Overview of the Graduate Assistantship Program

The Graduate College at East Stroudsburg University offers an excellent graduate assistantship program. The primary purpose of the program is to enhance the student's academic experience while pursuing a graduate degree at ESU.

Therefore, graduate assistantships are available to attract the "best and brightest" prospective students to ESU graduate programs and to provide highly qualified graduate students with professional development experiences related to research and leadership in their field of study.

Graduate assistants function under the auspices of graduate faculty on academic, clinical, research, or leadership activities or special projects related to the field of graduate study. Graduate assistant appointments are awarded on a competitive basis to highly qualified students without regard to financial need.

Therefore, the awarding of a graduate assistantship is an honor as well as a scholarship. The Graduate College is the designated unit on campus to officially offer graduate assistantships to students, based upon the recommendation of an academic department.

Finally, a graduate assistant at all times is subject to all existing and any new policies, procedures, and rules that arise during the term of award and assistantships are based on available funding.

The Graduate College offers a variety of graduate assistantships, categorized as follows:

• Academic or research graduate assistantships are available to highly qualified graduate students in any degree program. Academic graduate assistants are assigned to function under the auspices of a faculty member in their department. Responsibilities include academic, clinical, or research activities related to the field of study.
• Administrative graduate assistantships are available on a limited basis to highly qualified graduate students from any degree program.
• Frederick Douglass Institute graduate assistantships are named after Frederick Douglass, the 19th-century American abolitionist. Consideration for this scholarship is in keeping with the spirit of Douglass' life of public service and the university's mission to be a source of encouragement to historically underrepresented and underserved populations who have a commitment to leadership, social involvement, and commitment to education, as evidence by their professional experiences or professional goals.

  Frederick Douglass Institute graduate assistantships are open to applicants with a record of academic achievement and scholarship who demonstrate potential for leadership and ability to promote unity in a civil society.

  Students with Frederick Douglass Institute graduate assistantships will be assigned to function under the auspices of graduate faculty in an academic department or administrators to enhance their leadership skills and serve the Frederick Douglass Institute.

• Residence life graduate assistantships are available on a limited basis to qualified, full-time graduate students in any degree program.

  Residence life graduate assistants are assigned to and receive room in one of the university residence halls and provide services as needed by the Office of Residence Life and Housing in the management of the residence halls.

  Residence life graduate assistantships require availability one week before and after the academic semester, as well as on evenings and weekends throughout the semester.

Eligibility Criteria for a Graduate Assistantship

Eligibility criteria for full consideration for a Graduate Assistantship at ESU include the following criteria:

1. Admission decision – An applicant must receive an admission decision of Admission, Pre-Candidacy (Full) or Admission, with Conditions.
2. Academic qualifications – All applicants must be highly qualified academically. For new students, an undergraduate grade point average of at least 2.5 (on a 4.0 scale) overall, and 3.0 in the major; high scores on a graduate school admission test; a grade point average of 3.0 or higher in graduate coursework; or other evidence of high academic achievement is required. Continuing graduate students must be in Academic Good Standing.
3. Enrollment status – An applicant must be enrolled a minimum of nine graduate credits for the semester for which the Graduate Assistantship is awarded.
4. Additional requirements – Some graduate assistantships have additional eligibility criteria, such as initial certification, specialized skills, or other attributes/qualifications.

Exceptions to these eligibility requirements may only be made upon written recommendation of the student’s academic department, endorsed by the student’s college dean, and with the approval of the graduate dean.

Application for a Graduate Assistantship

A completed application for a graduate assistantship at ESU will include the following components:

1. Graduate assistantship online application form with supporting documents – A complete online application including all required supporting documents must be submitted through ESU’s Human Resources website at www.esucareers.com.

   Applicants for Frederick Douglass Institute graduate assistantships are required to submit the specified Frederick Douglass personal statement.

2. Application for admission to the Graduate College – Applicants for a graduate assistantship must have a complete application package on file with the Graduate College, including the Application for Admission, official transcripts, letters of recommendation (three), goal statement, application fee, and documentation of additional program requirements.

   Prospective graduate students who meet the eligibility criteria are encouraged to submit their online Graduate Assistantship Application concurrently with their Application for Admission to the Graduate College, though interested individuals may apply at any time throughout their graduate studies.

