Assistantships and Funding

Financial Aid

Financial assistance is available in the form of administrative, teaching and research assistantships,
fellowships, and grants. Many graduate students obtain tuition, curriculum, and health fee waivers in
conjunction with a graduate assistantship.

More information available online at the Financial Aid Services web site.

Assistantships

While we cannot guarantee funding upon admission, most full-time students who want a graduate assistantship will find one.  For example, almost every student enrolled in the master’s program over the past three years has received an assistantship, which covers the cost of tuition, most fees, as well as providing health and dental insurance and a weekly salary which is at a current level of $18.25 an hour (For more information on the benefits and salary of assistantships visit the Graduate Employee Organization (GEO) web site or see the Graduate Appointments Policies and Procedures). Likewise, full-time doctoral students have been very successful in finding 20-hour Graduate Assistantship positions across campus. As funding is not directly tied to admission, it is important that you are aware of places to find assistantship information, job postings, as well as areas where prior higher education graduate students have had assistantships.  This brief description hopes to give you a head start at securing funding and answer any questions that may arise.

Applicants are generally sent an email from our Higher Ed concentration in early March, indicating if they are being recommended for acceptance. The Graduate School makes the final decision and then advises each applicant of the status of their application by letter. Once admitted you will be invited to campus for an accepted students Welcome Day (usually towards the end of March). This two day orientation will familiarize you with the faculty, current students, and the campus, as well as provide you opportunities to interview for various positions on campus. While many students will interview during welcome day -- many will not and will continue to submit applications to new position that become open -- into the summer. This is not related to the quality of candidates as many positions come open between March and August. For those interested in Residence Life positions, the Housing Services Office has its own procedures and interview process that coincides with Welcome Day (For more information about Residence Life positions, visit the Residence Life graduate employment opportunities web page).  We also encourage students to contact directly any department that they would be interested in working for, as many of our students secure positions in this manner.  Lastly, for those who are looking for assistantship positions after Welcome Day, you are encouraged to regularly check the Graduate Assistantship Office’s web site which regularly posts new jobs.

Remember, you are not alone in your search for an assistantship, and feel free to contact any faculty member or current student if you have any questions.  We realize that funding is an important part of your search and will do everything we can to ensure you find a position you will enjoy and that will provide a wonderful learning experience.

Here is a list of the offices where our Master’s students have previously worked:
Dean of Students Office
Housing and Residence Life
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Campus Life
Center for Student Development
Office of Fraternities and Sororities
Office of Community Service Learning
Faculty Senate
Office of Programs & Services for ALANA Students
Academic Advising
Undergraduate Admissions Office
Office of Parent Services
School of Education
Student Assessment, Research, and Evaluation Office
And more!