Teaching Assistantships are a source of aid that can affect the amount of financial aid you receive from the Office of Student Financial Services. In some cases, the effect will be a dollar for dollar adjustment. The Financial Aid Notification is the appropriate place to report Teaching Assistantships, although you may send our office a notification of your Assistantship at any time. Please keep in mind that reporting your Teaching Assistantship as soon as you know about it will help prevent delays in the release of your financial aid.

Teaching Assistants are graduate students who assist faculty members in teaching undergraduate classes. All duties performed by teaching assistants shall be under the supervision and direction of a designated member of the faculty. Such duties may include student practice sessions, drill sessions, assistance in laboratories, recitation sessions, review sessions and similar activities. In addition, teaching assistants may be assigned to hold office hours, hold student conferences, evaluate student work, and to perform similar common academic duties.

Teaching assistants may not be assigned regular classroom instruction duties nor may they serve as an instructor of record for any instructional activity. The dean of the college, in consultation with the chairmen of departments in which teaching assistants are employed, shall set the basic workload policy for teaching assistants within the college.

To be eligible for appointment as a teaching assistant a nominee must be admitted to the Graduate School without qualification. In addition, a nominee must be in good academic standing and making satisfactory progress toward an advanced degree. A teaching assistant must be registered for at least nine semester hours during each semester of the long session. A teaching assistant holding an appointment for one summer term (first six weeks, second six weeks, nine weeks or twelve weeks) must register for at least three summer hours during the summer session. An appointment for two summer terms requires an enrollment of six semester hours. Requests for exceptions to these requirements must be made individually and in writing, with supporting materials, to the Graduate School. All such requests must carry the approval of the graduate advisor.

Depending on how your Teaching Assistantship is paid to you, it may affect your total eligibility for aid. Typically, if you are paid through the University Payroll office, we will not have to reduce your financial aid. However, you will have to report your earnings when you renew your FAFSA.

Adjustments to financial aid are usually necessary for students who are not paid through University Payroll. At the start of the awarding process, your total cost of education is determined. Next, we subtract any fellowships/scholarships/teaching assistantships/ additional resources from this amount. The remaining balance represents your total eligibility for financial aid.

It is possible for graduate students to receive a Teaching Assistantship after financial aid funds have been accepted and/or released. Financial aid must be re-evaluated whenever a Teaching Assistantship is awarded, even if you have already accepted/received awards.

Whenever aid is revised, notification will be made either by e-mail or by a revised financial aid notification. On the revised financial aid notification, the Teaching Assistantship will be listed under "additional resources." In the event that you do receive a revised financial aid notification, you will have to re-confirm your award choices and submit the notification.