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Phase II: Budgeting and Contracting


Overview: Electronic Submission of Course Budgets

The department budget creator (or other business staff member) will begin entering course-by-course budget information in the Extended Studies (EXST) Budgets and Contracts System. Departments submit notes within the Notes tab of the Budgets screen for each course to explain special circumstances, a special student population that the course targets, and budget justification. Complete instructions for the online entry of course budgets are provided in EXST Budgets and Contracts System Guidelines

Salary computations must be exact and not rounded off. Salaries entered in the Budgets screen must exactly match appointments. All courses must have budget information listed. If no budget is required, a note must be entered in the Notes screen with a detailed explanation. The Academic Program Director (APD) determines if the department pays by a contingent, non-contingent, or no cost contract. If instructors are to be paid by a non-contingent or no cost contract, it is important to include a justification. Supply costs are not reimbursed by EXST and are not included in the course budget.

EXST sends two enrollment reports to academic units offering courses that do not meet enrollment. The report shows the course’s total net revenue, course expenses (instructor salary, etc.), and the EXST administrative fee. The report also shows the adjusted net revenue and the needed break-even enrollment number. EXST will NOT support under-enrolled courses that cause a department a net loss for the session. The college is responsible for absorbing the overall loss to the department if the course is offered. Academic units are asked to adhere to the cancellation deadline listed on the calendar. At the request of the Academic Unit, EXST cancels the course and student enrollment and directs the student via email to select another course. The student must be given sufficient time for both notification and re-registration.

All course offerings must have an instructional cost entered in the budget screen. Extended Studies (EXST) uses three instructional contracts to confirm instructor assignments in EXST-managed courses: Contingent, Non-Contingent, and No-Cost. Enrollment contingent and non-enrollment contingent contracts are used for either direct pay via EXST appointment or indirect pay via departmental appointment, with EXST transferring the instructional cost to the department’s payroll account. If a rare situation occurs such that the instructor cannot receive payment for course instruction, EXST will generate a “No-Cost Contract.” All three contracts are generated electronically in the EXST Budgets and Contracts System based on the instructor information approved in the Budgets screen.

Note: Instructors teaching independent study courses on-load will not be issued this contract. Instead, no budget should be entered, and a note of “Independent Study instruction – no budget required.”

All contracts will have specific language related to instructor payment. The contract will include the amount of compensation and the mode by which it will be paid. If EXST pays the instructor via EXST appointment, the contract will provide the compensation the instructor will receive. Suppose the instructor is paid through the departmental appointment, with the department reimbursed by EXST via transfer. In that case, the contract will provide the instructional cost and a “Special Terms and Conditions” clause stating that the instructional cost will be transferred back to the designated departmental account.

Note: When instructor assignments change as the result of course cancellations, course additions, or instructor replacements, and these changes occur following the date that EXST approves the Budgets screen, the changed information must be emailed to pp-sched@umd.edu with a cc: to EXST Finance at oes-finance@umd.edu and both the Department Chair and College Dean. EXST will consider these types of salary changes for approval only after receiving an email confirmation of salary changes from the APD and College Dean. Requests to add or change instructors must be made through EXST. Upon final EXST approval, EXST will enter changes. EXST will void the old instructional contract and generate a new contract. The department must then submit the new instructional contract to the appointee for their signature.

Enrollment Contingent Contract

  1. The instructor will be paid full budgeted salary if course income is sufficient to pay the instructor and TA salaries (if assigned), fringe benefits (FICA), and the EXST administrative fee.
  2. If course income is insufficient, instructor’s salary will be 80% of the received tuition revenue, not to exceed the original salary.
  3. If a TA is employed and course income is insufficient to cover instructor and TA salaries, fringe benefits, and the EXST administrative fee, only the instructor’s salary is paid at the contingent contract rate of 80% of the received tuition revenue. TA salaries are paid in full.

EXST Finance will verify contingency payment status on June 10, 2025.

Not Enrollment Contingent (Non-Contingent) Contract

  1. The instructor will be paid the full budgeted salary regardless of course income.
  2. If the course income is not sufficient to cover the full cost of the instructional salaries (instructor full salary and fringe benefits, plus any TA full salary, labor salary, and fringe benefits) and the EXST administrative fee, EXST will pay the collected course tuition towards the costs, and the department is responsible for the difference.

