FAQ: Grad Assistantship & Tuition Scholarship

General Information to learn more & apply

What is a Graduate Assistantship?

A Graduate Assistantship (GA) is an employment position on campus that is awarded full-time (20 hours per week) or half-time (10 hours per week). Assistantships enhance the student’s graduate education by exposing them to professional activities and concerns of their discipline and gives them the opportunity to work closely with faculty and other university professionals. Interested? Apply for a departmental GA here.

Funds are allocated by the Graduate College, academic and non-academic support units. Assistantship offers are extended by the departments or hiring units. Descriptions and postings can be found on Handshake or the Graduate Assistantship Position Listing.

Important: Summer term GAs are not allowed. If you have the chance to work in a graduate assignment during summer or winter term, these will be treated as hourly student employment positions.

General Payment Information

GA stipend is paid through payroll the last business day of each month during the awarded semester.
The GA stipend is disbursed in 5 equal installments.
Taxes are withheld on GA compensations.
This position is distinct from hourly student employment.

Qualifications

Students must be enrolled for at least 9 qualifying graduate credit hours (workshops, audit, credit/no-credit (except courses required by accrediting institutions), undergraduate, CIEP or guided independent study courses cannot be used as part of this load).
Students must have an official transcript on file in the Office of Admissions showing that their bachelors (or any other required) degree has been conferred.
Students must be admitted without provisions to degree status in a graduate degree program.
Conditionally admitted students due to GPA reasons are not eligible for funding.
Students must maintain a UNI cumulative graduate GPA of at least 3.00. A newly admitted graduate student must have at least a 3.0 GPA for undergraduate or previous graduate work of at least 8 graded credit hours.
Students must be regularly admitted without provisions to degree status in a graduate degree program.
Must meet UNI's Human Resources Services' employment eligibility.

What are the benefits of holding a Graduate Assistantship?

A GA will help you develop and apply fresh knowledge related to your field and graduate major, this will boost your resume.
A GA awardee might have tuition billed at the resident rate.
Non-resident spouse receives tuition billed at resident rate.
Be able to purchase an “A” (faculty/staff) campus parking permit.
Receive holidays and might not work during breaks, although this can vary according to special adjustments in the academic calendar.

Note: Students must maintain at least a half-time assistantship for the entire semester to receive these benefits.

Which types of Graduate Assistantships are available at UNI?

There are three categories of Graduate Assistantship positions and they are available in both academic departments and support service departments (non-academic) at UNI. Some assistantships are funded internally and others are funded externally. Regardless of the funding source, all policies and procedures pertaining to them are the same.

Graduate Teaching Assistants (Academic Departments): Graduate students given primary responsibility for the instruction of undergraduate courses are the exception rather than the rule.
Graduate Research Assistants (Academic Departments): Research Assistants are selected for excellence in scholarship and promise as researchers. They do research as a portion of their training under the direct supervision of regular faculty members or support the research initiatives of the institution.
Graduate Service Assistants (Support Service Departments): Graduate Service Assistants assist in a service unit whose mission is closely related to the student’s area of academic study and interest. They are responsible to a professional member of the service unit who supervises and trains the student in the service role.

How do I apply for financial support?

Graduate College's GAs and Tuition Scholarships are applied for through each department. Assistantships are available in both academic and non-academic departments.

For GAs: you will need to submit an online Application form and it should be directed to the appropriate contact (click on the form and review the instructions). Assistantship descriptions and postings can be found on: (1) Handshake (Official UNI's job board), (2) departmental websites, and (3) the Graduate Assistantship Position Listing.
For Scholarships: these should be applied for by using the online Application form. You just need to select your program correctly.

Departments take the decision about whom to award Assistantships and/or Scholarships, the Graduate College does not recommend nor assists in the selection/decision making process. The Graduate College will support the process and make sure guidelines and policies are followed, we will make sure that internal processes are carried out.

Are there other forms of Financial Aid / Employment available for me?

Other types of financial aid are applied for through the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships
Other types of employment (Hourly student employment) are applied for through Handshake (online job board) available on the Career Services website.

Is there any deadline to apply for funding?

Applications should be submitted to the department no later than February 1 for full consideration for next academic year support. The deadline usually extends till mid or late February, ask your program/department about these deadlines. For example, if you are interested to start either in Fall or Spring, you should submit your application for funding in February 2022.

What is a Graduate College Tuition Scholarship?

This scholarship is a monetary award that helps to pay tuition costs. Graduate College Tuition Scholarships are awarded as a half or as a full at the in-state tuition rate. It does not cover mandatory fees.

Students receiving this award will see their scholarship posted to their bill by the first day of the semester. A Graduate College Tuition Scholarship does not qualify a student for the resident tuition rate. Students are responsible for the amount of their tuition and fees that the scholarship does not cover.

