Teaching Assistants' Association
UW- Madison

Tuition Waiver/Remission - for TAs and regular PAs

After years of lobbying and negotiating, in 1997 the TAA obtained contract language that guarantees full tuition remission (or waiver) to graduate employees at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. There are a few things to keep in mind, however:

• You must have at least a 33.3% (1/3 time) appointment in order to qualify for tuition remission (and for health insurance coverage).
• Segregated fees are not covered; you are responsible for paying seg fees. (Click here for information on how you can pay seg fees in installments.)
• Per Article V(5)(B) of the TAA contract: "Total appointments for employees may be less than one-third time with the agreement of the employee. Such appointments shall be approved by the department and Dean/Director." Don't let your department pressure you into taking an appointment that leaves you without health insurance and without a tuition waiver!
• If it appears that your department is developing a routine practice of breaking up appointments into small (e.g., 25%) jobs in order to avoid paying their share of tuition and health insurance, notify your department steward and the TAA office right away. These important benefits are part of the TA and PA overall compensation package (i.e., we've accepted lower salary increases in order to preserve these benefits), so don't let them be eroded!