Conditions of RA Appointments

Stipend and Payment of Stipend

This appointment provides financial support in the form of a stipend for the period identified in the letter. Appointments will be implemented through Arizona State University’s payroll system, and your stipend will be paid out in installments on a bi-weekly basis.  

Tuition Award

Your appointment may provide a full or partial tuition award (reflected as RA/TA Remission on your student account).

Health Insurance

50% appointments provides premium coverage for ASU individual health insurance if you elect health insurance coverage. Please note, if you need health insurance, please be sure to select that option when registering for classes on myASU; if you decline, you will be without coverage from the university. The University will not cover premiums for any other insurance plan. 

Appointment Start/End Date

If you fail to start your appointment on the designated start date, you will be deemed to have abandoned the appointment, and the appointment will automatically terminate. In that event, you forfeit the stipend, the tuition, award, and any other benefits that would have come to you because of the appointment.  

Financial Aid Impact

If you have applied for and/or received financial aid, acceptance of an assistantship may decrease your financial aid funding eligibility. Please consult Financial Aid and Scholarship Services if you have questions.

Limited Term Appointment

RA appointments are, by definition, term appointments and do not create any expectation for continued appointment.  Therefore, this appointment automatically expires at the end of the appointment term without further notice of termination.

Appointment Contingent on Funding Availability

RA appointments are contingent on the availability of funds to support the appointment which may terminate if funding is no longer available.

Taxes

Assistantship stipends will be subject to appropriate tax deductions, and it is your responsibility to understand the costs of benefits and tax implications of your appointment. If you have any questions about the tax implications of your appointment, please consult your tax advisor. ASU staff does not provide tax advice.

Fees and Program Tuition

Unless otherwise stated in your appointment letter, assistantships do not cover university mandatory fees, program tuition and/or fees for the academic year or summer sessions; these are your responsibility. For more information of the ASU cost of attendance visit https://students.asu.edu/standard-cost-attendance.

Graduate Assistant (TA/RA) Program

All new graduate RAs are required to attend Graduate Assistant Training.  This training provides valuable information and resources. Returning research assistants should visit their training portal to complete any new ASU training requirements. 

The trainings are a combination of ASU required trainings as well as Graduate College trainings. Failure to complete the required trainings could result in the termination of your graduate assistantship.

Required Training

Before undertaking your responsibilities, (e.g., first day of classroom, lab or other student-facing responsibilities), you are required to complete the following training modules:

• Academic Freedom Orientation Lesson
• Arizona Public Service Policy
• ASU – Your Duty to Report
• Community of Care: Welcome Sun Devils
• Community of Care: Coming to Campus
• Community of Care Training for Employees
• Everfi Violence Prevention program
• FERPA Training for Staff (for System Access)
• Fire Safety
• Information Security Awareness Training
• Preventing Harassment and Discrimination (Non-supervisor)
• Research and Academic Integrity

Work Limits

The primary purpose of an appointment is to assist you in successfully completing an academic program. During the term of your appointment, if you are offered and would like to accept another appointment or employment opportunity at Arizona State University, you may must ensure that you will not exceed the allowable FTE as outlined at: https://cfo.asu.edu/aca-faqs-undergraduate-graduate-student-workers.

You may not work more than 50% FTE (20 hours per week) during the Fall and Spring semesters in all positions combined. RAs may work up to 100% FTE (40 hours per week) during semester breaks and Summer semester appointments. However, TAs may not average more than 62.5% FTE (25 hours per week) in the ACA calendar year (October through September) as measured by the Affordable Care Act You will be terminated from your appointment if you exceed this limit and will not be eligible for reappointment for 26 weeks. 

International students on F-1 or J-1 visas may not exceed 20 hours per week (0.50 FTE) during the fall and spring semesters, while they are concurrently enrolled.  Please refer to current policies on the ISSC webpage.

Intellectual Property Policies and Assignment of Intellectual Property

Data, including but not limited to lab notes, results of analyses, research notes, research data reports, and research notebooks, comprise a category of intellectual property covered by The Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) policy 6–908 https://public.azregents.edu/Policy%20Manual/6-908-Intellectual%20Property%20Policy.pdf  By signing below and accepting this appointment, you understand and acknowledge that you are assigning and do hereby assign any right, title, and interest you have in any Intellectual Property you develop to Arizona State University.

Unit, Departmental or Program-specific Terms

The unit in which your assistantship is assigned or the program in which you are enrolled as a student may have additional requirements or expectations. You should refer to the unit academic handbook for your program for additional policies and information. You should work with your supervisor regarding specific assignments, to understand how you will be supervised, and the performance review process.

TA/RA Handbook

Please review the TA/RA Handbook for additional information and an overview of Arizona State University policies and support services pertinent to teaching and research assistants and associates.

Credit Hour Requirement

This appointment is conditioned upon your maintaining enrollment in a minimum of at least 6 non-audit credit hours each during Fall and Spring semester appointments, and a minimum of one non-audit credit hour for Summer semester appointments. Failure to maintain enrollment in the minimum required hours will result in the termination of your appointment. 

Academic and GPA Requirements

This appointment is conditioned upon your being and remaining in good academic standing and maintaining at least a 3.0 GPA.  Failure to maintain good academic standing or to maintain the required GPA will result in the termination of your appointment.

University Provided Email

As an RA, you are required to use the e-mail account and address provided by ASU.  All communications from the University will come to you via your University provided e-mail address.

Applicable Laws, Rules, Regulations, and Policies

Your RA appointment is subject to all applicable federal and state laws, as well as all rules, regulations, and policies that are set by the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) and Arizona State University.  These include, but are not limited to, the Student Code of Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures and the Prohibition Against Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation.

Voluntary Resignation

If you decide to leave your appointment prior to the end of the appointment term, you are required to submit a written letter of resignation to your advisor (or committee chair), the Director of your unit, and to the Graduate College at least one week in advance of the effective date of resignation. 

Involuntary Termination of Appointment

This appointment may terminate based on poor performance, unprofessional conduct, or failure to satisfy any term or condition of this appointment.

Financial Impact of Early Termination of Appointment

The early termination of your appointment, whether it results from your resignation or the involuntary termination of the appointment, may result in the forfeiture of the stipend, the tuition award, and any other benefits that would have come to you because of the appointment.  In such circumstances, you will be charged for the full tuition and health insurance amounts.

In limited circumstances when the involuntary resignation results from no fault of the student, salary will end as of the date of termination, but the full tuition award for the semester will remain in place.