Benefits

The collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that Grad Workers won expands existing employment benefits and institutes several new ones. These benefits are contractually guaranteed to graduate students who are paid by Penn for research or teaching work. Most benefits are limited to stipended, doctoral Graduate Workers. Penn admin may choose to extend aspects of our CBA to graduate students who are not performing bargaining unit work—such as the minimum stipend—but they are not required to do so.

If you have questions about accessing a particular benefit, you should first contact the Penn office that administers that benefit. If you need further assistance or if your right to access a benefit is being denied, email organize@getup-uaw.org.

Insurance

The enrollment period for the health, vision, and dental insurance plans in our contract extends from July 1 to August 31 each year. Reimbursements for vision and dental insurance premiums will be automatically posted as grants to students’ PennPay/Bursar account by September 30. Access to health, vision, and dental insurance benefits is now part of the standard funding package for all PhD and EdD students receiving full institutional fellowships.

Graduate Workers are eligible for 100% health insurance premium coverage of the Penn Student Insurance Program (PSIP) offered through Aetna Student Health. 

Graduate Workers are now eligible for reimbursement of 100% vision insurance premiums through the Aetna Student Health Vision Preferred Plan.

Graduate Workers are now eligible for reimbursement of 80% of dental insurance premiums through Aetna Student Health Dental Plan (PPO) and the Penn Dental Student Insurance plan.

Graduate Workers who wish to purchase insurance under the Penn Student Insurance Program (PSIP) for their dependents are now eligible for reimbursement of up to 50% of premium costs. Qualifying dependents include spouses and children under 26 or disabled and residing with the Graduate Worker full time. When Graduate Workers purchase dependent premiums during the insurance enrollment period, they are responsible for two months of premiums up front. The remaining yearly premium costs are then due in monthly installments.

Graduate Workers can apply, and are eligible for, premium reimbursement in three cycles throughout the year:

Fall Dependent Insurance Grants 
Deadline: September 15 
Period covered: August – December  

Spring Dependent Insurance Grants 
Deadline: February 15 
Period covered: January – July

Summer Dependent Insurance Grants (new dependents only)
Deadline: July 15 (new dependents only) 
Period covered  April – July

Other Benefits

Graduate Workers receive a 15% discount on monthly and semesterly SEPTA passes.

Instructions:

1. Get a SEPTA key-card: https://www.septakey.org/ 
2. Login to Penn Campus Express at https://prod.campusexpress.upenn.edu/
3. Click on Getting Around tab on the left, followed by SEPTA Student Passes
4. You can get either monthly, or semesterly passes:
   A. Monthly passes: need to apply and buy before 14th of a month for a pass valid in the following month.
   B. Semesterly passes: usually available one month before beginning of semester. Dates are mentioned on the Campus Express website.

Beginning in the Fall 2026 semester, Graduate Workers will be eligible to participate in Penn’s Bike Commuter Reimbursement Program, which reimburses up to $240 annually in bike-related expenses until the $30,000 fund is depleted. Apply for reimbursement here.

Beginning in the Fall 2026 semester, Graduate Workers will have access to unreserved parking available to staff, faculty and other graduate students including hang tags, garages, surface lots, proximal lots, and daily garage. Graduate Workers who have Disability Parking Placards will be provided access to accessible parking on the same basis as other university faculty and staff with Disability Parking Placards.

Support for reinstating or extending F1 or J1 visas for workers who become out of status while resident in the United States through no fault of their own. A full list of criteria and application instructions is available here.

Graduate Workers are eligible for grants to cover childcare or family expenses. Grants are $2,500 for one child and $1,250 for each additional child, up to a maximum of $5,000 per semester. Graduate Workers  with an annual household income of under $150,000 are eligible.

Graduate Workers are eligible to participate in Penn’s Supplemental Retirement Annuity Plan. 

TIAA is the service provider, and all plan investment options are available through TIAA’s platform.

Graduate Workers on visas who wish to contribute to a retirement plan, particularly those who have plans to live outside of the US in the future, should note that there are specific additional tax penalties for retirement disbursements for non-US citizens.

Graduate Workers won 8 weeks of paid medical and 6 weeks of paid parental leave.

Admin is working on setting up a system for workers to request paid medical leave. In the meantime, workers who wish to use this benefit should go through the process they would go through to request paid parental leave, but specify that they want to take paid medical leave:

• Step 1: Email your department chair and cc HR at aramos@upenn.edu stating that you want to take paid medical leave. Don’t include any medical details in this email. 
• Step 2: Fill out the same leave/accommodation form given above and specify in the comment field that you’re requesting paid medical leave. Don’t include medical details in this form.
• HR will work with department chairs to request any necessary medical documentation required to approve the leave.

Doctoral Graduate Workers receive full tuition and fee remission during the years that they are funded.

Workers in programs that are only funded for four years receive full tuition and fee remission for their fifth year when they hold teaching or research appointments of 20 hours per week. If you meet these requirements but you are still being charged tuition and fees, contact your department’s business office.

Doctoral Graduate Workers whose programs are only funded for four years are eligible for an insurance grant of $1,000 per semester during their fifth year while they hold a teaching or research appointment of 20 hours per week. More information is available here. Please note that the application deadlines are identical to those of the dependent healthcare, listed above.