the Graduate Funding Reform information for details on the Block Grant model.