The anatomy of your offer letter

Terms of Appointment

Students identified for a graduate student appointment as an incoming graduate student will receive a recruitment letter outlining the proposed financial support the academic unit anticipates being able to provide through a graduate student appointment.  A graduate student appointment, however, is not effective until an official appointment letter is signed by the student and returned to the University. Students continuing in an appointment will receive an appointment letter only. Communications such as emails and verbal conversations between faculty and students do not constitute official offers of appointment. A student cannot begin any duties associated with an appointment until the business manager, or another designee, of the appointing unit issues and receives from the student the signed appointment letter. 

Please review the information below detailing what should be included. If offers of appointment are missing any of the items listed, please contact the appointing unit directly for written clarification.

Recruitment Financial Support Offer Letter

• Appointment period (academic year or semester)
• Appointment start date
• Appointment level (assistant or associate) 
• Compensatory stipend amount and pay period information
• Tuition award benefits
• Health Insurance information as applicable
• Additional funding as applicable and disbursement information
• Financial Support Estimate Summary
• Instructions and deadline for acceptance of offer  

 Appointment Letter

• Name of the faculty supervisor and form of supervision
• Specific duties (course information for TA appointments)
• Appointment term(s) (i.e., fall, spring, academic year)
• Appointment level (assistant or associate) 
• Appointment start and end date 
• Compensatory stipend amount and pay period information
• Tuition award benefits
• Health Insurance information as applicable
• Additional funding as applicable and disbursement information
• Financial Aid Impacts
• Information about taxes
• Fees and Program Tuition exclusion
• Information about required orientations or trainings including the Graduate Assistant Training program and ASU mandatory training
• Information about English proficiency requirements as applicable
• Work Limits 
• Intellectual property policies
• Unit, Departmental or Program-Specific Terms including a link to academic program handbook
• Link to the Graduate Assistant Handbook
• Credit Hour, Academic and GPA requirements
• Information about early termination of appointment including financial impact
• Instructions and deadline for acceptance of offer