New for Fall 2023

Below are the changes in effect for Fall semester 2023

• Added a third category of graduate assistantship - the Graduate Professional Assistantship (GPA).  This category is for graduate students working with a department to be assigned work that is relevant to their graduate program and the professional and scholarly goals of the student but not doing research or teaching.
  • See a comparison chart of GRA, GTA, and GPA here.
  • See a decision tree to determine which type may fit your needs here.
• Students may not begin working in their assistantship until they have received clearance from HR.  The pay will be pro-rated until the student is cleared by HR.  HR will notify both the student and the supervisor when they are cleared to begin work. 
  • Hiring managers are encouraged to submit hiring paperwork as soon as possible to avoid delaying the start of work.
  • Students are encouraged to complete the HR hiring process as soon as possible to avoid reduced pay.
• Hiring Deadlines are firm.  The Graduate College, and our partners across campus, do everything possible to get students hired and their tuition waiver in a timely manner.   However, there is time needed for each office to perform their functions.  Failure to submit hiring paperwork by stated deadlines jeopardizes the students timely hiring and may delay the authorization for them to begin work, thus reducing their pay.  See deadlines here.
• Students that will be in the United States but not in Georgia will need to be approved through a university review committee before they are permitted to work as a graduate assistant.   More information can be found at: Out of State Employees - Human Resources (kennesaw.edu).  We will continue the policy that students cannot be hired if they will be working from outside of the United States.