Happy New Year! We hope you all had a wonderful, relaxing holiday season.
Are you supervising a graduate assistant—or more than one—this semester? We appreciate your valuable support and experience for our graduate students, as well as your time, supervision, and guidance.
Before the spring semester kicks into high gear, we wanted to highlight a few important GA policies and to remind you we’re here to help with anything that might come up during the semester. Your college or school may have more specific guidance, and we recognize operations differ from program to program, so please consult any appropriate individuals in your units or reach out to us with questions.
You are receiving this message because you were identified in WVU’s payroll system as a GA supervisor or a graduate program coordinator. If you’re not supervising any GAs this semester, please disregard this message.
We wish you the very best this semester!
FAQS
What are the most common policies that concern graduate assistantships? If there are aspects you are not responsible for, please check with the appropriate individuals.
Check out our website for the most detailed version of our policies, including full-time enrollment (9 credits), minimum stipend requirements, and how much additional on-campus work a GA might be able to do (like the 100 hour rule).
All GAs must have a background check completed if they have not been a GA at WVU in the past 12 months.
A student’s eligibility for an assistantship and for accepting tuition waivers, along with any restrictions on tuition waivers they may be subject to, must be confirmed prior to the acceptance of a GA position. We ask students to confirm their eligibility with programs, but you should have a discussion with the student and make sure they have done so.
See tuition waiver policies and tuition waiver restrictions and keep up to date with policies related to tuition waivers. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to contact Graduate Education and Life.
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Please confirm payroll reflects the following:
- Regular GAs: no less than $15,000 stipend for 9 months (or $7,500 for 4.5 months/one semester). The position should be .5 FTE.
- Partial GAs: no less than $7,500 for 9 months (or $3,750 for 4.5 months/one semester). The position should be .25 FTE.
Unless they have waived coverage, regular GAs receive full payment of the student health insurance premium and partial GAs receive 50% payment. The correct waiver of this fee depends on the correct submission of the GA waiver.
What do I do if my graduate student wishes to resign or needs to leave the position?
If a GA declines to move ahead with the position before the semester begins, please work with the appropriate individuals to end the position in payroll and delete the GA tuition waiver.
If a GA resigns from a position during the semester, please reach out to Graduate Education and Life for guidance and approval when necessary (see terminating assistantships).
If a GA needs to drop below full-time registration at any point during the semester, please contact Graduate Education and Life.
What do I need to communicate to my graduate assistant?
You are expected to provide students with an assistantship appointment letter. These should be provided at the start of a new assistantship, or at the start of a renewal period for an assistantship (e.g. a new 9 or 12 month cycle starts). You must use our template for assistantship letters, and you must check back for the most current version when issuing new letters.
Clearly communicate all work requirements to the GAs you supervise, including their work schedule, at the start of the semester. The clear communication of expectations reduces the possibility of conflicts later on.
Regular GAs may not work more than 20 hours a week, and partial GAs no more than 10 hours a week. GAs are not expected to work or make up for times the university is closed (holidays, weather or emergency closures, etc.). If a GA is expected to work when class is not in session that should be communicated at the start of the semester in the appointment letter.
Some research assistantships require work that may overlap with an academic project (research credits, theses, dissertations etc.). We encourage you to work with your student to clearly communicate the distinctions between GRA work and their individual research requirements.
If you experience difficulty working with or managing a GA, please reach out to our office for support. We have specific policies on proper procedures for dismissing someone from an assistantship, and contacting us is required in certain cases (see terminating assistantships).
Graduate Assistants should receive an evaluation at the end of the semester.
Where can I find assistance?
In addition to your college or school graduate studies contacts, our office is always here to help. Please do not hesitate to reach us at GradEd@mail.wvu.edu or at 304-293-7173. You are also welcome to reach out to the Assistant Provost for Graduate Education Policy (jessica.queener@mail.wvu.edu).