“No Cost” Contract

  1. Rare situations such that the instructor cannot receive payment for course instruction. Used only for an instructor who is not permitted to earn instructional compensation (for example, restrictive Federal Government employees who are required to teach a course but are not permitted to receive compensation).
  2. The department does not budget an instructor's salary, leaving the Section Salary field blank in the Budgets screen and adding a detailed note to the Notes screen.
  3. EXST generates a “No-Cost Contract” within the Budgets and Contracts System for the instructor's signature, which outlines the instructor and EXST's responsibilities with regard to the delivery of the course.
  4. The department will collect the instructor’s signature on the no-cost contract and record the signature in the EXST Budgets and Contracts System. The department should keep a copy of the signed contract in their business office. EXST maintains a record that the contract was signed through the Contracts screen.

Where possible, provide the instructor’s name and UID when scheduling a course. If the instructors are either unknown at the time of scheduling or the anticipated instructors are not certain of their participation, enter “STAFF” for the instructors. As departments identify instructors, they can make online changes to instructor information in SIS via the Teacher Collect screen until the third week of February.

After that date, departments must submit any changes—instructor name, University ID number, and salary information—to EXST via email at pp-sched@umd.edu with a cc to oes-finance@umd.edu. Departments must enter the instructor within payroll by submitting demographic information and a non-paid appointment before they can be listed as an instructor of record.

When departments identify instructors, the academic year salary is supplied automatically online as it appears on the current official payroll entry. Departments assign summer salaries based on the academic year salary entries. Each college may follow its own policy for determining faculty stipends, but it cannot exceed the maximum allowed stipends for summer. Maximum allowed stipend amounts for 9-month faculty salaries are 10% for a three-credit course, 20% for six credits, and 30% for nine credits. The salary must be converted to the 9-month equivalent for twelve-month faculty before calculating the maximum allowed stipend.

EXST must receive documentation that the College has approved any salary that is not based on the maximum allowable per credit amount. Twenty percent of the 9.5- or 10-month salary and 30 percent of the 9-month salary are usually the maximum an instructor can earn each summer. In extraordinary situations when a faculty member exceeds this guideline, Academic Affairs must approve the overload compensation. The exact instructor salary is needed in the EXST Budgets and Contracts System; salary entries must not be rounded to the nearest dollar. 

A graduate student or teaching assistant assigned complete responsibility for all aspects of a summer course is assigned the title of Lecturer for the duration of the summer appointment. Departments must process an electronic summer contract for instructional services for the Lecturer appointment. A graduate student or teaching assistant contracted as a summer Lecturer is ineligible for tuition remission. If a graduate student is employed as a teaching assistant, the department must indicate the name of the instructor who is responsible for teaching and all other course activities. The salary schedule for summer-only Instructors (including Adjunct Lecturers) and teaching assistants is based on the TA Step for the preceding academic year.

Suppose the instructor is employed by a Maryland state agency or other institution in the University System of Maryland. In that case, the instructor must obtain written approval from his/her supervisor to teach. If the department wishes to pay faculty or TAs an amount above the maximum salary rate, justification must be endorsed in writing by the department chair or official designated.

In the Notes section of the Budgets screen, supply the salary justification, the date of the endorsement, and the endorser’s name for EXST review and consideration.

Note: To have ELMS access and to be added to SIS scheduling, newly appointed or returning instructors or non-teaching staff must have an active PHR appointment. The department is responsible for updating each appointee’s data (demographic, degree, and I-9) in PHR and completing a non-paid appointment as necessary.

Salary Rates per Course Credit

The following chart lists the percentages used to calculate summer salaries by the number of course credits taught. If the instructor’s annual salary is less than 100% full-time, the salary must be converted to 100% before calculating the Summer Session salary.

Summer Salary Calculation

Course Credits Percentage of 9-month, 100% FTE Salary
1 3.33%
2 6.67%
3 10.00%
4 13.33%
5 16.67%
6 20.00%
7 23.33%
8 26.67%
9 30.00%

To calculate the 9-month equivalent amount:

  1. Convert the 12-month salary to 9 months

     

    Full 100% FTE, 12-month Salary x 9 12=9-month Converted Salary

  2. Multiply the 9-month converted salary by the summer salary rate chart above.

Salary computations must be exact and not rounded off. The salary entered in the electronic course proposal form must exactly match any required Summer Session PHR appointment.

If the department changes an instructor assignment following the approval of the course budget, email pp-sched@umd.edu to process the instructor change in the Student Information System (SIS), and copy oes-finance@umd.edu, the department chair, and college when the salary exceeds the original estimate or the stipulated percentage of the appointee’s salary.

Teaching Assistants Appointed as Summer Lecturers

If a graduate student or teaching assistant is assigned complete responsibility for all aspects of a course, the title of Lecturer is assigned for the duration of the appointment. The following process must be completed:

  1. Full-time and part-time, 12-month Graduate Assistants who receive a summer salary and their Graduate Assistantship stipend must have an approved Graduate Student Overload Assignment Request form and a teaching overload in payroll.
  2. An electronic Summer Appointment Contract (contingent or non-contingent) must also be completed.

