3.1 - Graduate Assistantships

A graduate assistant (GA) performs duties that contribute significantly to their graduate education. Students holding assistantships are considered to be in training, and the graduate assistantship is a form of student aid that combines training with a stipend. The standard appointment is half time, and the university guideline suggests 20 hours per week should be spent on half-time assistantship duties, but this expectation varies depending on the nature of the assistantship. Three types of GAs are available, teaching, research, and administrative. Students who will teach, perform research, or carry out administrative duties as part of their educational program should be appointed as GAs. 

Only degree-seeking students (doctoral and master’s degrees) may be appointed to a GA. An assistantship awarded to a graduate student on probation must be approved by the Dean of the Graduate College term-by-term (each semester or each summer session). The GA on probation will be assessed full resident tuition but will not receive a graduate tuition scholarship without special approval. The Graduate College requires that GAs register for a minimum of one credit each term they are appointed. 

3.1.1 Types of Assistantships

Graduate Teaching Assistantships 

As the title implies, graduate teaching assistants (TAs) share the faculty’s responsibility for undergraduate teaching. TAs are not permitted to teach graduate-level courses. Responsibilities may include instruction, grading, course development, and proctoring exams. The TA’s teaching load will necessarily vary from program to program but should be consistent with the teaching load carried by faculty in the department. Since a teaching assistantship is an apprentice position in teaching, the TA should expect careful guidance from the department. This guidance may take the form of seminars, conferences, observations by experienced teachers, or other methods designed to develop teaching skills. The official university guideline for time spent should be viewed as maximal for a teaching assistantship. 

Responsibilities may include instruction, grading, course development, and proctoring exams. Graduate students may be instructor of record for undergraduate-level courses only. 

These university-wide services help to make the job of new TAs easier and more effective: 

  • Teaching and cross-cultural workshops are organized by the Graduate College, Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, and the Graduate and Professional Student Senate to provide general training for new TAs during the week before fall semester begins. 

All international students who are nonnative English speakers and have teaching responsibilities are required to take the Oral English Certification Test (OECT) before they may be assigned duties. Students not reaching Level-1 (full certification) are required to take English 180, Communication Skills for International Teaching Assistants. 

Graduate Research Assistantships 

A research assistant (RA) conducts research that contributes directly to their graduate education. Supervision is by the professorial staff, and appropriate research projects foster originality, imagination, judgment, and patience—the traits of an independent scholar. Often, a research project to which the research assistant (RA) is assigned eventually leads to a dissertation or thesis topic but is not guaranteed. Although a research supervisor cannot guarantee that a particular project will be suitable dissertation or thesis material, the supervisor can offer a professional judgment as to whether the project is suitable, and they should offer this judgment to the RA as soon as possible. The final decision on the acceptability of a research topic for the dissertation or thesis rests with the student’s Academic Plan Committee (APC). Because of the widely varying demands of research duties, and because most research projects become part of a student’s dissertation or thesis, it is nearly impossible to set a specific workweek. The official university guideline for time spent should be viewed as minimal for a research assistantship. 

Graduate Administrative Assistantships 

An administrative assistant (AA) performs duties that contribute indirectly to a student’s education. Duties vary widely from gathering, organizing, and analyzing information to working with students and performing routine research support activities. It is expected that AA duties will contribute in a general way to a student’s education and that these positions will draw upon a student’s disciplinary expertise. An AA’s duties will generally not lead to a dissertation or thesis. Because most AA’s work in a structured environment, the AA may be required to appear at specified times and coordinate their work with the appointing unit. Any graduate assistantship that is not an TA or a RA is an AA.  

3.1.2 Assistantship Policies and Procedures

Required Registration During Graduate Assistantships

The Graduate College requires that graduate assistants register for a minimum of one credit each term that they hold an appointment. Audited credits do not satisfy this requirement. 

If an appointment encompasses fewer than five class days, no registration is required. Assistants who do not register by midterm of the current term will be registered by the Graduate College; applicable tuition and late fees will be added to their university bill. The minimum registration requirement for a graduate assistant is one credit (GR ST 6810B or 6810C meets this one credit requirement). 

Tenure of Appointment

Assistantship appointments are made fiscal year by fiscal year. Because of this, each appointment is made for one year or less. Appointments may be terminated for two reasons only: 1) for cause, or 2) loss of funding. Termination for cause is discussed in Chapter 8. Non-immigrant international students must abide by the terms of their visa status and immigration guidelines according to total hours worked. For visa questions, contact the International Students and Scholars Office. The satisfactory completion of one appointment, plus satisfactory academic performance, will ordinarily make a student eligible for reappointment. However, departments have the discretion not to reappoint. Failure to reappoint is not termination and is not subject to formal appeal. Departments do have an obligation to provide reasonable notice if reappointment is not to be made. Also, programs may make commitments to support students for periods longer than one year. Such commitments are not formally treated as appointments. Students should obtain the terms of such commitments in writing. Assistantship support for more than seven or eight years is strongly discouraged, and departments may set limits on the number of years a student is eligible for assistantship support. 

