Student Academic Appointment (SAA)

A Student Academic Appointment is a form of internship that combines academic training with work responsibilities.  Work responsibilities depend on the specific position.  For example, associate instructors serve as instructors of record; graduate assistants are teaching assistants that serve as an assistant to a teaching faculty or lecturer.  HPSC SAA appointments are 50% FTE, 20 hours per week during each term of their employment. 

• Appointments are for Fall and Spring terms.
• You must sign the SAA contract prior to the start of the semester. Make an appointment to meet with Dana Berg (dmaberg@iu.edu).
• You must enroll in a minimum of 6 credit hours per semester while on appointment.
• Stipend is paid through IU payroll as direct deposit and is taxable income.

You can find more information in the Student Academic Appointee Handbook. This includes information and policies pertaining to those of you with assistantships (Student Academic Appointments).

Consistent with campus policy, the College of Arts and Sciences provides fee remissions to its graduate students who hold student academic appointments (SAAs) at .50 FTE or higher. Fee remissions may be used to enroll in College courses on the Bloomington campus or, if outside of the College, that are required for students’ College degree programs. Fee remissions may also be used for occasional specialty courses that are relevant to graduate students’ training and research. Students who are in dual or joint degree programs may not apply their College fee remissions to their professional school courses.

The College expects departments and programs to hire College graduate students for SAA positions whenever possible. Any hires involving graduate students from other units must be approved in advance by the Executive Associate Dean and Director of Enrollment Management. As a general rule, the College will approve non-College hires only when those students are enrolled in doctoral programs. When doctoral students from other units are hired by the College, the College will provide a full fee remission at the College of Arts and Sciences rate if the College has a reciprocal agreement with that unit. The College currently has reciprocal agreements with the School of Education and the School of Public Health. When doctoral students are hired from units with which the College does not have a reciprocal agreement, the College will not provide a fee remission. Please note that some schools have higher tuition rates than the College and students or departments will be expected to pay the difference in fees. Hires of Master’s students from outside the College will be approved only in exceptional circumstances and will not include fee remissions.

According to this policy, the College fee remission covers the following for College graduate students:

courses that are required for College students’ graduate majors
courses that are required for College students’ graduate minors or certificates whether inside or outside of the College
the occasional specialty course that is relevant to the student’s thesis or dissertation research

The College fee remission does not cover:

1) courses that are required for a second degree outside of the College even when
students are enrolled in formal dual or joint degree programs
2) undergraduate or other remedial courses

For doctoral students from qualifying non-College units (i.e., units with which the College has a reciprocal agreement) who hold SAAs, the fee remission:

1) will be provided at the Arts and Sciences rate
2) can be applied to courses that are required for the student’s graduate major or minor regardless of the unit in which the courses are offered.

Funding Your Graduate Degree