Research & Teaching Assistantships

1. Work hours and expectations

• Responsibilities: Research and teaching assistantships provide important financial benefits and work experiences for graduate students, but they also involve a commitment of time and energy. Assistantships are an employment contract. Work varies with each research project or class. As with any job, there are responsibilities to the faculty member who is your employer and there are work deadlines that must be met. Sometimes the demands of the job take priority over other activities. Students who decide to accept an assistantship are also deciding to make a commitment to the particular job for which they have been hired. The student is responsible for providing the supervisor with a copy of their schedule, including class times as well as work times. The employment contract begins before classes start and ends after examinations are completed (specific appointment dates are listed on appointment letters). Students are required to be on the job for the entire time of the contract. When classes are not in session, your assistantship continues except for official University holidays. More information on holidays and working during scheduled break periods (e.g. winter/spring breaks) can be found in the Graduate Assistant Employment Work Rules policy. Each student must have an employment discussion with their faculty supervisor at the beginning of the semester so that everyone understands what is expected.

• Hours: Students are expected to work 10 hours per week for a 25 percent appointment (195 hours per semester) and 20 hours per week for a 50 percent appointment (390 hours per semester). Students are expected to set a work schedule with supervisor(s) for each appointment. Students receive a stipend.

• Policy: Assistantships are available to students who are in good standing and making excellent progress in the program. The policy that governs the employment of graduate students in graduate assistant (GA) appointments is in the University's Policy Library.

2. Tuition

• A student holding a graduate assistant appointment of at least 25 percent (10 hours per week) for the entire semester will receive a tuition remission (based on resident tuition rates, regardless of residency) equal to twice the percentage of your appointment in the term of the appointment only. If you hold an appointment of 50 percent or more for an entire term, you will receive a 100 percent tuition remission. The tuition benefit the student receives is charged to the department and/or grant funding.

• Former graduate assistants, who have completed two semesters of a graduate assistantship at 195 work hours per semester, and their immediate family members (spouse, children, or legal ward living in the household), may be eligible to receive resident tuition rate reductions for up to four semesters, based on the number of qualifying GA appointments.

3. Registration

• All students who hold assistantships must register for at least six credits to maintain full-time status and may register for up to 14 credits without paying additional tuition.

4. Health Insurance

• Medical and dental insurance: The Graduate Assistant Health Plan through the Office of Student Health Benefits provides medical and dental coverage to eligible Graduate Assistants working 195 hours during the official semester payroll dates. For example, the University pays 47.5 percent for a student with a 25 percent appointment and 95 percent is paid for a student with a 50 percent appointment. For more information on graduate assistant employment benefits, refer to Employment Benefits.

• Reciprocity: A student who is a resident of Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, or Manitoba, Canada, may qualify for reciprocity. What the student pays depends upon the student’s state of residence and the program to which the student is admitted. More guidance can be found at OneStop Tuition Reciprocity page.