Graduate assistantships

Graduate Assistantships at 91ԭ��

Graduate assistantships are an excellent way to finance your education while gaining critical career, research, and classroom skills. Please note: You must be formally admitted to a graduate program to receive an assistantship. Positions are determined and awarded directly by individual departments, colleges, and research institutes.

Types of Assistantships & Where to Find Them

91ԭ�� offers three main categories of graduate assistantships. Because these positions are distributed at the department level, students should reach out directly to their major advisor or department coordinator (such as the Department of Biology & Wildlife, College of Fisheries & Ocean Sciences, or the College of Liberal Arts) to inquire about active openings or application procedures.

Teaching Assistants (TAs)

Teaching Assistantships position you in the classroom. They typically involve teaching undergraduate courses, leading discussion sections, supervising laboratory blocks, grading, or meeting with students during office hours.

Compensation: Regular stipend, graduate student health insurance, and tuition support.
Workload Note: TAs who serve solely as paper graders are required to submit regular timesheets.

Research Assistants (RAs)

Research Assistantships typically involve working alongside faculty members on specialized, grant-funded research projects (often tied to major research centers like the Institute of Arctic Biology, College of Fisheries & Ocean Sciences, College of Engineering & Mines, or the Geophysical Institute).

Compensation: Regular stipend, graduate health insurance, tuition support, and in select cases, mandatory student fee coverage.
Project Alignment: Discuss specific project goals with your advisor to understand how your RA duties intersect with your own thesis parameters.

Engagement Assistants (EAs)

Engagement Assistantships pair students with specialized service or administrative units on campus whose roles heavily align with the student's broader academic field of study.

Duties: Providing administrative aid, library service execution, academic programmatic support, or athletic unit operations.
Compensation: Regular stipend, graduate student health insurance, and core tuition support.

Eligibility & Maintenance Requirements

To retain an assistantship, graduate students must meet strict academic and registration baselines set by university regulations and collective bargaining agreements.

Enrollment & Credit Minimums

Domestic Graduate Assistants: Must be registered for at least 6 credits per semester (Fall/Spring) to maintain active employment.
International Graduate Assistants (F-1/J-1 status): Must remain enrolled full-time (minimum 9 credits) per semester. *Exception: Graduating international students in their final semester can request a Reduced Course Load, but must still maintain at least 6 credits if working as a student employee.*
Important: Audited classes do not count toward your mandatory registration minimums. Summer registration is generally exempt if working 21–40 hours per week in a taxable student framework.

GPA & Academic Progress (SAP)

Graduate assistants are required to maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 and demonstrate satisfactory academic progress within their department.

If your GPA falls below a 3.0, you may jeopardize your funding eligibility. In specific scenarios, an appeal form can be routed directly to the Financial Aid Office to evaluate mitigating circumstances.

Workload Exceptions & Outside Employment

Per Board of Regents policy, graduate students are restricted to working a maximum of 20 hours per week across all campus jobs while school is in session.

Domestic Students: Working over 20 hours requires a formal Graduate Student Workload Exception Request form. Working consistently over 39 hours per week will shift your payroll status from non-taxable to taxable status.
Outside Work: If you accept employment outside of the UA system, you must file a formal employment disclosure form in compliance with the 91ԭ�� Executive Branch Ethics Act.

Critical Info for International Assistants

Zero Work-Hour Flexibility:

By federal law, international students under F-1 or J-1 status cannot exceed 20 hours of work per week under any circumstances while school is in session (including midterms and finals). Out-of-compliance workloads carry catastrophic immigration consequences.

Additionally, immigration laws heavily restrict working past your official Program Completion Date, even if your assistantship offer letter outlines a later contract end-date. Direct all compliance, final-semester timelines, or visa safety queries to the Office of International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS).

Understanding Your Assistantship Appointment Letter

All official Graduate Assistantship contract offers are processed through NextGen. You will receive an email prompting you to log in and sign your official offer once your department initiates the process.

Key Areas to focus on in the Offer Info Section:

1 Assistantship Info

This block establishes your fundamental role framework, job expectations, and contract timeline.

Type of Assistantship	Teaching, Research, or Engagement (Hourly).
Term Dates	Important: Ensure your work starts and ends exactly within these dates. Work outside this window cannot be compensated.
Weekly Hours	Typically 10–20 hours. This maps directly to your expected weekly effort.

Snippet of the Offer Information section on the 91ԭ�� contract form

2 Pay Info

Details regarding your localized paycheck amounts and total gross contract value.

Stipend Rates	Minimums are $25.17/hr (MA) or $29.80/hr (PhD). Your explicit regular bi-weekly gross paycheck amount will calculate and display here.
Total Award	The total gross amount scheduled to be paid out across the entire duration of the appointment (before taxes).

Snippet of the Pay Information section on the 91ԭ�� contract form

3 Credit Hours & Fees Coverage Info

Credit Matching Rule: If your awarded credits are lower than your actual registered credits, you are responsible for paying the remaining tuition balance out of pocket.

Credits Awarded	The exact maximum number of tuition credits covered for the semester (typically ranges up to 10 credits).
Fee Coverage	Mandatory Coverage: Consolidated & Infrastructure Fees are automatically covered. Discretionary: Lab, matriculation, or seminar fees are left entirely up to your hiring department's discretion.

Snippet of the Credit Hours and Fee Coverage section on the 91ԭ�� contract form

Access Your Appointment Letter

Need to download, review, sign, or print a copy of a current or previously signed letter?

Graduate Labor Union Resources:

Review the formal AGWA Collective Bargaining Agreement or visit the official for updates regarding graduate employee rights, working environments, and union representation.

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