Figure: Graduate Student Pay Scale
The Department and its various research groups support a number of graduate students each quarter as teaching and research assistants. Departmental support as a TA is limited to seven quarters on the Ph.D. level and four quarters on the Master's level without special permission from the graduate studies committee. Support is contingent upon satisfactory progress toward completion of a degree. The number of assistantships depends upon available funding. The department will notify students of funding awards as soon as possible before the start of a quarter. It is usually not possible, however, to notify students of their specific assignments (that is, whether they will be an RA or TA) until the beginning of each quarter, as these decisions are based on class enrollment figures. The figure below gives the current pay scale for Computer Science graduate RAs and TAs at the customary 0.5 FTE (20 hours/week) level. Undergraduate TAs are paid on a separate hourly scale.
Figure: Graduate Student Pay Scale
Full-time students who are employed by the University are exempt from FICA taxes and should file a form to this effect. This form is available from the department administrator or from the Payroll office in 103 Park Building. A form must be filed each quarter to keep the exemption in effect.
