Application Process

Applying for a Graduate Assistantship

Each Graduate Assistant candidate must complete an online Graduate Assistantship application, unless the candidate is being rehired for the same position the next semester. The Graduate Assistantship application is available on the Online Student Employment site. Applicants must attach any required and/or optional documents, such as resumes and transcripts, to the Graduate Assistantship application. Following a review of potential candidates, units may interview preferences. These interviews will be coordinated by the individual units. It is understood that an interview is not a guarantee of award. Considerations for assignment shall include funding availability, job availability, and job performance.

A Graduate Assistantship Acknowledgment form, which includes a job description, general duties to be performed, minimum course load, amount of stipend, tuition and the general university scholarship, dates of appointment, workload, and name of the unit supervisor, will be generated by the Office of Graduate Studies for each student recommended for hire by the units and verified by the Office of Graduate Studies.

Graduate Assistants must sign and adhere to acknowledgment forms filed in the Office of Graduate Studies. In addition, Graduate Assistants must present documents (at a minimum, the individual’s valid driver’s license, original social security card, and a voided check) necessary to be placed on university payroll. It is the sole responsibility of the Graduate Assistant to provide these documents to the Office of Human Resources prior to the date employment begins.

The Office of Human Resources will collect tax forms, I-9’s on student employees, and direct deposit information from each Graduate Assistant. The Office of Human Resources will also maintain student files, summarize payroll information, and forward the acknowledgment form to the Payroll Office.

Policy of Compliance

Jacksonville State University (JSU) is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. The University has filed with the Federal Government an Assurance of Compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. The University does not discriminate on the basis of disability, and no qualified person shall, on the basis of disability, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity which receives or benefits from federal assistance.

Period of Appointment

Graduate Assistants are appointed on a semester by semester basis. In some cases, this appointment may include one or more summer terms. The awarding of an assistantship does not imply future employment. A graduate student maintaining satisfactory academic progress toward a degree and complying with all requirements established as part of the Graduate Assistantship Program will be eligible for a graduate assistantship for up to three calendar years if enrolled in a degree program with a six year time limit, or up to five calendar years if enrolled in a degree program with a ten year time limit.

Scholarship, Stipend, and Workload

Compensation for Graduate Assistantships is determined by the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Graduate Assistantships provide stipends based on a workload equal to twenty (20) hours per week. However, in some compressed summer terms, workload may increase to twenty-six (26) hours per week under special circumstances.

Graduate Assistants are prohibited from accepting, receiving, or being credited for other forms of University tuition scholarships or waivers. Scholarships from sources outside of the University and the JSU employee benefit of tuition assistance will both be permitted.

Scholarships for a maximum of nine (9) graduate in-state hours per semester or full summer term and the associated general university fee are awarded to Graduate Assistants in addition to a bi-weekly stipend. (Tuition beyond nine hours and program, course, and/or other fees are NOT covered by the Graduate Assistantship.) For a list of Tuition and Fees, please visit the Office of Student Accounts website.

If a Graduate Assistant resigns an assistantship or is terminated, the stipend will be prorated through the last day of employment, and the tuition and the general university fee scholarship will also be adjusted accordingly on the student’s JSU account to reflect time actually worked.

If a Graduate Assistant is not hired for a full semester, the tuition and the general university fee scholarship and the stipend will be prorated according to time actually worked.

If a Graduate Assistant position is vacated at any time, the Director of Graduate Studies will determine if, and in what unit, that vacated position will be allotted.

Each Graduate Assistant shall be assigned a supervisor by the unit in which he/she holds the position, who will be responsible for assigning tasks, supervising, and evaluating the job performance of the Graduate Assistant. In addition, the supervisor will be responsible for monitoring completion of time sheets and ensuring their return to the Comptroller’s Office by the requested date.

Purpose & Overview

Types of Assistantships

Eligibility