Financing Graduate School

Graduate students enrolled in a minimum of six graduate credit hours in both the fall and spring semesters may qualify for a graduate assistantship. In addition to pursuing a formal program of graduate study, a graduate assistant performs professional duties and assumes responsibilities commensurate with his/her educational background and experience. For these additional duties, the graduate assistant receives a fee waiver of hourly student fees and is paid wages. A candidate for a graduate assistantship must have been admitted to a University of Southern Indiana graduate program. Appointments for graduate assistantships must be filed with the Office of Graduate Studies and approved by the appropriate dean by August 1 for the fall semester, December 1 for the spring semester, and May 1 for a summer assignment.

1. A candidate for a graduate assistantship must have been admitted to a University of Southern Indiana graduate program. Appointments for graduate assistantships must be filed with the Office of Graduate Studies and approved by the appropriate dean by August 1 for the fall semester, December 1 for the spring semester, and May 1 for a summer assignment. 

2. Students appointed as graduate assistants are assigned duties by the sponsoring school or administrative unit for a period of not less than one semester (or summer term) or more than one calendar year. The appointment may be renewable. The graduate assistant will be expected to accomplish up to 20 hours of assigned work per week. The duties and responsibilities may vary from one assistantship to another. Graduate assistants will be expected to view their assigned duties with the University as their primary employment for the duration of their appointment. The combination of this graduate assistantship and academic study is considered a full-time commitment; therefore graduate assistants are not eligible to work on campus outside the graduate assistantship.

3. Remuneration for a graduate assistantship will generally consist of: 

• Waiver of instructional fees (hourly tuition, lab fees, campus service fee, and parking fee) for up to 9 hours per fall and spring semester and 6 hours during the summer. Graduate assistants are considered Indiana residents for fee purposes for the duration of their appointment.

• Payment, the amount of which is within the range of the approved rate schedule, for actual hours worked in the performance of work assignment. 

• Both the fee waiver on classes and the actual wages for hours worked are considered wages for tax purposes under the IRS guidelines. 

• A graduate assistant employed during the fall and spring semesters may receive, based on the department’s available resources, an instructional fee waiver during the following summer term without employment in that term if: (a) the summer instructional fee waiver is included in the graduate assistantship contract and (b) the graduate assistant successfully completed the terms and conditions of the assistantship contract during the academic year. 

4. For the duration of the appointment as a graduate assistant, students will be required to a) maintain a minimum credit load of six graduate credit hours in both the fall and spring semesters covered by the period of the assistantship; b) be "in good standing" (as defined in the University Bulletin); and c) maintain reasonable academic progress (as defined by the Reasonable Academic Progress Policy for Graduate Federal and State Financial Assistance). 

5. A faculty member/administrator will be designated to monitor each graduate assistant's performance. Unsatisfactory performance can result in termination of the appointment. 

6. In order to be placed on the University's payroll, a graduate assistant must provide Human Resources with the necessary documents as required by law and/or University policy. Additional documents (e.g., work authorization, visa or passport) must be provided by foreign nationals to comply with federal immigration law. 

7. If a student resigns from a graduate assistantship but remains a USI student, the student's residency classification for subsequent terms reverts to what it would have been without the graduate assistantship.