The institutional base salary (IBS) for faculty is determined by the specific type of academic appointment and does not include bonuses or salary supplements. IBS is defined as the compensation paid by the university for an individual’s appointment, whether that individual’s time is spent on research, instruction, administration, or other activities. Unless there is prior approval by the sponsoring agency, charges of a faculty member’s salary to an award must not exceed the proportionate share of the IBS for the period during the faculty member worked on the sponsored project.

Faculty Summer Salary Calculation (Example)

Summer Salary = (base salary / base appointment period) × summer time worked (in months)

Summer salary example for a nine-month faculty member working two summer months (40 days)

Base salary = $80,000 / 195 days = daily rate (Note: A nine-month appointment period consists of 195 total paid work days.)
($80,000 / 195) X 40 = $16,410

Additional Faculty Salary Notes:

• On National Science Foundation (NSF) projects, salary for faculty with academic-year appointments is limited to two months.
• When a UofSC faculty member is participating on a UofSC sponsored project under the direction of another faculty member, he or she must be identified on the Personnel line item (not the Consultant line item) of the budget.
• Extra compensation may be requested on sponsored projects only  in unusual cases and must be approved by the sponsoring agency. Such requests must be specified and justified in the grant proposal and approved in writing by the sponsoring agency. Refer to 2CFR 200.430 Uniform Guidance (UG) for details.
• Salaries in National Institutes of Health (NIH) proposals cannot exceed established NIH Salary Limitations. The Salary Cap Calculator Tool is a helpful tool to use.
• For each individual listed in a sponsored project budget, the total percentage of effort (including teaching, grants, consulting, etc.) across all activities cannot exceed 100 percent.
• For each individual listed in a sponsored project budget, the total percentage of effort (including teaching, grants, consulting, etc.) across all activities cannot exceed 100%. This does not equate to any set number of hours, but equates to the totality of University-compensated responsibilities. To calculate effort, think about the amount of time spent doing each responsibility associated with your appointment. The amount of effort committed to a sponsored project should be based on a best estimate of the actual effort required to meet the goals and outcomes of the proposed project.

Postdoctoral scholar salaries are determined by the principal investigator and the hiring unit in accordance with College procedures, University policies and market wage data. If recruiting from an international talent pool, please consult first with the Office of International Services.

Graduate assistant salary is determined by the college and principal investigator. The total cost for a graduate assistant should include salary (at level established by department in accordance with Graduate School policy ACAF 4.00 [pdf]), appropriate fringe benefits and tuition. (Refer to the Tuition Rates and Fees page for more information about incorporating graduate assistant tuition into your sponsored project budget.)

The minimum and maximum number of work hours per week for graduate assistants are 10 and 20, respectively.  A full-time graduate assistantship is calculated as twenty hours per week. The percent effort for full-time graduate assistants should be specified in the budget and clearly defined in the budget justification.

Notes:

• If a graduate assistant is not enrolled in a graduate course while working on the project, he/she must be paid as a temporary employee.
• Visit the Tuition page for more information.

Staff are hired on sponsored projects according to UofSC HR policy and procedures, including classified full-time, temporary, part-time and research grant employees. Administrative salaries generally may not be paid from federal grants unless certain criteria are met. If it is anticipated that administrative support will be required, consult your SAM representative.