Graduate Assistantships

Graduate Assistantship (GA)

This is a student currently enrolled in a UNC graduate program. They perform administrative duties and/or assigned program related duties but are not the Instructor of Record. Students are enrolled on a part- or full-time basis and are paid in accordance with their agreement.

Graduate Assistantships with Administrative Offices at UNC

Some administrative offices on campus hire graduate assistants. If you apply for these positions, the application and any supporting materials go to the contact person for the vacancy. Application materials will be reviewed by the hiring units. Availability is contingent upon funding.

View listings for current administrative GA openings.

Graduate Assistant Conference 

We have partnered with Student Affairs and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to offer a day of workshops and training. The conference was Monday, August 19, from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m, via Zoom.

The conference is for students in graduate assistant roles in administrative offices on campus. You will be able to learn about setting healthy boundaries, reducing conflict, best practices in supervision and planning for difficult conversations. There are also required sessions about assisting distressed students and creating harassment-free environments.

Teaching Assistant (TA)

A salaried employment opportunity for students currently enrolled in a graduate degree program. GTAs teach only supervised undergraduate courses and may be the instructor of record. GTAs may support faculty in graduate classes but cannot provide instruction or grading. They may expect to receive feedback from faculty on co-teaching and grading.

Graduate Part-time Instructor (GPI)

A salaried employment opportunity for students currently enrolled in a graduate degree program. Under HLC guidelines, they qualify as the instructor of record for one or more undergraduate courses. A GPI does not need supervision and does not serve as a course coordinator or a supervisor for teaching assistants.

Annual Graduate Teaching Conference for Teaching Assistants and Graduate Part-time Instructors

The Graduate Part-time Instructor and Graduate Teaching Assistant Conference prepares students who will teach at UNC. If you signed or plan to sign a GPI or TA contract for fall 2024 and/or spring 2025, you must attend the conference. Each GPI and TA must register and attend the GPI/TA conference every year. The annual training conference was Monday, Aug. 19, from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m., via Zoom.

The conference consists of workshops targeting skill development and different levels of experience. Topics include preparing to teach, building an inclusive syllabus and setting healthy boundaries. Programs like Math and Music may offer specific sessions at the same time as general workshops. No matter how much experience you have teaching, there’s always something new to learn!

The conference is mandatory for all GTAs and GPIs. If you have questions, please contact Cindy Wesley, Ph.D., Associate Dean of the Graduate School at cindy.wesley@unco.edu.

Handbook for Students with Assistantships

The handbook provides information about contracts, policies, processes, rights, responsibilities and services. Handbook for Graduate Assistants, Graduate Part-time Instructors and Graduate Teaching Assistants (coming soon).

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for a teaching or graduate assistantship students must meet the following requirements:

• Be admitted to a graduate degree program at UNC while maintaining good academic standing (at least a 3.0 cumulative grade point average). You are not on academic probation. Students admitted with a GPA lower than 3.0 and academic provisions may not be hired for assistantship positions until
  • They earn at least a 3.0 GPA at UNC or
  • The academic provisions are met.
• Maintain enrollment in at least 3-10 graduate credit hours per semester during the agreement term to qualify for a tuition waiver.
• If enrolled in dissertation hours only, you will be allowed to hold an assistantship for a maximum of two (2) semesters. This is provided that you are enrolled for a minimum of six (6) hours of dissertation each academic term.
• International students: Demonstration of English language proficiency. This is with a score indicating that communication in English is generally effective. The communication task is performed completely and successfully uses the following compensatory strategies:
  • Functions generally performed clearly and effectively.
  • Appropriate response typically given to the audience/situation.
  • Coherent communication, with some effective cohesive devices.
  • Generally accurate pronunciation, grammar, fluency and vocabulary.
• Graduate assistant and teaching assistant appointments are based upon full-time employment. This uses a 20-hour work week over 17 weeks (15-week semester plus one week each before and after class) as the standard. Summer is based on 13 weeks to include one week prior and one week after. Stipend is calculated based on minimum stipends and by degree level.
• You may not hold a single appointment or a combination of appointments exceeding 20 hours a week for any semester.

Compensation

• UNC has established a standard base salary schedule. This sets a minimum level of pay for all graduate assistantship positions. One level is at the master’s level (a student who does not have a master’s degree or does not have at least 30 hours of graduate work) and one at the doctoral level.
• Most GA positions provide stipend, along with tuition assistance and partial fee waiver. This covers a portion of Student Services and LEAF fees.
• Generally, GAs with appointments of 16-20 hours a week during a semester receive full tuition assistance that semester. Students appointed for 8-15 hours per week receive partial tuition assistance. Students appointed for 3-7 hours a week typically are not eligible for tuition assistance. Academic units have flexibility in determining tuition waiver. The Graduate School will provide tuition waiver for 3-10 credit hours per semester. Tuition is based on the number of credit hours enrolled.
• Students may receive nonresident tuition assistance for their first year of enrollment only. For subsequent years, only in-state tuition assistance may be provided. Exceptions to this policy must be requested in writing and approved by the dean of the Graduate School. Students must apply to change their tuition classification from nonresident to Colorado resident. For information regarding tuition classification, please visit the Residency web page. Visit the Residency Deadlines webpage for information related to changing tuition classification.
• You are financially responsible for student health insurance. You are also responsible for tuition and remaining fees not covered by your tuition and partial fee waivers.

Managing your Assistantship

Information About your Assistantship:

Your GA agreement states that tuition and partial fee waivers post to student billing accounts after the add/drop deadlines. This accommodates enrollment changes. To stay informed about your assistantship, we encourage you to follow these steps:

• Check your Ursa account. You will be able to view your fall bill starting Aug. 1. You will find details on viewing your bill at https://www.unco.edu/bursar/your-bill/. To estimate cost information (e.g., tuition cost), please click on the tuition calculator at https://apps.unco.edu/tuitioncalc/.
• If you have student loans, realize the amount of any loan may be adjusted throughout this process.
• Check your student bill for the total number of credits enrolled.
• Tuition and partial fee waivers are applied next, after the add/drop period. This reflects any changes (add or dropped credits) made to your registration.
• Once your waivers have posted, check your bill and pay the balance due by the Sept. 9 billing deadline. This will help avoid service charges for any outstanding balance remaining.

If this change in GA/TA waiver disbursement causes financial hardship, please go to the Cashier’s window at the Bursar’s Office for assistance. Their office is located in Bear Central of Campus Commons. You may also phone 970-351-1198 or email Kathi.Bland@unco.edu.

Stipends pay via direct deposit on the last business day of each month. Academic year appointments have 10 stipend payments, August through May. Semester appointments provide five equal payments, August through December and January through May. You will receive the same pay amount each month.

If you have any questions about the GA/TA waiver disbursement schedule, please direct them to bursar@unco.edu.