Graduate School Assistantship stipends are provided in return for service in teaching, in research, or in other matters of an academic nature; awardees will be appointed as a Teaching Assistant, Teaching Associate, Research Assistant, or Graduate Administrative Assistant respectively.  The duties associated with Teaching Assistant, Teaching Associate, and Research Assistant appointments will occupy no more than 15 hours per week.  

The duties associated with a Graduate Administrative Assistant appointment are generally less than 15 hours per week.  Consequently, Graduate Administrative Assistant stipends are generally smaller, based on a per‑hour rate of compensation.  The support may also be less than that provided to Teaching Assistants, Teaching Associate, or Research Assistants.  The details of Graduate Administrative Assistant awards vary from program to program, but are specified in each awardees' award letter. 

Stipend payments are provided on the last working day of each month during the academic year.  Unless otherwise noted in your award letter, you will receive a total of eight (8) stipend payments during the year, from September through April.  Under current tax law, these payments are considered compensation for services, and are therefore reported each year by the University to both the recipient and to the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as taxable income on Form W‑2.  All Graduate School Assistantship recipients are paid through the University's payroll system and must therefore have a valid U.S. Social Security number.  Individuals who do not have a U.S. Social Security number must apply for one through any Social Security Administration office; international students must apply after they have entered the United States. 

Final approval of a Graduate School Assistantship award is contingent upon completion of all necessary tax forms, including forms I‑9 ("Employment Eligibility Verification") and W-4 ("Employee's Withholding Allowance Certificate").   Information on completing these forms will be available at the beginning of the semester in which your appointment starts.  International students must complete additional forms; please contact the University Tax Department in order to complete all necessary forms. Most Graduate Assistantship awards will also provide a scholarship component.  See the following section on "Graduate School Scholarships" for general policies regarding these awards.

As recipient of a Graduate School Assistantship, you must be enrolled as a full-time student and you must make satisfactory progress toward a Graduate School degree, as determined by your academic department and the Graduate School.  Failure to maintain satisfactory degree progress, failure to provide assigned services, or violations of academic integrity will result in termination of the stipend portion of the Graduate School Assistantship award and retroactive revocation of the entire scholarship component of the award for the current semester. 

Any unused portion of a stipend or scholarship award will revert back to the Graduate School to support other students.