Hiring Incoming Graduate Students for the Summer

If you plan to hire an incoming graduate student to work this summer, you need to hire them as a graduate student or graduate assistant.

Graduate students are entered into the graduate school database as soon as they accept the invitation to the graduate program. This usually occurs in March/April. Once they are in the graduate school database, they can be hired as graduate students even though they will not enroll in classes until the fall semester.

Fernanda will calculate the hourly equivalent for current step 1 RGAs. You can just put "hourly RGA equivalent" in the hourly rate category.

If you wish to provide them with benefits over the summer, you should hire them as a 12 month RGA. Please remember that 12 month RGAs also get tuition remission for the summer.

You can convert a 12 month RGA to a regular 9.5 month RGA at a later time, if desired.

Do not hire them as an FRA. This is a temporary summer position and they will be converting to a RGA in the fall. FRAs should be considered longer term positions. In addition, hiring and then terminating a FRA is very time consuming. We have also had misunderstandings and hard feelings over the change in benefits and having to give up the V lot parking pass.