Award of a Graduate Assistantship

Applicants for a Graduate Assistantship are notified of their selection and offer of an assistantship by a letter from the graduate dean. The Graduate Assistantship Award Letter will outline the details of the award. Graduate Assistantships may be offered for an academic year, a semester (fall/spring), or a summer session, with award levels as follows:

• Full Graduate Assistantship (100 percent)
• Partial Graduate Assistantship (75 percent)
• Partial Graduate Assistantship (50 percent)

Typically, applicants will be notified of an offer for the fall semester or an academic year in May, June, July, or August; for the spring semester in November or December; and for the summer session in May or June.

Late appointments may be made due to changes in award availability, resignations, or dismissals.

Upon receipt of an offer, applicants are expected to follow the guidelines, as stipulated in the award letter, to accept the offer. Failure to complete all requirements by the due dates will result in forfeiture of the offer of a graduate assistantship.

Finally, of important note, while graduate faculty in academic departments and administrators may recommend applicants for a graduate assistantship, only the Graduate College can authorize the awarding of a graduate assistantship. Therefore, applicants should await an official offer letter from the graduate dean.

Professional Duties

The award of a graduate assistantship includes professional duties performed under the supervision of a graduate faculty or administrator. The Graduate Assistantship Award Letter will specify the name and position of the graduate faculty or administrator and the unit in which the duties are to be performed. The extent of hours will be specified, commensurate with the award level, as follows:

• Full Graduate Assistantship (100 percent) – 20 hours per week (600 hours per academic year; or 300 hours per semester)
• Partial Graduate Assistantship (75 percent) – 15 hours per week (450 hours per academic year; or 225 hours per semester)
• Partial Graduate Assistantship (50 percent) – 10 hours per week (300 hours per academic year; or 150 hours per semester)

Graduate assistants are expected to meet with their supervisor before the start of the assistantship to discuss professional expectations and work duties.

Graduate assistants are expected to perform assigned professional responsibilities and demonstrate good work habits.

Additionally, graduate assistants are expected to maintain good academic standing and satisfactory progress toward their degree.

Compensation

Graduate assistantships provide financial compensation for the work or professional duties performed.

The total amount of the compensation correlates with the award level, as follows:

• Full Graduate Assistantship (100 percent) $5,004 per academic year; or $2,502 per semester
• Partial Graduate Assistantship (75 percent) $3,753 per academic year; or $1,876 per semester
• Partial Graduate Assistantship (50 percent) $2,502 per academic year; or $1,251 per semester

Graduate assistants are compensated for the work performed on an hourly basis, paid on a biweekly schedule.

Tuition Waiver

In addition to the compensation for the professional duties or functions performed, graduate assistantships offer a waiver of in-state tuition, commensurate with the award level, as follows:

• Full Graduate Assistantship (100 percent) 100 percent in-state tuition waiver or 9 credit hours/semester
• Partial Assistantship (75 percent) 75 percent in-state tuition waiver or 7 credit hours/semester
• Partial Graduate Assistantship (50 percent) 50 percent in-state tuition waiver or 4.5 credit hours/semester

In order to receive the tuition waiver specified for the award level, graduate assistants are required to perform the specified number of hours of work or professional duties. Graduate assistants are responsible for all non-tuition fees required of graduate students.

Academic Load

During the academic year, all graduate assistants must register for 9 credit hours of graduate coursework per semester. During the summer sessions, all graduate assistants must register for the specified credit hours of graduate work.

Resignation or Dismissal

Graduate assistants may resign a graduate assistantship position due to professional or personal reasons. However, customary with professional standards of practice, a letter or resignation and advance notice are preferred to allow for transition of the position. If the resignation occurs during the course of an academic semester, compensation and tuition waiver will be pro-rated to the date of the resignation. A student who resigns a graduate assistantship position in good standing may reapply and accept another award in the future if eligibility criteria are met.

Graduate assistants are expected to follow all university policies and procedures in fulfillment of their work and academic responsibilities. Failure to perform professional duties, demonstrate good work habits, maintain good academic standing, or follow university policies and procedures will result in corrective or disciplinary measures, from mentoring and coaching to potential termination of the graduate assistantship award.

For Further Information

For further information about the Graduate Assistantship program at East Stroudsburg University, please contact the Graduate College office at 570-422-3536 or grads@esu.edu.