University Graduate Fellows

Congratulations!

It is the College of Graduate Studies' pleasure to have awarded you a University Graduate Fellowship (UGF).

Your University Graduate Fellow Appointment

You will be appointed as a Research Fellow.  Your appointment corresponds to an expectation of 16 hours per week of research and related activities during both years of your fellowship. You should meet with your faculty co-sponsor the summer before each year fof your appointment to discuss goals, responsibilities, and expectations.

Before the start of each year of your Research Fellow appointment (typically in mid-late July), you will receive an HR hiring memorandum via email. This hiring memorandum outlines your salary and appointment details. As a University Graduate Fellow, the Center for Human Resources will reach out with more information and instructions regarding the on-boarding process. Questions should be directed to [email protected] or the HR Virtual Front Desk. It is imperative that you complete the HR on-boarding process in a timely manner or your start date will be delayed (reducing your first paycheck).

HR Training Compliance

As part of your UGF Research Fellow employment agreement with the university, you are expected to remain current on all university-required compliance training. Employees and their managers will receive system-generated notifications and reminders regarding this required training. It is imperative that you ensure training is completed as soon as possible so that future funding is not at risk.

Reporting Absences and Vacation & Sick Time Accrual

Your Research Fellow position accrues leave balances (e.g., vacation, sick leave) for each month worked and is eligible for absence reporting within PeopleSoft employee self-service. As such, you are required to report absences (or no leave taken) following the completion of each pay period. Your supervisor is responsible for ensuring that absences are reported each pay period; by approving your submission, they are certifying that the submission is accurate. Please visit this webpage for detailed instructions.

As outlined in your HR hiring memorandum, your appointment is at a 0.4 FTE (full-time equivalency). This time base is taken into consideration when calculating vacation accruals. You can find detailed information about your accrual rates on HR’s webpage.

UGF Funding Cycle Summary

*Check your UGF award email memo to confirm your faculty mentor’s commitments during the mentor (matching) year.

^If your faculty mentor’s commitment includes funding some or all of your tuition and/or fees during the match year, they must work with their SDSU Research Foundation Grant Specialist to submit a Fee Authorization Form to the University Bursar’s Office.

More Important Information

1. The UGF cannot be combined with other stateside student appointments (i.e., TA, GA, ISA). If you already have a TA/GA/ISA appointment and have accepted the UGF award by completing the Google Form on your award letter email, the College of Graduate Studies will go ahead and instruct program(s) to rescind the TA/GA/ISA appointment(s), so that you may be hired as a Research Fellow.
2. All SDSU graduate students enrolled in state-side programs at SDSU and SDSU Imperial Valley must show proof of enrollment in an active health insurance plan.
3. The University Graduate Fellowship is conditional on active SDSU state-side enrollment in course(s) related to your graduate program, with the contract terminating if you graduate or separate from the program for any reason.
4. Your fellowship or scholarship is subject to being rescinded. The Center for Student Rights and Responsibilities (CSRR) and your graduate program will be consulted to ensure that you are in compliance with the Student Code of Conduct, and remain in Graduate Student Good Standing and/or your graduate program’s Graduate Professional Standards.
   • Your fellowship or scholarship is subject to being rescinded if:
     • (a) it is determined by CSRR that you are in violation of the Student Code of Conduct,
     • (b) it is determined that you are no longer in Graduate Student Good Standing,  and/or
     • (c) if your graduate program notifies the College of Graduate Studies you have violated your graduate program’s Graduate Professional Standards.
5. If you are a CalPERS member (prior TA appointment that qualified for membership), you may have additional withholdings associated with contributions to retirement. Please consult with Human Resources for more information.

Please contact [email protected] if you have any questions.

The College of Graduate Studies is proud to make this investment in your career.