Tuition Remission Surcharge Rates

Tuition remission surcharge is a policy to help recoup the waived tuition costs by the University and Wisconsin State Statute for RA and PA appointments that are eligible for remissions.


The tuition remission surcharge is calculated based on the percentage of stipend charged/student’s level of work, and is automatically allocated to the funding source(s) where the assistant is appointed.

Tuition Remission Rates

Through Spring 2015

Semester: $4,000
Academic Year: $8,000

2015-2016

Semester: $5,000
Academic Year: $10,000

FY 2017 – Present

Semester: $6,000
Academic Year: $12,000

Tuition Remission Processing Schedule - FY25

Please see below for the FY24 tuition remission processing schedule as well as a breakdown of the monthly tuition remission surcharges and when they will hit during the fiscal year.

Semester Month Pay period IDs Earn dates Running Available in WISER
Fall September Sept A, Sept B 8/25/24 – 9/21/24 10/2/2024 10/3/2024
October Oct A, Oct B 9/22/24 – 10/19/24 10/30/2024 10/31/2024
November Nov A, Nov B, Nov C 10/20/24 – 11/30/24 12/11/2024 12/12/2024
December Dec A, Dec B 12/1/24 – 12/28/24 1/8/2025 1/9/2025
Spring January Jan A, Jan B 12/29/24 – 1/25/25 2/5/2025 2/6/2025
February Feb A, Feb B 1/26/25 – 2/22/25 3/5/2025 3/6/2025
March Mar A, Mar B 2/23/25 – 3/22/25 4/2/2025 4/3/2025
April Apr A, Apr B 3/23/25 – 4/19/25 4/30/2025 5/1/2025
May May A 4/20/25 – 5/3/25 5/30/2025 5/31/2025
Surcharge by month Amount charged Notes
Fall September
October 2,666.66 Sept. & Oct. surcharge (4 pay periods)
November
December 2000.01 Nov. surcharge (3 pay periods)
January 1,333.33 Dec. surcharge
Spring February 1,333.33 Jan. surcharge
March  1,333.33 Feb. surcharge
April  2,666.66 Mar. & April surcharge (4 pay periods)
May 666.68 May surcharge (1 pay period)

Surcharge calculations in WISER

This task can be completed in WISER.

  1. Access WISER
  2. Select “Main Menu”
  3. Select “Find Tuition Remission” under the Payroll heading
  4. Enter the known information into the “Search Criteria” such as: fund, department, project, employee name, and semester
  5. Select “Search”

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The results will show all RA, PA, LSA, and TA appointments and funding for the semester chosen

Frequently asked questions

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What happens if the FTE drops below 33.3% during the semester?

Once an employee drops below the 33.3% FTE, all charges posted to date for that semester will be reversed out in the month of when the FTE falls below the 33.3%.

If work is split between two projects, will the tuition remission surcharge be split between the projects?

The tuition remission surcharge will be split between the two projects based on the percent of appointment on each project.

How much tuition remission surcharge will be charged for summer only positions?

For some departments, it is quite common for their graduate assistants to work as teaching assistants during the academic year and then serve as RAs or PAs during the summer months.

There will be no tuition remission surcharge for PA and RA appointments during the summer. The tuition remission surcharge is only applied during the fall and spring semesters (September through May).

What happens if the graduate assistant has a TA appointment at 33% and a RA appointment at 11.2%?

The surcharge is not applied to the TA appointment. The tuition remission surcharge would only be applied to the RA appointment. In this case, the RA funding source would be responsible for 25% of the tuition remission surcharge, or $1,500 per semester, because the RA appointment at 11.2% is 25% of the graduate assistant’s total appointment of 44.2%.

What happens with appointment funding that changes from month-to-month?

The tuition remission surcharge will automatically be adjusted through the monthly tuition remission process to match the cumulative funding source for the graduate assistant stipend.

Does the tuition remission surcharge transfer automatically after a salary transfer is processed?

Yes, but for FY22 – FY25 semesters only. All SCTs that are entered that relate to FY21 or earlier (before single pay) will need a NSCT to move the surcharge – it will not move by itself.

What happens when a student leaves mid-semester?

It depends on the specific case. In the event that a graduate student leaves during the course of a semester, the graduate student still may qualify for a remission, while the remission surcharge may or may not be applied, depending on the cumulative appointment level.

Contact the Bursar’s Office for eligibility questions and Business Services for questions about the remission surcharge.

Contact

For eligibility questions, please contact the Bursar’s office: remissions@bussvc.wisc.edu, 608-262-4518

For tuition remission surcharge questions, please contact Aaron Ranke at Business Services: aaron.ranke@wisc.edu

For general remission questions or specific questions related to sponsored projects, please contact Research & Sponsored Programs: tuitionremission@rsp.wisc.edu, 608-890-0393