Q1 If a graduate assistant’s appointment is split between 2 projects, will the tuition remission surcharge be split between the projects?

A1 Yes, the tuition remission surcharge will be split between the two projects based on the percent of appointment on each project.

Q2 If a graduate assistant has a 25% TA appointment and a 25% PA appointment for a semester, what would the tuition remission surcharge be?

A2 In this case the tuition remission surcharge will be split evenly. The PA appointment would be charged $2,000 per semester or $444.44 per month (4.5 months). The TA appointment would be initially charged, but the charge would be reversed. The net effect of the TA transactions is no charge for the TA appointment.

Q3 For some departments, it is quite common for their graduate assistants to work as teaching assistants during the academic year and then serve as RAs or PAs during the summer months. How much tuition remission surcharge will be charged for these summer only positions?

A3 There will be no tuition remission surcharge for PA and RA appointments during the summer.

Q4 Does the tuition remission surcharge apply to existing grants, and if so, what is the start date?

A4 The tuition remission surcharge applies to all grants and will begin the spring semester of 2006-07. The first charge will be processed during the January 2007 end of month cycle.

Q5 What happens if the graduate assistant has a TA appointment at 33% and a RA appointment at 11.2%? Would the TA appointment cover the tuition remission surcharge, or would the RA appointment be charged too?

A5 In this case the RA funding source would be responsible for 25% of the tuition remission surcharge or $1,000 per semester, because the RA appointment at 11.2% is 25% of the graduate assistant’s total appointment of 44.2%.

Q6 Can I assume that current grants that have graduate assistant tuition remission surcharge budgeted at 25% and pending proposals that have budgeted tuition at 25% will be charged that amount and not the new fixed amount?

A6 No. Beginning in January of 2007, all grants will be subject to the new tuition remission surcharge.

Q7 How will the new tuition remission surcharge apply when one project assistant is paid from multiple funding sources?

A7 The tuition remission surcharge will be allocated to the various funding sources on the basis of appointment percentages.

Q8 What amount of tuition remission surcharge should be included on grant proposal budgets when a PA’s effort is proposed to be covered by multiple grants?

A8 The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs recommends that you include the full cost of the tuition remission surcharge on each proposal. There may be specific instances in which a PI has very limited graduate assistant involvement or which there is a ceiling on the amount of funds requested, but more frequently there is a need to fund graduate assistants with one or more projects.

Q9 How would the tuition remission surcharge be calculated for a combination of new multiple grants and existing gift accounts?

A9 The tuition remission surcharge will be allocated among the funding sources based on the appointment percentages.

Q10 What happens if a grant budget doesn’t cover the full cost of the tuition remission surcharge?

A10 The PI/Department will be responsible for identifying alternative sources, including re-budgeting, to cover the surcharge.

Q11 Should the PI budget for any increase in the tuition remission surcharge?

A11 There will be no increase in the tuition remission surcharge in 2007-08. The campus will provide further instructions for multi-year proposals at a later date.

Q12 Will the tuition remission surcharge be pro-rated by month?

A12 Yes, the tuition remission surcharge will be divided into 9 payments, Sept. - May.

Q13 How does the 3 rd party deferral process relate to this new tuition remission policy?

A13 The 3 rd party deferral process is not affected by this new surcharge policy.

Q14 Does the $4,000 tuition remission surcharge appear in one lump sum or equally per month of the semester?

A14 The $4,000/semester or $8,000/academic year tuition remission surcharge is calculated and charged monthly from September through May.

Q15 What happens for a graduate assistant funded 30% TA on 101 and 20% RA on a 144 federal grant?

A15 The tuition remission surcharge applicable to the RA appointment will be 40% of the total. In this case the amount of $3,200/year will be charged against the RA funding source.

Q16 What happens with funding that changes from month to month?

A16 The tuition remission surcharge will automatically be adjusted to match the cumulative funding source for the graduate assistant stipend.

Q17 What happens when a student leaves mid-semester?

A17 It depends on the specific case. In the event that a graduate student leaves `the campus during the course of a semester, the graduate student still may qualify for a remission, while the remission charge may or may not be applied, depending on the cumulative appointment level.

Q18 Can 133 discretionary accounts be used to cover cost overruns or errors?

A18 Yes.

Q19 Will the tuition remission surcharge on T32 training grants continue to be posted as actual tuition paid when the UW system goes to the $4,000 per semester charge in January?

A19 Yes. The new surcharge policy will only affect graduate assistants with RA and PA appointments. There will be no change in how tuition for Fellows and Trainees are handled.

Q20 How will the tuition remission surcharge be displayed in WISDM?

A20 Starting in early February, a Tuition Fee Remission Search will be available in WISDM under the Appointments section of the Main Menu. Using a variety of search criteria, a user can look up tuition remission information for an individual. Information such as the number of appointments, FTE rate, and individual Tuition Remission charges will be displayed on a semester basis. More information on the search will be available in a training document that will be located at the WISDM Training Tools website (located at: http://www.bussvc.wisc.edu/acct/sfs/tools.html ). The document will be available in early January.