Graduate Assistantship Policies

    • GRAs are a research or project assignment that is relevant and adds value to the student's major field of study, area of interest or expertise.

    • GTAs are teaching assignments where the graduate student will be the Teacher of Record and must be qualified to teach in that field.

    • GPAs are students working in departments on campus in positions related to their academic program and professional goals.

      • Have received an undergraduate degree
      • Applied for and been fully accepted to a graduate degree program of study
      • Maintained a 3.0 grade point average in any previous/current graduate course work
      • Maintained a 3.0 grade point average in any previous undergraduate course work if a first semester graduate program student
      • In addition, the GRA cannot exceed 24 waived course credits in an academic year, or reach or exceed the number of hours required for the registered program in waived course credits. Returning GRAs must have satisfactory performance on previous assignments.
      • Be enrolled in graduate courses for the semester that you are serving as a graduate assistant.
      • Be lawfully present in the United States (see http://enrollmentservices.kennesaw.edu/lawful-presence.php for more info).
      • All of the requirements for a GRA above
      • Additionally, if the student will be a Teacher of Record (TOR):
        • Have a Master’s in the teaching discipline or 18 graduate semesters hours in their graduate program
        • Submit both a CV and transcript to the Graduate College prior to beginning the teaching assignment
        • Completed GRAD 9001 (dates/times to be determined) or approved alternative.
        • Complete the Teacher of Record Appointment Form
        • Complete the Buckley Form and submit it to the Registrar separately
    • Appointments can be for one semester (Fall, Spring, Summer) or multiple semesters, and will be awarded to qualified students. Some departments have 2 semester appointments (Fall and Spring).
    • Graduate Students will work with the assigned Supervisor for 10-20 hours per week for the time period indicated on the contract based on assignment (Fall and Spring).
    • Graduate Students may work up to 20 hours per week on the assistantship as indicated on their contract in Fall and/or Spring semester.
    • Graduate Students may work up to 40 hours per week on the assistantship as indicated on their contract in Summer semester.
    • Students must be enrolled to be eligible to hold an assistantship.
    • Graduate Students in a GRA or GTA must be assigned to work with a faculty member holding graduate faculty status.
    • Graduate Assistants must register for and maintain a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 12 graduate semester hours in any semester they are serving as a graduate assistant.
    • A Graduate Assistant may not be employed in any another position in the University System of Georgia (USG), including the KSU campus, nor can they hold two graduate assistant positions in one semester
    • International students will have additional steps to complete to be hired.
      • Tuition Rates – Each Assistantship position pays a special tuition rate of $25 per semester, as well as all student fees.
      • Tuition waivers are the same for in-state and out-of-state students.
      • Tuition costs above the hours indicated on the contract will be the responsibility of the Graduate Student.
      • Graduate Assistants that are enrolled in one of KSU's premium-priced or executive/premier programs will be required to pay all tuition/other costs of these programs in excess of standard graduate program tuition.
      • Additional charges for on-line courses are covered in the tuition waiver.
      • Tuition will only be waived for graduate courses counting towards the degree. No tuition waivers will apply to any undergraduate courses or pre-requisite/foundation courses.
      • Tuition will not be waived for more hours than required for the degree program as stated in the Graduate Catalog.
      Tuition and Fees Cost of Attendance
      • All Graduate Assistants are required to have health insurance. Students will be billed for the mandatory health insurance fee at the time of registration. A waiver of the health insurance fee may be applied for directly with the insurer. Please see United Healthcare for information and rates.
      • Assistantships normally include a stipend in addition to the special tuition rate as defined in the contract.
      • GRA/GTA Stipends will be paid monthly on the last business day of the month.
      • GPA stipends are earned as an hourly rate and will be paid bi-weekly based on hours worked.
      • Stipends are determined by the average number of hours of work expected by the student. Please see the Tier structure for more details.

  • There are two paths to being hired for an Assistantship position.

    • Your graduate program may have already identified you to fill an Assistantship position through the recruitment process or through knowledge of your expertise while in the program.
    • Graduate Students that have not been identified may:
      • Apply for positions found on the GRA Job Board
    • Hiring Packet Due Dates – Due dates for the hiring packet are available on the Graduate College Assistantship website.
    • Students whose hiring packet is not submitted prior to the payment deadline will need to pay all fees by the deadline and be reimbursed after the hiring packet is processed.

    • The Hiring Packet consists of several forms.

      • Graduate Assistantship Contract & Approval Form – Filled out online by the Supervisor. The Graduate Student must meet with the faculty member or supervisor to review, sign, and date the contract.
      • TOR Appointment Form and Authorization to Release Transcripts (for GTA’s only). The TOR appointment form must be completed by the Graduate Faculty Supervisor or Program Director. The form is signed by the department chair. The GTA must complete the authorization to release transcripts, sign and date.
      • Student Employment Hiring Form (SEHF) – The SEHF form needs to be filled out by the  Supervisor and signed by the Deapartment Chair of the unit hiring the student.

    • All Graduate Assistants are required to meet with Human Resources to process in as an employee. It is the student’s responsibility to complete the onboarding process.

      • Students may not begin work until they have completed HR onboarding and have received notification from HR.   Student pay will be reduced if they are not cleared to work until after the scheduled start date.
      • New employee onboarding must be completed no later than 3 days after the beginning date on the contract.
      • Students will contact Human Resources (HR) at 470-578-6030 or hr@kennesaw.edu for New Employee onboarding dates after the hiring packet is completed.
      • Students who cannot attend must notify Mr. Sam Garbe, in Human Resources (HR), at 470-578-3948 or sgarbe@kennesaw.edu to schedule a separate time.
      • International students with an F-1 visa are required to provide a copy of their current visa documentation as well as their current I-20 form, complete with a work authorization stamp from the International Student and Scholar Services Office.
      • International students must have a social security number prior to being hired.
      • Contact HR at 470-578-6030 or hr@kennesaw.edu with any questions.
      • Students will not be paid until all of these steps are complete.
    • GPA Requirements – If a student's grade point average falls below 3.0 (academic probation), they will no longer be eligible to hold an Assistantship.
    • Resignation – A Graduate Assistant wishing to resign must submit a letter of resignation to their faculty supervisor and to the Graduate College.
    • Failure to meet job requirements – Students who do not meet the academic requirements or the requirements of the job may be terminated.
    • Compensation upon termination – Compensation will cease upon termination of the contract, and the student may be required to reimburse the University for tuition.
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