Compensation Guidelines

A. Hourly Wage Payments

In order to employ students using the student wage job profiles, hourly rates must be entered into Workday.

*Managers and unit administrators should note that the minimum wage in Virginia is set to increase on January 1, 2027 to $13.75 per hour; and then to $15 per hour on January 1, 2028 and begin to plan for these increases. UVA HR will automatically increase any students below these minimums on the effective dates as indicated. 

Appointing units are responsible for maintaining consistent and equitable pay practices across student positions based on factors such as the knowledge and skill requirements necessary to perform the job, required relevant experience and training, and the variety and complexity of assigned duties. 

When setting pay for any student position, no matter the source of funds, unit administrators and managers should consult the Student Wage Pay Range Guidance and the Federal Work Study (FWS) Pay Ranges in Appendix A of the FWS Employer Handbook. These pay ranges are aligned to the duties and responsibilities of the student wage position.

B. Period Activity Pay (Includes Assistantships) 

Graduate Student Assistantships

Graduate student assistantships include Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTA) and Graduate Research Assistantships (GRA). For more information regarding assistantships, including the procedures for paying wages associated with an assistantship, see the Graduate Assistantships policy. To be eligible for an assistantship, students must be enrolled full-time in a graduate degree-granting program at the University and must be in good academic standing as defined by their school of enrollment to be eligible. 

Please note that although students serving in Graduate Assistantships may be employed continuously over the academic or calendar years, appointments are made by term of enrollment. 

The amounts in the chart below are effective as of August 24, 2026. These amounts are based on an academic year (9-month) appointment with an assumed 50% effort (i.e. 20 hours per week, the maximum allowable). This is paid as “period activity pay” in Workday. Further, the pay-scales below apply to all Graduate Research Assistant and Graduate Teaching Assistant job profiles in Workday.

Graduate students appointed to a graduate assistantship for 9 months may take on paid wage (ie hourly) assignments at UVA during the summer.

Period Activity Pay for Students (Outside of GTA/GRA)

Apart from graduate students holding assistantships, the use of period activity pay for students is rarely appropriate and may only be used with prior provost office approval. Managers seeking to pay students via period activity pay should first obtain support and endorsement from unit leadership, then contact the Provost’s Academic Personnel team, describing the nature and location of the work along with the proposed rate of pay (if known).

Please refer to the policy on the Employment of Professional Research Staff for additional information.

A. Period Activity Pay & Pay Ranges 

The following period activity pay amounts are based on an annual full-time (1.0 FTE, for 12 months, 40 hours per week) rate. Effective July 1, 2026, new offers of employment to full-time professional research staff must meet or exceed the minimum levels specified below. Professional Research Staff members working for a limited period not to exceed six months should be employed using the following job profiles and paid within these salary ranges.

B. Hourly Wage Payments for Research Associates 

Research associates who are hired for a period of three months or less may be compensated on an hourly basis using job profile J0284 - Research Associate (Wage). If the wage position will continue for more than three days, the hiring unit must post and search the position through Workday. To remain compliant with Federal Labor law, there is no exception to this requirement. Effective July 1, 2026, new offers of employment to research associates who will be compensated on an hourly basis must meet or exceed the minimum level specified below. 

Research associates paid on an hourly basis must complete a time sheet, and they qualify for overtime compensation for all hours worked in excess of 40 hours per week. Overtime compensation is calculated at time and one half.