The 2025 pay rates for teaching assistants appointed as summer lecturers are based upon the individual teaching assistant level for the preceding 9 months. Step III requires advancement to doctoral candidacy. The salary scale is as follows:

TA Step Summer Lecturer Maximum Salary*
I $5,562.74
II $6,001.89
III $6,619.33

*Per 3-credit course. Adjust as needed for the number of credits taught.

Lecturers (Including Adjuncts)

The maximum stipend for a 3-credit course will be greater of 10% of the FY24 base salary or the stipend from the TA salary table above based on an individual’s teaching experience and graduate student status.

Assistant Professors

The maximum salary of a 9-month assistant professor who teaches a 3-credit course in Summer Session 2025 will be ten percent (10%) of the FY25 base salary or $6,619.33, whichever is greater.

Twelve-Month Professors and Lecturers

Twelve-month faculty who teach summer session on-load with salaries budgeted in the Budgets screen of the EXST Budgets and Contracts System will have the equivalent percentage of the 9-month portion of their salary transferred to the department. This is subject to the contingent contract stipulations found in Contingent Contracts.

Twelve-month faculty who teach summer session with overload approval and who are on a non-contingent contract will be paid the equivalent percentage of the 9-month converted salary. If on a contingent contract, twelve-month faculty will be paid the equivalent 9-month converted salary if the contingent stipulations are realized. If contingent contract stipulations are not realized, faculty on contingent contract will be paid 80% of the tuition received.

A graduate or teaching assistant who is assigned the complete responsibility for all aspects of a Summer Session course is to be assigned the title of lecturer for the duration of their Summer Session appointment. A Graduate Student Overload Assignment Request form must be submitted to EXST, and an Overload must be submitted to payroll if their FTE will exceed 50 percent. If a graduate student is employed as a teaching assistant, the department must indicate the name of the faculty member who is responsible for teaching and all other course activities.

Faculty members may teach Summer Session courses on-load, provided that doing so does not diminish the numbers and types of course offerings that their departments provide for fall and spring semesters. Suppose the instructor is employed by a Maryland state agency or other institution in the University System of Maryland. In that case, the instructor must obtain written approval from their supervisor to teach and provide to EXST Finance Office by email.

TA assignments must be budgeted and approved in the Budgets screen for each semester/term. When assigning TAs for course sections, the department must ensure that each TA’s demographic data is entered and up-to-date. The department must also submit a Graduate Assistant Transmittal Form to the EXST business manager assigned to their college. EXST builds the appointment, processes the payroll appointment or reimburses the department by salary transfer (if noted in the Budgets screen). Note: Graduate Assistants with a 50% FTE appointment assigned as TA’s must have an approved overload prior to the start of the upcoming term. Refer to Graduate Assistants Appointed Lecturer for additional information.

Due to auditing requirements for reporting total costs per course and section, departments must indicate specific course and section assignments for each TA. The department may elect to divide TA assignments among more people as long as the total payments do not exceed the originally specified stipend in each case. For example, if the department authorizes a TA step I with the full-time (50%) stipend of $3,000.00; three people assigned to share this allocation would each receive $1,000.00. The department is responsible for assigning an equitable distribution of duties in such cases.

TA’s may not be treated as “floating” personnel.

If a department wishes to hire student labor to support course sections, the department must request labor costs in the Budgets screen. Departments should track labor costs to ensure that enough funds are available in their labor budget to cover labor expenses. The process for assigning student/hourly appointees is similar to the TA assignment process. The department must ensure that each student or hourly appointee’s demographic data is entered and up-to-date, then must submit a Student/Hourly Employee Transmittal Form to the EXST business manager assigned to their college. EXST will build the appointment.

Suppose the student/hourly rate exceeds the maximum established by University Human Resources. In that case, the department must submit a Student Wage Exemption Form to Human Resources for approval and attach a copy to the Student/Hourly Employee Transmittal Form. Time entry for student/hourly paid appointees will be made in the Time Entry system and approved by the supervisor listed. The University’s payment schedule for student/hourly appointees is two weeks behind the regular employee pay date. Should there not be enough funds available in the department’s labor cost budget to cover the hours presented, EXST will contact the department to discuss the reallocation of budgeted items in order to pay the student/hourly appointee. Due to auditing requirements for reporting total costs per course and section, departments must indicate course and section assignments for each student/hourly worker. 

Student/hourly workers may not be treated as “floating” personnel.

Course related supply costs (instructional materials, goods and/or services) are not eligible for reimbursement by EXST Finance. These expenses are the responsibility of the department.

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