14.2. Assistantship Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for an assistantship students must:

• Be a degree seeking student
• Be registered for a minimum of six graduate credits each semester (fall and spring) they receive an assistantship; credit requirements may vary by program
  • This policy does not apply if the student is enrolled in their final graduating semester and needs fewer than 6 credits to complete their plan of study or program curriculum.
  • Students in accelerated degree programs must be registered for graduate credit to be eligible for an assistantship.
• Complete required trainings within 30 days of their first day of work and as required thereafter
• Remain in good academic standing
  • Students placed on Academic Warning may retain their assistantship
  • Students placed on Academic Probation may no longer receive an assistantship

Students seeking a summer assistantship must be enrolled for a minimum of 6 credits either during the spring prior or fall term immediately after the summer fellowship; summer enrollment is not required for a summer term assistantship.

Assistantship appointments may vary in length and are contingent upon the availability of funding, which is determined by individual graduate programs. Graduate assistants must be paid at least minimum wage and wage is determined by individual graduate programs. For information, refer to the graduate student handbook or website of the program/department.

A full-time assistantship consists of 320 hours per term (i.e., 20 hours/week). Exceptions may include:

• Allowing up to 40 hours of work weekly during spring break, winter break, and summer semester.
• Allowing up to 26 total hours/week.
  • To make this request, a Special Request form must be filed each spring and fall semester to add additional hours to a full-time domestic or permanent resident student’s assistantship
  • If approved by the Graduate College, a copy of the request must be attached to the payroll form.

In some instances, degree seeking students in good academic standing and meeting the enrollment requirement of six credits during the fall or spring semester may be eligible for a half- or part-time graduate assistantship. A minimum of 160 hours per semester (i.e., 10 hours/week) are required to qualify for a half- or part-time assistantship.

The hour commitment defined by an assistantship may be averaged across a given time period. For example, a teaching assistantship of 20 hours/ week should total to 320 hours across the 16 weeks of the academic term. In these cases, students should be given adequate advance notice of these variable expectations so that they can adjust their schedules to meet the requirements of the assistantship. Supervisors must also remain sensitive to the academic demands faced by graduate students.