Requesting a GRA or GTA

All requests for a Graduate Assistant will be handled within the colleges.  The Graduate College will allocate funding to the colleges.  College leadership will then use their own processes to determine which faculty will be allowed to hire a Graduate Assistant within their college. 

College deans received their Fiscal Year 2025 (Jul 1, 2024 - Jun 30, 2025) allocations in March 2024.

FAQs

• How was the funding distributed to the college deans determined?

  The philosophy used in determining how to distribute funds to support graduate assistantships starts with KSU's "R2" Carnegie classification.  In order to keep our R2 status, we must produce at least 20 research doctorates per year.  We must also establish a minimum of research expenditures.  Therefore, our first priority is to support doctoral education.  We computed the ratio for the allocation of the remaining pool by using the last 3 years of reseach and development (R&D) expenditures, as well as enrollment growth (both percentage growth and headcount growth).  Those metrics determined the percentage of the pool each dean received.  The Graduate College and the deans will review this process as we move into future years to determine if the ratio needs to be updated.

• My department/college is funding the stipend, what is the process?

  You will not need to have your graduate assistantship project "pre-screened" by The Graduate College.  However, your department/college may have a process for you to follow.  You may select and hire the student that best fits your needs.  However, please keep the following in mind:

  1. The person supervising the graduate student must hold graduate faculty status and that status must remain current throughout the assistantship. 

  2. Students can work up to 20 hours a week (on average) on the assistantship in Fall and Spring, and up to 40 hours a week in Summer.

  3. The student's tasks/duties should not be administrative in nature.  These are graduate students and their tasks/duties should reflect that they hold a bachelors degree and are in an advanced academic program.  We would also ask that their tasks/duties be associated with their academic program and/or their future career path.

  4. Supervising a graduate assistantship is similar to a course assignment.  There should be planned activities, frequent evaluation check points, and deliverables. 

  5. The faculty supervising the graduate student should have an open line of communication with the student, including an initial meeting to lay out expectations, and frequent opportunities to discuss progress.

• I have external funding and want to use it to hire a GRA, what do I need to do?

  You will not need to have your graduate assistantship project "pre-screened" by The Graduate College.  You may select and hire the student that best fits your needs.  However, please keep the following in mind:

  1. The person supervising the graduate student must hold graduate faculty status (full or provisional) and that status must remain current throughout the assistantship. 

  2. Students can work up to 20 hours a week (on average) on the assistantship in Fall and Spring, and up to 40 hours a week in Summer.

  3. The student's tasks/duties should not be administrative in nature.  These are graduate students and their tasks/duties should reflect that they hold a bachelors degree and are in an advanced academic program.  We would also ask that their tasks/duties be associated with their academic program and/or their future career path.

  4. Supervising a graduate assistantship is akin to a course assignment.  There should be planned activities, frequent evaluation check points, and deliverables. 

  5. The faculty supervising the graduate student should have an open line of communication with the student, including an initial meeting to lay out expectations, and frequent opportunities to discuss progress.

• I do not work in an academic department/college and/or I am not graduate faculty.  I would like to hire a GRA, what do I need to?

  You should consider the Graduate Professional Assistantship (GPA) category (see categories here)

  In a Graduate Professional Assistantship (GPA) position:

  1. The supervisor should be someone in the department that has supervisory responsibilities as part of their duties. 

  2. The position and duties for the student should relate to the student's academic program and their professional goals.

  3. Graduate students, serving as a GPA, may work up to 20 hours a week on the assistantship and may not be employed in another campus position simultaneously. 

  4. The assistantship should be structured to include: planned activities, frequent evaluation check points, and deliverables.

  5. Graduate assistantships run concurrent with the academic calendar with start and end dates matching the first day of classes and day grades are due. 

  6. GPA positions are paid hourly and require the student to clock in and out each work day.  This means the supervisor is charged with verifying and approving time for the student.

  7. Funding for the students stipend pay should come from the department hiring the student.