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Graduate Assistantships

Graduate Assistanships Guidelines (Academic Year)

A. POSITION ASSIGNMENTS

  1. The Nature of the Appointment
    Students appointed to graduate assistantships shall be employed to perform specific professional assignments such as assisting with an educational project, teaching or research. If the graduate assistantship is for a purpose other than those professional assignments listed above, approval must be received before an appointment is made by the Dean, School of Graduate Studies.
  1. Reappointment
    All re-appointments are contingent upon satisfying all academic progress requirements and the availability of funding. In addition, each department/program/area may have requirements regarding assistantship renewal in addition to the academic requirements contained in the current graduate bulletin.
  1. Academic Criteria
    All graduate students who have been admitted to graduate studies for the purpose of pursuing course work that will normally lead to a master's degree are eligible for consideration. A 2.75 undergraduate cumulative grade point average (G.P.A.), or the equivalent, is required for all programs of study except Environmental Studies. Environmental Studies requires an undergraduate cumulative grade point average of 3.0. In addition, some departments/projects may require minimum score on the Graduate Record Examination and/or a personal interview or other evaluative measures for consideration for an assistantship. Students who have been "provisionally" admitted to graduate studies may not be eligible for a graduate assistantship until all provisions attached to admission have been satisfied. All provisionally admitted graduate students receiving an assistantship will be reviewed each semester for continuation. A provisionally admitted student may not fall below a 3.00 G.P.A. Graduate students who have previously been awarded a master's degree are eligible for consideration, if readmitted for the purpose of pursuing either a second designation or an additional master's degree.

B. COMPENSATION

  1. Resident Tuition Status
    Students appointed to graduate assistant positions are considered residents of Minnesota for the purpose of determining tuition during the period of the contract. Departments/programs are required to submit the Faculty Appointment Request Form no later than the tenth instructional day of the semester in which the appointment becomes effective.
  1. Stipend
    All graduate assistants shall be paid at the rate of $425 per pay period regardless of the funding source. The maximum number of clock hours for non-teaching graduate assistants is fourteen 14 hours per week. Graduate assistants whose primary assignment is instruction shall teach no more than four (4) credit hours per semester. The full-time graduate assistant academic year stipend is $8,000. This amount will be equally allocated during each semester (20 pay periods). Please note: Due to a change in BSU accounting system, payroll checks for graduate assistants will no longer be mailed directly to their homes. Checks will be available for pick up at the Cashier's Office in Deputy Hall or direct deposit option is also available. The student will need to provide a picture ID before the check is released.
  1. Tuition Award
    Full-time graduate assistants     whose funding is provided by the University will receive a tuition waiver of six (6) graduate semester credits for the Fall semester and six (6) graduate semester credits for Spring semester. A total of 12 semester hours of graduate credit are available per academic year. Half-time graduate assistants will receive a total tuition award of six (6) graduate semester hours over the entire academic year (3 for Fall; 3 for Spring). The tuition award shall apply to graduate course work only. There is no carry-over of a tuition-wavier from one academic year to the next. The tuition award form must be completed and submitted to the Human Resource Office no later than the tenth class day of each semester. LATE FEES WILL BE ASSESSED! Graduate students are required to pay tuition for all semester hours beyond the tuition waiver and are responsible for the payment of all student fees.

ATTENTION: Effective January 1, 1995, Universities may need to add the value of all graduate tuition waivers to the employees taxable income. At the end of each semester, the dollar value of the graduate tuition waiver may need to be added to the student’s paycheck, taxes including Federal, State, and FICA will be taken out at that time. If the student would rather have taxes taken out of each paycheck, IT IS THIER RESPONSIBILITY to contact Marilyn Lanners at 755-2902 or Deputy Hall 201 for the necessary paperwork. The value of the waiver will be included in the student’s taxable earnings on their W-2 for the year.

  1. Health Insurance
    Graduate assistants are not covered by the University's faculty, staff and administrative insurance policies.
  1. Retirement
    Graduate assistants do not contribute to the Teacher's Retirement Fund.
  1. Social Security
    Graduate Assistants are not covered by Social Security.

C. ACADEMIC PROGRESS REQUIREMENTS

  1. Minimum Semester Hours and Cumulative Grade Point Average All graduate assistants are required to register for and complete a minimum of six (6) graduate credits each semester. A 3.00 G.P.A. ("B" average) must be maintained for all course work attempted. Graduate assistants that do not satisfy the minimum requirements will receive one additional semester to satisfy any deficiency.
  1. Incomplete and In-progress Courses Graduate assistants are not permitted to carry forward more than three graduate credits of incomplete ("I") or in-progress("IP") grades, other than thesis, research paper, or internship/ practicum credits, grade designations from a prior semester or summer session. Students who have satisfied all course work requirements, with the exception of research paper or thesis credits, should contact the Dean of Graduate Studies regarding the minimum semester hours and grade point average requirements.
  1. Any failure to satisfy either requirement, or the falsification of any information, may result in the termination of the GA contract.

Bemidji State University is an equal opportunity educational employer.

Graduate Assistantship Guidelines (Summer)
How to Apply