Graduate Assistant Employment

Scheduled work days follow the campus academic calendar for nine-month faculty. Graduate assistant appointments generally begin one week before classes start and end one week after classes are over each semester. Ending time may vary in December due to the holidays. Students in the Master's program receive a monthly stipend of $800 per month for working 15 hours per week in addition to tuition remission for up to 12 credit hours each semester. Pay for doctoral students varies depending on their time in the doctoral program.

Students must be enrolled for at least one credit hour of graduate level course work during the entire period of their appointment except during the summer. They may not enroll for over 12 credit hours during this period without special permission from the Graduate Dean. Tuition remission pays for no more than 12 credit hours per semester.

Students may apply and be appointed to a graduate assistant position anytime. However, in order to have the tuition remitted for the semester, the student should be appointed to a graduate assistant position by the end of the first week of class, the appointment must be for the entire semester, and the student must be assigned to work at least .33 FTE (15 hours per week). If the appointment is made for any time period less than a full semester or less than 15 hours per week, the student receives only the monetary stipend. Tuition is not remitted.

Students appointed to a graduate assistant position for the entire semester will receive tuition remission. If a student resigns from their position before the end of the semester, they will be responsible for paying the full amount of tuition due for that semester.

Students wishing to continue as a graduate assistant following the completion of their appointed term must complete a new application. Applications are due in May for positions beginning in the fall semester.

Graduate assistants who are scheduled to work on a day that is listed on the academic calendar as a holiday, are excused from working that day and do not need to make up the hours later. For example, if a graduate assistant’s normal schedule was to work 5 hours on Monday, 3 hours on Tuesday, 5 hours on Wednesday and 2 hours on Thursday, they would not have to work the hours on Monday and Tuesday of Labor Day week because these days are scheduled as a holiday for students and 9-month faculty. During Thanksgiving week, students will only need to work their normal scheduled hours on Monday and Tuesday. Graduate assistants are not required to work during the week of Spring Break because that is a scheduled holiday for students and 9-month faculty.

Some graduate assistants may be assigned to work over the summer. If a summer contract is negotiated, students are not required to be enrolled in classes during the summer.

Students working as graduate assistants may not be employed in the University of Nebraska system for a total of more than .50 FTE (20 hours per week) including the graduate assistantship appointment

Graduate Assistant Application