Admissions & Aid
Graduate Assistantships
Graduate assistantships are available for interested and qualified students each academic year.
Application and Renewal Information
You must be fully accepted into a graduate program and carry at least six credits per semester. The priority application deadline is April 1; applications accepted after April 1 are waitlisted. Remember, for priority consideration you must be fully accepted into your program and submit the graduate assistantship application by April 1.
Other academic requirements include minimum 3.0 average in the undergraduate major field of study; a preferred minimum GMAT or GRE verbal score of 500; and a preferred minimum quantitative score of 500, if your major field of study is mathematics or science. In lieu of the GRE, a preferred minimum Miller Analogies score of 40 is required. If you hold a master's or doctoral degree, the testing requirements are waived.
Graduate assistantships may be renewed. You must re-apply for your assistantship and maintain a minimum 3.3 grade point average in your graduate field of study.
Award Information
Graduate assistants are awarded tuition remission for all courses except directed studies, thesis and consortia courses. You are responsible for all associated course fees. Tuition remission is considered a financial resource in any financial aid award.
In addition, each full-time assistantship carries payment for work performed. The hourly rate of pay is $12, based upon a 10-hour work week while classes are in session. Payment is bi-weekly. The approximate maximum earnings for fall and spring based on 15 weeks of employment each semester is $1,800 per semester for a total of $3,600.
Categories of Assistantships
Faculty Research Assistants assist an individual faculty member with his or her scholarly work. This may include, for example, literature and article reviews and searches; data collection and encoding; collection of archival materials; and proofreading and editing for publications and presentations.
Academic Program Assistants provide academic support and service to programs. This may include, for example, tutoring and student support services to the Writing Center, Math Lab, and for MTEL exams; support to academic publications; Web site development; data collection, analysis and reports; program assessment; and academic outreach and communication activities. Receptionist and general clerical support are not appropriate duties.
Administrative Program Assistants provide administrative assistance to a department such as the Center for International Education and School of Graduate Studies. It may include, for example, coordinating marketing events; support for project planning and proposal writing; editing and proofreading; managing college publications such as the Sextant and Soundings East; support for student advising, orientation and mentoring activities; support for educational programs with local public schools. Receptionist and general clerical support are not appropriate duties.
Other Information
Read our Graduate Assistant Handbook to learn more about our annual reception, holiday and semester breaks, payroll policies, and more.
Contact Us
School of Graduate Studies
978.542.6323 or graduate@salemstate.edu