The following benefit plans and programs are available upon employment based on eligibility to postdocs who are funded by the university (funding coming from a faculty advisor or a prestigious fellowship) and are appointed as postdoctoral associates.
If you have any questions about these programs, you should contact Benefit Services at (607) 255-3936 or send a message to benefits@cornell.edu.
For a full summary of benefits, visit benefits.
Salary
The level for federal fiscal year 2026 is $63,480.
Cornell-Provided Benefits
- Health Care
- Retirement
- Faculty and Staff Assistance Program
- Cornell Wellness Program
- Department of Inclusion and Belonging
- Cornell Children’s Tuition Scholarship
- Child Care Grant and Other Benefits
- Paid Time Off
- Educational Opportunities
- Cornell Travel Registry
- Additional Information
Health Care
Postdocs associates will be assigned to participate in either the contract college health care plan or the endowed college heath care plan.
For additional information about the plans, check our health plans.
Retirement
Cornell offers financial and investment planning services, robust retirement benefits, and a wide array of investment funds to help faculty and staff realize their financial security goals. For additional information, see retirement.
Faculty and Staff Assistance Program (FSAP)
FSAP’s professional staff offers free and confidential guidance and support to benefits-eligible employees and their partners to address issues that may be affecting their personal lives and/or job satisfaction or performance. The FSAP is part of Cornell’s broad commitment to foster and support the mental health and well-being of the campus community.
Services include:
- Personal consultation and needs assessment
- Short-term counseling
- Information about and referral to campus or community resources and services
- Consultation with supervisors, managers, and others who are concerned about an employee or workplace situation
- Crisis response and community support
- Postdoctoral Support Group: This weekly group is offered by the Faculty and Staff Assistance Program and in collaboration with the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs. It will meet virtually by Zoom. Express interest in this confidential group by contacting Eve Abrams, LCSW, ea374@ cornell.edu to arrange a 15-minute phone or zoom group orientation.
For additional information, please visit FSAP.
Cornell Wellness Program
The Cornell University Wellness Program provides educational and physical fitness opportunities for faculty, staff, and their families to engage in healthy lifestyles that enhance the social and physical dimensions of life. For additional information, please visit our Wellness Program.
Department of Inclusion and Belonging
The Office is dedicated to creating a positive environment for Cornell’s faculty, staff, and students by assisting in the resolution of discrimination, harassment, and bias matters; providing resources in the areas of affirmative action and diversity; and by addressing work-related issues that affect the life quality of Cornell’s increasingly diverse employee population. For additional information, visit the Department of Inclusion and Belonging.
Cornell Children’s Tuition Scholarship (CCTS)
The Cornell Children’s Tuition Scholarship awards scholarships to children of eligible employees for study at Cornell and other accredited institutions. It is a benefit provided to the children of eligible Cornell employees who will be or are currently studying toward a degree at Cornell or an undergraduate degree at another institution, accredited by the American Council on Education. For additional information, please visit CCTS.
Child Care Grant and Other Benefits
To find information about child care center, child care grant and other benefits associated with children, please visit the Child Care Grant page.
Paid Time Off
Vacation
Post-doctoral associates accrue at the rate of 15 days per year. Vacation must be taken before the termination date of the appointment; vacation cannot extend salary payments beyond the termination of appointment. To view full policy go to page 18 Leave Policy
Holidays
The University recognizes the following staff holidays: Martin Luther King, Jr Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and the day after, and winter break (usually six days between December 25 and January 1). Postdocs should note that these are staff holidays and may or may not be appropriate for postdocs to take off, depending upon their research and scholarly activities. Efforts should be made to discuss time off with the postdoc’s advisor. If a postdoc works a holiday, they should be given the opportunity to take a different day off. No additional overtime or excess pay is provided for work on holidays.
Leaves
Cornell provides leave for Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), military service or training, and jury duty. For additional information, please see the Leaves for Professors and Academic Staff document.
Additionally, the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation provides research assistance for PIs while postdocs and research associates are on parental leave.
Educational Opportunities
Many programs are offered by the Office of Postdoctoral Studies, as well as by other offices on campus, and will be published on the listserv as well.
- Many workshops are available to Cornell staff from Technical and Business training to wellbeing, those training are offered in person or online for a full list go to: Full list of training opportunities
- Postdocs may access certain educational benefits at Cornell when a course is needed to enhance a postdoc’s skills. The course must appear on the School of Continuing Education’s list of non-degree courses. To participate, postdocs must receive approval of the course director and their advisor. Maximum of 4 credit hours per semester.
Cornell Travel Registry
All postdocs must register any work-related international travel at Travel Registry.
Additional information about resources and assistance in case of an emergency while abroad, including urgent health, safety, and security concerns, is available from Global Cornell.
For Additional Information
Additional information regarding these benefits and privileges is contained in the Human Resource Policies and can be found under benefits.