Summer Hiring and Pay Procedures
This guide has been compiled to help ensure consistent and accurate processing for summer hiring and pay practices at Syracuse University. This page is the current reference and replaces the annual summer hiring PDF previously distributed by HR.
Questions? Contact HR Shared Services at 315.443.4042 or submit a request through the HR Shared Services Customer Portal. The Payroll Service Center or Office of Sponsored Accounting may provide additional guidance.
Topics in This Section
- 1 Hiring Transaction by Employee Type
- 2 Important Appointment Dates
- 3 Graduate Assistant Appointment Transitions
- 4 SmartHR Transaction Tips
- 5 Chartstring Changes and Sponsored Awards
- 6 Position Evaluation Requests (PERs) and Summer PINs
- 7 Summer Job Codes
- 8 Graduate Assistant Summer Appointments
- 9 Summer 2026 Term Dates
Hiring Transaction by Employee Type
Employee Type | Pay Frequency | Transaction Type | SmartHR Template |
|---|---|---|---|
PTIs / Faculty / Graduate Students serving as Instructor of Record for credit-bearing courses Graduate students serving as Instructor of Record are hired as PTIs. | Contract - Semi Monthly | N/A | |
Non-instructional summer pay for full-time faculty | Contract - Semi Monthly | SmartHR Transaction | FAC SUMMER |
Graduate Students (TA/RA) - 10+ hrs/week (contract via OnBase GA Nomination) See Graduate Assistant Summer Appointments section below. | Contract - Semi Monthly | OnBase GA Nomination uForm | GRAD SDT T&R CNTRCT |
Graduate Students - less than 10 hrs/week (hourly at equivalent rate) See Graduate Assistant Summer Appointments section below. | Hourly - Weekly | SmartHR Transaction | GRAD SDT R&A HRLY |
Student Employees | Hourly - Weekly | SmartHR Transaction | STUHIRE/REHIRE |
Temporary and Non-SU Student Temps | Hourly - Weekly | Talent Acquisition Management - hrttempreqs@syr.edu | N/A |
Important Appointment Dates
Academic Year 2026 Faculty appointment ends on 05/07/2026
Academic Year 2026 Graduate Assistant appointment ends on 05/15/2026
Returning Faculty appointment begins 08/24/2026
New Faculty appointment begins 08/24/2026
Graduate Assistant appointment begins 08/16/2026
Faculty appointments end on 05/07, however the standard effective date for faculty separations and retirements is 08/16. See Report a Separation or Retirement for guidance before submitting.
Graduate Assistant Appointment Transitions
HR Shared Services manages the transition of academic year GA appointments at the end of the spring term.
If a GA will be working in a summer appointment, HRSS will transfer their active academic year record to the summer role to avoid a break in service.
If a GA does not have a summer appointment, HRSS will terminate the academic year position after the 5/15 payroll has processed.
GAs who have elected summer option pay will remain active in their current position so that pay can continue as expected.
No action is required from departments for standard academic year GA terminations. If you have questions about a specific GA's transition, contact HR Shared Services.
SmartHR Transaction Tips
SmartHR transactions can span the full summer and cross fiscal years (July 1). However:
Employees on sponsored awards may require two separate transactions. Contact the Office of Sponsored Accounting if unsure.
If a rate change is anticipated at the new fiscal year, enter two separate transactions: Transaction 1 covers start of contract through June 30; Transaction 2 covers July 1 through end of contract.
Note: The rules above apply to SmartHR transactions. Whether a chartstring can cross fiscal year follows different rules by employee group - see the Chartstring Changes and Sponsored Awards section below.
Chartstring Changes and Sponsored Awards
Employee Group | Includes | Can Cross Fiscal Year? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Temps and Students | Graduate Students, Students, Temps, Part-Time Instructors | Yes | Standard summer period 5/16-8/15 acceptable as a single transaction. |
Full-Time Faculty and Staff | Faculty, All Post-Docs, Regular Staff | No | All transactions must end June 30. New chartstring change required with July 1 begin date. July 1 forms held in queue until OSA opens for the new fiscal year. |
Position Evaluation Requests (PERs) and Summer PINs
Summer PIN requests are processed by HR Shared Services. Submit requests using the PTI/Temp/Stdnt PER form in MySlice.