Letters of Intent

The department or other administrative unit offers graduate assistantships using the “Graduate Assistantship Letter of Intent” form, which contains a description of the position offered, stipend, and length of appointment. 

Such matters as the specific nature of the graduate assistant’s responsibilities, requirements concerning office hours and staff meetings, particular conditions for re-appointment, benefits, and pertinent department requirements are established at the beginning of the appointment. All assistantship appointments are subject to the continuing availability of funds. 

Conditions of Appointment

The University provides services and equipment essential to the performance of an assistant’s duties, within the limitations established by departmental and university resources. 

During an appointment period, the academic program or administrative department may evaluate the quality of the assistant’s performance in teaching, research, or administrative duties. The program should make evaluation of the graduate assistant an educational experience. 

Consequently, the graduate assistant’s evaluation is usually discussed with them; if the program does not initiate a discussion, the assistant may request one. A graduate assistant who feels unfairly evaluated has recourse through the procedures for grievances related to scholarly and professional competence. See also appointment termination procedures in Chapter 8. 

Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, ethnicity, religion, national origin, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. veteran. Inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies may be directed to the Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity, Title IX Coordinator, 3410 Beardshear Hall, Ames, Iowa 50011, Tel. (515) 294-7612, email eooffice@iastate.edu. Additional information can be found on the Office of Equal Opportunity website. 

If an assistant resigns their appointment, resulting in an appointment of less than 3 months during the fall or spring terms, eligibility for resident tuition, tuition award, and medical insurance will be affected. See Chapter 2 for more information. 

Stipends

The usual graduate assistantship is a 1/2-time appointment with a stipend sufficient to cover modest living expenses. The university establishes a minimum and maximum monthly stipend for 1/2-time teaching, research, and administrative assistantships. Stipends for other fractional appointments are scaled proportionally. The guidelines and procedures for setting stipends used by the graduate assistant’s department are filed in the department office, where they are available to a graduate assistant upon request.

Hourly Work

U.S. citizens and permanent residents who are on graduate assistantships may also work on an hourly basis provided that the additional work is approved by the unit awarding the assistantship and that the hourly work is not related to the students' educational program. Total hours (assistantship and hourly work) cannot exceed 30 hours per week. Non-immigrant international students must abide by the terms of their visa status and immigration guidelines according to total hours worked. For visa questions, contact the International Students and Scholars Office.

Predoctoral Associate Positions

Predoctoral associates are appointed at least half-time to serve in a role that furthers their education. Their appointments are term appointments and must be renewed annually. The benefits and stipend scale associated with these appointments are the same as those of postdoctoral associates. A predoctoral associate must have completed oral and written preliminary examinations or possess a D.V.M. (or equivalent) or M.D. degree and must be registered for at least one graduate credit (minimum) each semester. The predoctoral scholar appointment time is counted towards the five-year maximum postdoctoral appointment. International students appointed to predoctoral associates must follow the immigration regulations concerning work.

For more detailed information on postdoctoral scholars at ISU, consult the Graduate College website.

Tax Liability for Graduate Assistantships

All assistantship monthly stipends are subject to income tax withholding.

3.1.3 Graduate Assistant Appointment Types

Full-Time Appointments

Effective May 1, 2011, full-time summer appointments are no longer permitted.

Three-Quarter-Time Assistantships

Graduate assistantships up to ¾-time are permitted at any time for domestic students and only during the summer term for international students. International students with approved Curricular Practical Training (CPT) at Iowa State University may hold assistantships up to ¾-time during the fall and spring semesters. The CPT must be approved by the International Students & Scholars Office (ISSO) before the assistantship may be increased to ¾-time. For effort determinations, graduate assistants appointed at ¾-time are presumed to expend 30 hours of effort per week.

Half-Time Assistantships 

For effort determinations, graduate assistants appointed at ½-time are presumed to expend 20 hours of effort per week. During the fall and spring semesters, maximum weekly effort is 20 hours for most international students. International students with approved CPT at Iowa State University may hold assistantships up to ¾-time during the fall and spring semesters. The CPT must be approved by ISSO before the assistantship may be increased to ¾-time. 

40 Percent-Time Assistantships

For effort determinations, graduate assistants appointed at 40 percent-time are presumed to expend 16 hours of effort per week. 

One-Quarter-Time Assistantships

For effort determinations, graduate assistants appointed at ¼-time are presumed to expend 10 hours of effort per week. 

3.1.4 Benefits for Graduate Assistants

Benefits in addition to stipend support accrue to the graduate assistant during the appointment period. A full explanation of these benefits appears in the Policy Library; the following shortened description omits references to forms and approvals. Graduate Assistants are responsible for making sure they review and understand the benefit information.

Benefit information is also available from the Student & Scholar Health Insurance Program.

Health Insurance Plan

Graduate assistants with an appointment of one quarter time or more for at least 3 months of the fall or spring terms receive self-only health insurance coverage as a benefit for the term at no cost.

Dental Insurance Plan

Graduate assistants with an appointment of one-quarter time or more for at least 3 months of the fall or spring term are eligible for the dental insurance plan which is partially subsidized by the university and the monthly premium will be deducted from the graduate assistant’s paycheck. 

