Graduate Assistantships at Shippensburg University

Eligibility

To be eligible to receive a GA or SLGA appointment, you must be admitted into a graduate degree program. Non-degree students, or those working towards certification without a degree, or doctoral program are not eligible.  Provisionally-admitted students are not permitted to work as graduate assistants during the provisional semester.  Students may not be appointed as graduate assistants while working towards their second Shippensburg University master's degree.

GAs and SLGAs must maintain at least a 3.0 cumulative QPA and must not have earned more than two grades of "C" or lower in any course taken while a graduate student.

Students may not hold GA or SLGA positions for more than 2 years, defined for this purpose as 4 regular semesters and 1 summer session. Students in degree programs that require more than 33 credits may hold positions for more than 2 years.

Exceptions to these eligibility requirements may only be made upon written recommendation of the student's academic department, endorsed by the student's college dean, and with the approval of the Dean of Graduate Studies.

To be eligible to receive an SPP appointment, an individual must be a student at Ship. Priority will be given to graduate students.

Application Procedures

Admitted students can apply for open positions as soon as they are posted online. Fall and summer positions are usually posted around March 1^st and spring positions are posted around November 1^st. Applications will be accepted and appointments may be made through the end of the sixth week of the semester as long as there are positions available (see also Late Appointments section).

Appointment Process

Lists of available graduate assistantships and student payroll positions are available online. You may wish to contact some of these departments directly to express interest in their positions. You should also work with your academic department to identify potential positions.

Departments that hire students will review the applications that have been submitted and consult with academic departments to identify candidates. They may contact you and conduct an interview before making a final decision. If you are selected, the department will make a verbal offer and ask for your acceptance before making the formal recommendation for appointment.

After the appointment is submitted online by the department, the Office of Graduate Studies will verify your eligibility and then send an official letter of appointment. You will then be required to sign a memorandum of understanding and return it to the Office of Graduate Studies. If you have not worked for the university before, you will need to fill out appropriate payroll forms.

Tuition Waiver

When an appointment is formally made, the Student Accounts Office will be notified and instructed to process a tuition waiver or a refund if the student has already paid tuition. GAs and SLGAs are responsible for all fees, including educational services fee, technology fee, health fees, and student union fees, or any other charges incurred.  Please note: students in SPPs do not receive tuition waivers as part of the position remuneration.

Academic Load

During the academic year, all full-time graduate assistants must register for and complete 9 credit hours of graduate course work each semester. Students may be eligible for 3 or 6 credit hour waivers depending on their course program of study.  Waivers for less than or greater than 9 credits must be requested in advance by contacting their GA supervisor, graduate program coordinator, and the Graduate Dean's Office. During the summer sessions, all graduate assistants must register for and complete a total of 3 credit hours of graduate course work during any of the summer sessions.

Work and Compensation

Graduate Assistant (GA) students are required to work 250 hours (approximately 14 hours per week for 18 weeks) for the fall and spring semesters.  Fall and spring GAs are paid two stipend payments of $1,250.00 (total stipend $2,500).  Summer GAs are required to work 150 hours.  Summer GAs are paid two stipend payments of $750.00 (total stipend $1,500).  Stipend payment are subject to federal, state, and local tax deductions.

Student Life Graduate Assistants (SLGA) and Student Payroll Positions (SPP) are paid an hourly wage.  SLGAs are paid $10 per hour and are required to work either 350 to 400 hours, depending on the SLGA position, for the fall and spring semesters.  Summer SLGAs are required to work 250 hours.  SPPs are paid $7.25 per hour and can work up to 250 hours for the fall and spring semesters and up to 150 for the summer terms.

SLGAs and SPPs must enter their work hours into the University’s e-Time system in order to be paid on a bi-weekly basis.

Graduate Assistants and Student Life Graduate Assistants must work at least 90% of the required hours in order to qualify for the tuition waiver. Assistants working less than this amount will be required to pay for a portion of tuition on the following schedule:

• 80% - 89% hours worked, 10% of tuition repaid
• 70% - 79% hours, 20% tuition
• 60% - 69% hours, 30% tuition
• 50% - 59% hours, 40% tuition
• Less than 50% hours worked, 50% of tuition

Employee Benefits

With the exception of the GA and SLGA tuition waivers and compensation for work performed (including social security and workers' compensation payments), students do not receive any of the benefits provided to regular university employees. Students do not receive health benefits, sick leave, or any paid holidays or vacations, and they are not eligible for "Employee" parking permits for their vehicles.

Late Appointments

Students may be appointed through the end of the sixth week of a semester. Up to the end of the first week of classes, you will receive the full tuition waiver as long as you work the required number of hours.

After the first week of classes, the tuition waiver will be prorated based on the following schedule:

• Through the end of the second week, 90%
• Third week, 80%
• Fourth week, 70%
• Fifth week, 60%
• Sixth week, 50%.

Students accepting a late appointment may work the full number of hours. The number of hours required (see Work and Compensation section above), however, will be based on the percentage of tuition received times the full number of hours. For example, a student who accepts a position during the third week of the semester will be required to work 200 hours, or 80% times 250 hours.

Students accepting an assistantship after the drop/add period must be registered for the appropriate number of credit hours (see Academic Load section above).

Changing an Appointment

If you would like to resign from one assistant position in order to accept a different one, you must have written permission from the department you originally accepted. If the department chooses not to give this permission, you may not accept the other appointment. You may not circumvent this requirement by resigning from one position and then accepting another appointment.

To give permission to change positions, the department that made the original appointment should send written authorization to the Office of Graduate Studies.

Resignation or Dismissal

If a GA or SLGA is thinking about resigning their position, they should contact the School of Graduate Studies at 717-477-1148 or studentemployment@ship.edu.

A GA that resigns from their position during the course of the semester may have to payback a portion of their stipend pay depending on the number of hours they have worked between their start date and their resignation date. 

An SLGA or SPP that resigns from their position during the course of the semester must have their work hours, prior to their resignation, recorded on the student payroll system, in order to receive payment.

GAs and SLGAs who resign will have their tuition waiver prorated based on the number of hours actually worked. For example, if a graduate assistant works 50 hours and then resigns, only 20% (50/250) of the tuition will be waived. The student will then be billed for the remaining 80%. Students who withdraw from classes and no longer meet the academic load requirements will be dismissed from their assistantships. Compensation and tuition waiver policies are the same as those for a resignation.

At the discretion of the GA supervisor, a GA or SLGA may be dismissed from a position. The GA supervisor must notify his/her Supervisor and the Dean of Graduate Studies in writing of the decision and the reasons for the dismissal.  Compensation and tuition waiver policies are the same as those for a resignation.  Please contact the Graduate Office if you have any questions at (717) 477-1148 or studentemployment@ship.edu.

Please contact the Graduate Office if you have any questions at (717) 477-1148 or studentemployment@ship.edu.