Graduate Assistantships: Information and Forms
GRADUATE TEACHING AND RESEARCH ASSISTANTSHIPS
Most departments with established graduate programs offer teaching and research assistantships to qualified degree-seeking graduate students who are in good academic standing. Appointments are usually half-time and carry stipends. Teaching and research assistantship appointments are made directly by the departments. Inquiries and applications for assistantships should be addressed to the director of the graduate program of the appropriate department. Occasionally a few teaching assistantships are available for the winter semester.
Eligibility: All GA hires must be in good academic standing and pursuing a degree program in order to hold an assistantship. Departments wishing to hire a graduate student from another degree program must check with the Graduate School before offering a position.
Possible Impact of Tuition Coverage on your Financial Aid Package
Student Accident and Sickness Insurance for Graduate Assistants
Payment
of Educational Fees
Graduate Teaching Assistantships and Graduate Research Assistantships
who hold a .25 FTE appointment (10 hours per week or one course) for the full semester are awarded
a scholarship for nonresident fees. This allows the GTA/GRA to be charged
educational fees at the Missouri resident rate. However, students will
be required to pay any non-educational fee related charges or any tuition
surcharges.
Graduate Teaching Assistants and Graduate Research Assistants who hold a .5 FTE appointment (20 hours per week or two courses) for the full semester will be given tuition scholarships* by the Graduate School to cover both resident and non-resident educational fees However, students will be required to pay any non-educational fee related charges (student activity, health fee, computing fee) or any tuition surcharges.
*NOTE: The Graduate School will pay educational fees for up to 9 hours of graduate level credit. These courses must be part of the student's degree program and the student must be making satisfactory progress toward the degree. Exceptions to this policy must be made by the Graduate Program Director to the Graduate Dean.
Possible Impact of Tuition Coverage on
your Financial Aid Package
Students who receive tuition scholarships after their financial aid is
awarded must undergo another financial analysis, and the tuition grants
must be deducted from the total award. It is in your best interest to
check with a Financial Aid advisor to make sure know how your GA salary,
tuition scholarships and any other awards may affect your financial aid
package. Also, to receive graduate-level federal financial aid, including
Stafford Loans, you must enroll in classes that apply to your graduate
program.
Enrollment
Requirement
GTAs or GRAs with a .25 appointment must be enrolled in a minimum of three
credit hours. GTAs or GRAs with a .5 FTE appointment
must be enrolled in a minimum of six credit hours .
NOTE: Contracts to pay GTAs/GRAs/Graduate Instructors cannot be approved
until the student is enrolled in the appropriate number of graduate credit
hours. FICA exemption is allowable only when a student is enrolled
half-time. The only exception to this is summer employment where enrollment is not required.
Equivalency Hours
Graduate Assistants are eligible for equivalency hours for their
GTA/GRA appointments. In calculating credit hours for full-time enrollment,
students may seek approval for:
1) Three equivalency hours for holding a 0.5 FTE Graduate Teaching Assistantship
or Graduate Research Assistantship
2) up to two equivalency hours for appointments between 0.25 and 0.49
FTE.
There is no additional work, actual credit hours or fees associated with
the equivalency hours and they do not appear on your transcript.
In order to receive equivalency hours, your department must submit a G-14 to the Graduate School. If you have any questions about this, please check with your advisor or the Graduate School.
Summer Enrollment
Summer enrollment for GTAs/GRAs is not required by the Graduate
School but may be required by the student's graduate program. The student
should discuss summer enrollment with the graduate program director. If
the GTA/GRA is not enrolled or is enrolled less than half-time (5-6 hours), the GTA/GTA title may be held but the student
cannot claim the FICA exemption. FICA exemption is allowable only when
a student is enrolled half-time. If a student is not enrolled in the summer and working on campus, the student will need to pay for a summer parking sticker through the Parking and Transportation office.
Pay
Scale Minimums
Master's students: .25 FTE (10 hours/week or one course) $1250/semester;
.5 FTE (20hours/week or two courses) $2500/semester
Ed.S. students: .25 FTE - $1562/semester; .5 FTE $3125/semester
Doctoral students: .25 FTE - $1875/semester. .5 FTE $3750/semester.
NO GTA/GRA/Graduate Instructor appointment can be paid bi-weekly or at
an hourly rate.
Faculty
Parking
Any Graduate Teaching Assistant or Graduate Instructor who is the primary
instructor of a course, lab or section and who holds a .5 FTE appointment
is eligible for faculty/staff parking. Eligible students may contact
the Graduate School to receive a faculty/staff parking authorization form.
GTAs/GIs will be required to pay for these parking stickers. Permits must
be paid for on a payroll deduction (one time annual fee) at the rate of
$31.00 per month for twelve (12) months ($372.00). The fee payment entitles
the GTA/GI to one (1) only faculty/staff permit (rates may change.
See Parking and Transportation website for current amounts.)
Student
Accident and Sickness Insurance for Graduate Assistants
Insurance for Domestic Students
All registered graduate students (domestic students) are eligible to enroll in the Student
Accident and Sickness Insurance Plan. However, half-time GTA or GRA assistants
who are U.S. citizens are eligible to receive a 25% subsidy of their insurance
premium. In order to receive this subsidy, you must enroll through the Graduate
School Office, 421 Woods Hall. You must be registered in classes
before your enrollment can be processed. Registration for fall insurance enrollment will begin in mid-July and winter insurance enrollment will begin on December 14.
The insurance is offered through Aetna Student Health. Information on the program can be located on the their web site and on their brochure 2011-12 . The policy number for UMSL is #890440. Participation in this plan is voluntary.
The open enrollment period runs until September 16, 2011 . Once you are enrolled and payment is made, you will be eligible for the health benefits.
| Coverage Period: August 15, 2011 - January 13, 2012 | COST |
| Premium | $990.00 |
| Student Portion | $742.50 |
| Graduate School Subsidy | $247.50 |
Re-enrollment for the second semester is not automatic. You will need to register for insurance renewal in January 2012 in the Graduate School office to ensure continuous coverage. You must be registered in classes before your renewal can be processed. The open enrollment period runs until February 10, 2012.
| Coverage Period: January 14, 2012 - August 14, 2012 | COST |
| Premium | $1387 |
| Student Portion | $1040.25 |
| Graduate School Subsidy | $346.75 |
Graduate students who are not GTAs or GRAs may sign up for the domestic insurance program at the University's Student Health Center or on-line at www.aetnastudenthealth.com. International students should contact the International Student Services office for mandatory insurance information. Any international GTA/GRA with a .5 FTE appointment will also be eligible to receive the 25% subsidy through the International Student Services office.