These scholarships are processed through the Financial Aid Office and do not require any work or services to receive this award.

Interested? apply for a Tuition Scholarship here.

Eligibility for a Tuition Scholarship (TS)

Students must be enrolled for at least 9 qualifying graduate credit hours (workshops, audit, credit/no-credit, undergraduate, CIEP or guided independent study courses cannot be used as part of this load)
Students must have an official transcript on file in the Office of Admissions showing that their bachelors (or any other required) degree has been conferred
Students must be admitted to a UNI graduate degree program
Students need to be declared in their graduate degree program
Students must maintain a UNI cumulative graduate GPA of at least 3.00. A newly admitted graduate student must have at least a 3.0 GPA for undergraduate or previous graduate work of at least 8 graded credit hours. If GPA drops below a 3.0 the scholarship will be removed and the student will have to pay the tuition and return the award back.
Students must be regularly admitted without provisions to degree status in a graduate degree program.

Where can I review the cost of studying, including tuition and fees?

The office of the Registrar posts a tuition overview in the following site: tuition.uni.edu. Are you an International student? You can review the information shared by the International Admissions Office at intladm.uni.edu

Download the GA handbook

Assistantships Inventory

Application for Financial Aid

Specific information: holding a GA and/or an scholarship

How should I better prepare to start my GA assignment?

We've got you on this one! You are required to follow our GA orientation (general orientation) and a department-based or assignment-specific training You can visit the following link to get ready for the general one.

What happens to my Assistantship or Scholarship if I swap, drop or withdraw one or more classes?

One of the requirements to hold a Graduate Assistantship or have a Graduate College Tuition Scholarship is to be enrolled in at least 9 qualifying on-campus graduate-level credit hours. If you need to drop below the required 9 hours, funding must be resigned. To swap or change your current enrollment, please visit the information shared below

What do I need to do for swapping or dropping classes without losing my award(s)?

You will see a "Grad Assistant Full-time Req" hold (RGA) or “Grad Scholarship Full-time Req” hold (RGG) on your account for the entire semester. This type of hold does not prevent you from registering for classes but it does prevent you from dropping them. In order to drop or swap any class you must:

Inform your academic advisor about your plans/changes
Submit an online student request named “Change of registration: Drop course from current/future term” in MyUNIverse
Once the online student request is submitted you will be notified regarding its approval/reject via email
Upon approval, the Registrar's Office will adjust your records, which may take a couple of days
Check your overall registration to verify you are enrolled in 9 qualifying credits.

What steps should I follow to resign a Graduate Assistantship?

You retain the pay for the time you have worked
To resign after the start of the semester, email your supervisor and the Graduate College informing that you are resigning your assistantship
Use the link in your assistantship offer letter to decline the position electronically
Provide the last day worked and number of hours worked during the last week of employment
If you are a non-resident and resign your assistantship, your tuition will be billed at the non-resident rate
The Graduate College will process your RGA hold removal.

What steps should I follow to resign a Graduate College Tuition Scholarship?

You will be responsible for the entire tuition charges for that semester
To resign, use the link in your scholarship offer letter to decline the award electronically
Once you decline the award, the system will send an automated email to your academic department and the Graduate College informing them that you have declined the scholarship
Once we cancel your support, you will see the scholarship as an amount you owe in your U-bill

Refer to the following rule based upon the time of the semester that this withdrawal occurs: "if the student withdraws from the semester or from the university due to a personal, family, or medical emergency, the tuition scholarship will be honored and applied to the UBill, based on the schedule below." This follows the percentages of tuition and fees refund policy. The percentages are the amount of scholarship that is removed (i.e: withdrawal during week 1, removes 90% of the value of the scholarship)

Week 1 – 90%
Week 2 – 75%
Week 3 – 50%
Week 4 – 25%
Week 5 and beyond – student gets to keep the entire award

The Graduate College will release the RGG hold after we can verify the removal as been processed.

Termination of Assistantship Appointments

A graduate assistantship appointment may be terminated for cause, including, but not limited to:

Failure to complete hire paperwork (I-9 form) at the HRS office on time.
Failure to enroll in the minimum qualifying hours.
Failure to maintain good academic standing (UNI cumulative GPA 3.0 or above).
Neglect of duties or incompetence.
Constant refusal to follow supervisor’s advice/counsel.
Failure to comply with Assistantship obligations as set forth by department/program rules/sponsored research agreements.
Personal conduct that violates UNI student conduct code policy 3.02 state and federal law.
Performance that does not meet expectations may impact the renewal of the GA and, in certain circumstances, it may lead to the cancellation of accepted GA offers.

Download the GA handbook

Orientation for new GAs

Submit a Student Request

FAQ: Grad Assistantship & Tuition Scholarship

General Information to learn more & apply

Specific information: holding a GA and/or an scholarship

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