Plan ahead. All transactions must be submitted before the applicable Payroll Processing Deadline. Last-minute requests risk missed pay dates.
Graduate Students, Part-Time Instructors, and Regular Faculty must be hired into a summer PIN. They cannot use their regular academic year PIN during the summer.
The Job Code assigned to a summer PIN should correspond to the employee's academic year appointment.
Example: A Professor (Job Code 1101) during the academic year should be hired into a Professor - Summer (Job Code 1801) PIN.
To request new summer PINs, use the PTI/Temp/Stdnt PER form in MySlice and select Part Time Instructor Position to access applicable job codes.
Reuse PINs from previous summers whenever possible. Refer to your Open and Filled PINs report in DataInsights.
Summer Job Codes
Use the job codes below when requesting summer PINs. The summer job code should correspond to the employee's academic year job code.
Graduate Assistant Summer Appointments
Summer graduate assistant hiring is a partnership between the Graduate School and HR Shared Services. The Graduate School oversees appointment processing; HRSS processes the corresponding HR system transactions. Use the table below to determine the correct path based on the student's role and hours.
Role | Hours | Process | Job Code |
|---|---|---|---|
Instructor of Record for a course | Any | Summer Faculty Database - hired as PTI. Work with HR to complete. | See PTI job codes |
Teaching Assistant (TA) or Research Assistant (RA) | 10+ hrs/week | OnBase GA Nomination uForm - under Award Type select: Summer. Appointment letter required. | 7904 - Grad Stdt Teach Summer Exempt (TA) 7910 - Grad Stdt Rsrch Summer Exempt (RA) |
Any graduate student | Less than 10 hrs/week | SmartHR Transaction - paid hourly at the academic year stipend rate. | GRAD SDT R&A HRLY |
Appointment letters are required for TAs and RAs working 10+ hours per week.
Stipend Calculation
Summer pay must be equivalent to the student's academic year stipend rate. Calculate as follows:
Hourly rate = (Annual stipend / 39 weeks) / 20 hours
Summer stipend = Hourly rate x weekly hours x number of weeks
Example: A student with a $28,750 annual stipend working 10 hours/week for 4 weeks:
($28,750 / 39 / 20) = $36.86/hr x 10 hrs x 4 weeks = $1,474.40 minimum
Ensure all transactions are submitted before the deadline for the applicable payroll run. For Summer 2026, the deadline to submit for a May 15 start date is May 8, 2026.
Summer 2026 Term Dates
These dates are used by HR when entering summer faculty appointments through the Summer Faculty Database.
Session Code | Session | Course Dates | Job Data Begin | Contract Begin | Contract End | # of Pays |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
8W1 | Eight Week First | 5/6/2026 - 6/26/2026 | 5/7/26 | 5/7/26 | 6/30/26 | 3.5 |
MYM | Maymester | 5/11/2026 - 5/22/2026 | 5/16/26 | 5/16/26 | 5/31/26 | 1 |
6W1 | Summer Session I | 5/18/2026 - 6/26/2026 | 5/16/26 | 5/16/26 | 6/30/26 | 3 |
12W | Combined Summer Session | 5/18/2026 - 8/7/2026 | 5/16/26 | 5/16/26 | 8/15/26 | 6 |
6W2 | Summer Session II | 6/29/2026 - 8/7/2026 | 7/1/26 | 7/1/26 | 8/15/26 | 3 |
8W2 | Eight Week Second | 6/30/2026 - 8/21/2026 | 7/1/26 | 7/1/26 | 8/15/26 | 3 |
FLEX | Flexible | All dates variable | - | - | - | - |