Graduate Assistantships

Russell Sage College is committed to an equitable, supportive and professional environment for graduate education. Graduate assistantships provide tuition waivers and stipends to graduate students who work in an academic or administrative office, assist faculty in research, or — in limited instances — teach undergraduate classes.

Course waivers are paid out when you complete the required hours for a semester. Graduate stipends are paid biweekly on the same schedule used for faculty and staff payroll. Before compensation can begin. you must submit to the Payroll Office a Form I-90 or other proof of eligibility to work in the United States/

If you are enrolled for 6 credit-hours per semester, including the summer term, you may receive no more than one graduate assistantship per year; if enrolled for 12 or more credit-hours, you may receive two graduate assistantships per year.

An assistantship award means you are eligible to apply for an assistantship position. Match your skills and experience against the job descriptions of open positions and contact the supervising faculty or staff member directly. The Coordinator of Graduate Assistantships does not match you with or place you in open positions, and election is made by each individual supervisor.

When a selection has been made, the graduate assistant will need to sign a contract of employment and forms needed for the payroll office. The graduate assistant will not be eligible to start his/her position(s) until all paperwork is completed with the GA Coordinator and the Payroll Office.

Student assistants may be asked to perform only duties that are contained in the job description for the position they occupy; they may not be asked or required to perform inappropriate services (e.g., child care, pet care, or other personal services) as part of their responsibilities. Student assistants are expected to be accountable and professional in carrying out the duties of the position; less than satisfactory performance may result in the termination of an assistantship award.

Teaching assistantships may be available to a limited number of students in post-masters programs who have already earned masters degrees and who are otherwise qualified to deliver undergraduate instruction. Such awards are contingent on departmental need for such instruction. Teaching assistants are assigned to a departmental faculty mentor who provides supervision and feedback during the teaching assignment. Teaching assistants, as with other instructional faculty, receive course evaluations from students and a final written evaluation from the faculty mentor.

Graduate assistantships are renewable each year for up to four years of study, provided you remain in academic good standing in your program of study and perform satisfactorily in your assistantship position.

To renew an assistantship, complete another Application for Graduate Assistantship form.