Dependents

Graduate assistants may also enroll their lawful spouse or domestic partner, and unmarried dependent children under age 26. A portion of the monthly premium will be deducted from the graduate assistant’s paycheck when adding coverage for dependents. Dependents must be added within 30 days of your appointment date or with a qualifying event.

Note: Once you and your dependents are added to the plan, you will be required to remain on the plan until the end of the policy year or until your appointment ends.

For plan specifics, costs, open enrollment dates and benefits details for the health and dental insurance plans, please refer to the Student & Scholar Health Insurance Program.

Leave

Arrangement for a leave of absence is made between the graduate assistant and that assistant’s supervisor adhering to all grant and other funding source restrictions. When a graduate assistant needs to be absent for personal reasons or illness, the supervisor should understand and accommodate that need. At the same time, the graduate assistant should attempt to plan personal leave so that it does not interfere with, or cause neglect of, the duties associated with their appointment. Supervisors of graduate assistants are responsible for ensuring that their assistants do not exceed reasonable limits for leave. 

It is recommended for the assistant and supervisor discuss leave expectations within their first meeting. When a conflict arises between the graduate assistant and that assistant’s supervisor regarding leave of absence use, refer to Chapter 8 to review conflict resolution process. 

Benefits Available Through Worker’s Compensation

Any injury sustained by a graduate student while performing duties directly related to their Graduate Assistantship appointment should be reported immediately to University Human Resources by the supervisor, instructor, and/or department head using the “First Report of Injury” form. 

Benefits available through the Iowa Workers’ Compensation system may or may not apply, depending on the facts and circumstances surrounding the injury. Injuries sustained in the pursuit of educational objectives typically are not considered work related and are not covered by the worker’s compensation system. University Human Resources can provide guidance on the claims process. ISU has a third-party claims administrator, who determines compensability of claims and eligibility for benefits. Refer to Human Resources for further information. 

Resident Tuition

Graduate assistants with an appointment of ¼-time or more for at least 3 months of the fall or spring terms are assessed full-time, resident tuition. Graduate assistants with an appointment of ¼-time or more for at least 4 weeks of the summer term are assessed resident tuition at the per credit rate with a maximum assessment of 5 credits.

3.2 - Fellowships

The term fellowship is usually associated with a named funding source. When this source is outside the University or from an endowment, the fellowship may pay tuition and fees and is not considered a graduate assistantship. When the funding source is the university, the fellowship is considered a research assistantship. Generally, these awards are made prior to a student enrolling in Iowa State as a recruiting inducement. 

3.3 - Tuition Award and Fee Award

Disciplinary colleges and units appointing graduate assistants administer funds that provide tuition scholarships for eligible graduate assistants. The various programs are described below.

3.3.1 Graduate Assistantship Tuition Awards

For fall and spring semesters, a graduate student must be on appointment for at least three months to qualify for a tuition scholarship. For summer session, a student must be on appointment for at least four weeks during the term to qualify for a tuition scholarship. For all terms, appointments must have been processed by the Graduate College before the end of the first full month of classes (i.e., usually around the fifth week of the fall or spring semesters). Graduate tuition scholarships not used by the due date of the second fee payment installment will be forfeited. Students who will not be on appointment for the summer session may still be eligible for the resident (GA) tuition rate. 

This tuition rate is restricted to a summer session following a nine-month appointment. No action is required to receive the resident tuition rate in the summer for students who held assistantships the prior fall and spring terms. The tuition scholarship awards are: 

For a master’s student: 

  • 75% of full-time tuition per semester for each student on an assistantship appointment of 1/2- time or more or 
  • 37.5% of full-time tuition per semester for each student on assistantship appointment of 1/4- time or more, but less than 1/2-time 

For a doctoral (and terminal master’s program) student: 

  • 100% of full-time tuition per semester for each student on an assistantship appointment of 1/2-time or more or 
  • 50% of full-time tuition per semester for each student on an assistantship appointment of 1/4-time or more, but less than 1/2-time. 

The master's programs below are considered terminal:  

  • M.F.A. in Creative Writing and Environment 
  • Master of Architecture (M.Arch.)
  • M.F.A. in Graphic Design
  • Master of Industrial  Design (M.I.D.)
  • M.F.A. in Integrated Visual Arts
  • M.F.A. in Interior Design 
  • Master of Landscape Architecture (M.L.A.)

3.3.2 Awards to Offset Mandatory Fees

Graduate students appointed to a graduate assistantship appointment of 1/4- time or more for at least 3 months in fall and spring terms and for 4 weeks in summer term receive a 50% award for the Technology Fee, Health Fee, and Health Facility Fee and 25% coverage of Activity, Services, Building & Recreation Fee. 

3.3.3 Combinations of Tuition Awards

Some students may be eligible for more than one tuition award. In no case will a student receive more than full tuition funding from all sources of tuition awards.

3.4 - Other Financial Support

3.4.1 External Funding Sources

If a graduate student is unable to obtain graduate assistantship support through a department, other possibilities might be explored. The student’s Department Chair may have knowledge of special fellowships available.