GRA Assignments
Graduate Research Assistants are appointed for 20 hours per week in the department of Chemical Engineering. Read more about the benefits and rules for Student Employees on the UT HR website: http://www.utexas.edu/hr/student/ GRAs receive employee health insurance at no additional cost and a tuition waiver for the out-of-state portion of their tuition bill. The minimum GRA salary set by the Cockrell School of Engineering for 2016/17 is $ 23,875 per year. Students may be entitled to a higher GRA minimum, depending on the terms of their offer letters.
Assignments are processed either by the Chemical Engineering HR department, or by the administrator for the student’s group. The graduate coordinator can assist with questions about GRA assignments.
TA Assignments
If students are working to meet their departmental requirement, then the TA hours replace GRA hours for a total of 20 each semester. Once students complete that requirement, they can request permission from their supervisors for a 20 hour per week GRA assignment, plus a TA assignment for extra money. Students on F-1 and J-1 visas are not permitted to work more than 20 hours per week, except in the summer, or by using their CPT allowance.
TAs employed 20 hours at the university receive employee health insurance, and students assigned as TAs in the spring will have employee health insurance coverage through August 31st, even if they are not assigned in the summer.
TAs working 10 or more hours are eligible for a tuition reduction benefit that will pay up to 80% of their tuition bill. TRB rates are here: https://gradschool.utexas.edu/finances/student-employment/academic-employment/tuition-reduction-benefit
UT Fellowships (Graduate School or Cockrell School of Engineering)
The Cockrell School of Engineering and the Graduate School award and administer a significant number of fellowships awarded to students in the department. They will communicate the terms of their fellowships directly to students.
Continuing students are nominated for these fellowships by their supervisors throughout the year. The majority of nominations are solicited in the late spring and a departmental selection committee makes final recommendations to the Graduate School and Cockrell School of Engineering for funding the following academic year.
External Fellowships
Students are encouraged to apply for external fellowships during their enrollment in the graduate program. Continuing students have been very successful in winning prestigious external awards during their time in the department.
Fellowship stipends are taxable and recipients must arrange to pay their taxes quarterly since their stipends are not subject to withholding tax. See the Taxes section below.
Students on external fellowships are eligible for student health insurance (see the section below), and may enroll in any healthcare plan for which they are eligible. International students will automatically be enrolled in the UT Health Insurance plan, unless they submit a waiver.
Payment Records and Verification
To see their previous and pending payments, students can use the following links
"Where's My Check?" from UT direct for paychecks: https://utdirect.utexas.edu/acct/checks/wmc_list.WBX
Payroll earnings statements for TAs and GRAs: https://utdirect.utexas.edu/payroll/earn/earnstmt.WBX
Fellowship payments: https://utdirect.utexas.edu/engine/scholarship/awardview.WBX
Students requiring employment verification for mortgages, leasing companies, state agencies, etc. can log on to: https://utdirect.utexas.edu/pnvoe/index.WBX and download a choice of two different types of verification. If that is not enough, contact the graduate coordinator for a tailor-made verification letter.
Texas Residency
Students should confirm that they are listed as Texas residents in the Registry database, if they are eligible. Eligibility requirements can be found here: http://bealonghorn.utexas.edu/residency
This reduces resident students’ income taxes, and allows waivers to be distributed to non-resident students who need them.