E-mail this pageGraduate Assistantships Policies & Requirements
How to Apply for a Graduate Assistantship
Students interested in a graduate assistantship should submit the graduate assistantship application to the Graduate Admissions Office by April 1. Applications are accepted after April 1, but late applications cannot be considered for all positions.
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If you would like a hardcopy, please contact the Graduate Admissions office.
Applications will be reviewed, and interviews coordinated, by the department(s) offering the assistantship(s).
Assistantship Policies
Not all Graduate Assistantships are available every year. Graduate Assistantships offer a stipend and a tuition scholarship. Residence Directors also receive housing and partial meal plan.
Typically, assistantships are awarded on an academic year basis. However, when circumstances warrant, one semester appointments can be made. All appointments are made using guidelines outlined in the Procedures for Awarding Graduate Assistantships.
Students need to reapply annually, and assistantships may be renewed for up to two years after initial appointment.
Graduate Assistants, in addition to their status as students, are employees of the State University of New York and are represented by the Graduate Student Employees Union (GSEU).
The terms and conditions of their employment are determined through collective bargaining and are enumerated in the Agreement between GSEU and the State of New York.
General Requirements for Graduate Assistanships
Graduate Assistants must be matriculated at the start of the appointment period. A graduate student who withdraws or reduces enrollment from full-time to part-time status may jeopardize the stipend and tuition scholarship which affects tuition liability.
Graduate Assistants who are full-time students take a minimum of 12 credit hours per semester. When the graduate assistantship is directly related to the educational program e.g., when the assistantship is within the academic department.
Graduate Assistants may take a minimum of nine hours. Other exceptions require the approval of the appropriate department head/dean. Graduate Assistants may not be employed outside the College without the approval of the employing department head/dean. Maintenance of good academic standing is a requirement for continuation and/or reappointment.
Graduate Assistants who have been awarded full or partial tuition scholarships must either apply for a Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) grant, or submit a completed TAP ineligibility certificate each academic year. Details about TAP eligibility and application process are available in the Financial Aid Office. The tuition scholarship will be reduced by the TAP award amount or any other tuition specific grant. Students who have not submitted a TAP award certificate or filed an explanation of their ineligibility for TAP by October 15 of each academic year in which a tuition scholarship has been granted may forfeit the tuition scholarship and will be liable for tuition charges. All other fees are charged on a full-time basis and are the student's responsibility.
Tuition scholarships are limited to instate equivalency.