Graduate Assistantships
Overview
A graduate assistantship (GA) is a term that indicates a student has financial support covering tuition, a stipend and health insurance for which performance of specific duties is expected. Graduate assistantships fall into three categories: research assistantships, teaching assistantships or administrative assistantships.
Assistantships are the most common form of funding provided to graduate students at UofL. These also provide students with training and professional development opportunities that augment a student’s academic program of study. The duties assigned to students on graduate assistantships are determined by the department chair, graduate program director, assigned faculty member or office supervisor and should serve to advance the career training objectives of the student, as well as the needs of the department or office.
Assistantships may be offered by academic departments or non-academic offices and departments across campus.
Assistantships
- Require 20 hours of work a week (on average across a semester)
- May be 10- or 12-month contracts
- Provide full tuition, stipend and health insurance
- May be available to both doctoral and master's students
- While many positions are determined and begin at the start of the fall semester, some assistantships may open at other times
- Traditionally, graduate teaching or research assistantships in an academic department are eligible to renew funding for three additional years so long as the student makes progress toward the degree, fulfills the obligations of the assistantship and earns at least a 3.0
