The Student Financial Aid Office assists students who lack the resources to support their education.  Students must be admitted into a program and enrolled at least half-time (5 credit hours) to be eligible for financial aid.  Several programs award to graduate students, contact the Student Financial Aid office for details on the Title IV aid and other award programs. 
 

GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIPS
USD offers qualified graduate students financial assistance in exchange for their teaching, research and service efforts to the University.  There are over 49 departments that offer assistantships. 

Students interested in Graduate Assistantships should apply through the department by contacting the graduate director.  To be qualified for a graduate assistantship a student must be fully admitted in a graduate program and enrolled in nine credit hours. 

Graduate Assistantship Application
 

GRADUATE ASSISTANT POLICY Philosophy of Graduate AssistantshipsRules and Regulations Graduate Assistantship ClassificationsWorkload Minimum StipendsReduced Tuition Personnel Rules Modifications / Additions to Existing Policy
Philosophy of Graduate Assistantships
The University of South Dakota offers qualified post-baccalaureate students financial assistance in exchange for their teaching, research and service efforts to the University.  The University supports post-baccalaureate students in order to strengthen its academic programs and to develop future faculty members and professionals by encouraging advanced studies and experiences in a variety of disciplines. 

Rules and Regulations
In order to qualify for a graduate assistantship, a student must have earned a baccalaureate degree and must be fully admitted to a post-baccalaureate degree program.  No graduate assistantship will be awarded to a student who has completed all their requirements to the degree to which they are a candidate.  Students must be in good standing (academic and deportment) to continue their appointment. 

Students who are fully admitted into a graduate degree program and who are awarded an assistantship are required to enroll in a minimum of 9 credit hours of graduate work per semester and normally carry no more than 12 credits hours of graduate work per semester. A minimum of 6 credit hours per semester may be permitted with the approval of the Dean of Research and Graduate Education.  A graduate assistant in the final semester of enrollment or a research assistant who has been awarded a summer assistantship may take a reduced load with the approval of the Dean of Research and Graduate Education.  Graduate assistants who wish to register for more than 12 hours of academic work must secure the approval of the Dean of Research and Graduate Education. 

Departments that employ graduate teaching assistants as instructors will develop an evaluation process and supervision procedures for monitoring and assessing the quality of classroom effort by the teaching assistants. 

All graduate assistant appointments should be routed through Research and Graduate Education for approval.  In the interest of academic scholarship, graduate assistants should not be expected to work more than 20 hours a week or be compensated for more than 50% of a workload from all combined university sources.  This includes an assistantship, workstudy and any hourly assignment. All graduate assistant appointments must be made with a Salary Authorization/Status Record (SA/SR) and must be received in Budget, Finance and Institutional Research by the 10th of the month to ensure payment in that month.  Graduate assistantships can not be paid on an hourly basis by use of an Hourly Payroll Authorization (HPA).  Graduate students whose appointment spans the regular academic year will be paid on the same schedule as faculty.  The student must be registered before the SA/SR will be processed for payment.  Departments employing graduate assistants are responsible for their presence and training prior to the beginning of class to ensure that the graduate assistants have appropriately earned their salaries. 

The Dean of Research and Graduate Education, for support of graduate assistantships, allocates graduate assistant funding to the Colleges and Schools each year only. 
 

Graduate Assistantship Classifications
All graduate teaching assistants, graduate research assistants, and graduate administrative assistants require the assignment of a class code on the SA/SR used to process their appointment.  These class codes are used to identify the function performed by the graduate assistants.  In the case of graduate assistants with functions falling into more than one class code, separate SA/SR’s must be prepared for each type of appointment as defined by the class code.  Assistantship titles and class codes for use on the appointment SA/SR along with brief definitions are presented below. 

Graduate Teaching Assistant, Instructor, Class Code 301056: 
The individuals assigned this class code perform actual classroom teaching.  This includes individuals who are responsible for teaching the laboratory portion of a course.  They need not be the instructors of record nor responsible for the final grade in the course.  They are accountable as an instructor to the department chair or to a faculty member. 

Graduate Teaching Assistant, Laboratory, Class Code 301057: 
The individuals assigned this class code provide assistance to the instructor of the laboratory portion of a course.  They do not actually provide instruction.  This code does not apply to computer laboratory monitors. 

Graduate Teaching Assistant, Grading Support, Class Code 301058: 
The individuals assigned this class code provide grading, test monitoring, data search, tutoring and other teaching support functions.  They do not deliver course lectures or conduct labs.  They are accountable to a faculty member or department head that assigns projects to the graduate assistant. 

Graduate Research Assistant, Class Code 301052: 
The individuals assigned this class code are given research projects or assist researchers in their work.  They do not perform direct teaching, lab or grading support. 

Graduate Administrative Assistant, Class Code 301054: 
The individuals assigned this class code work with department heads, deans, directors, and other administrators in performing duties in the office and/or computer labs.  They do not perform direct teaching in the classroom or lab, nor provide lab or grading support.  Supervision of computer laboratories and studio assistants fall into this category. 
 

Workload
A graduate assistant workload, similar to a faculty workload, consists of a combination of credit hours taught, grading support, lab supervision, administrative and research projects, office hours, meetings, and other work time required by supervisors.  Graduate assistant workload is expressed as the ratio of the graduate assistant’s workload to a predetermined standardized workload.  This ratio or percent of effort must be recorded on the graduate assistant appointment SA/SR in the C PCNT box 29 and R PCNT Box 30. 

When graduate assistants are providing instruction (class code 301056) the FTE should be calculated as a percentage of a standard course-load, which is fifteen credit hours.  For example, if a graduate assistant is teaching 6 credit hours, his or her course-load is expressed as 6/15 or 40% (.4 FTE). 

When graduate assistants are performing indirect classroom activities (class codes 301052, 301054, 301057, and 301058), their workload is expressed in terms of a forty-hour week.  For example, if the graduate assistant works approximately 10 hours per week, the percent of effort is calculated by dividing 10 by 40, or 25% (.25 FTE). 
 

Minimum Stipends
The minimum stipend is $2,118 per semester for the 2002 – 2003 academic year.  For the 2002 summer session the minimum stipend is $529 per four-week term (pro-rate for other than four-week session). 
 

Reduced Tuition
A student who is fully admitted into a graduate degree program and who has a graduate assistant appointment at the minimum stipend level as established by the Board of Regents qualifies for reduced tuition benefits (this reduction does not include fees).  Qualified graduate assistants shall be assessed one-third (1/3) of the resident graduate rate for all state-supported courses (graduate and undergraduate).  An appointment during the full academic year qualifies the student for reduced tuition during the following summer.  The Dean of Research and Graduate Education must approve all graduate assistantship appointments. 
 

Personnel Rules
Graduate assistants are not required to work on official state employee holidays or during regular academic breaks. 

Graduate assistantship openings will be posted in department offices to notify students of their number, academic discipline, and general duties and responsibilities.  The University of South Dakota is an equal employment opportunity employer. 

Accommodation to students with disabilities will be made subject to the university’s disability services policy. 

Graduate assistants are considered staff members, but are not employed in a permanent classification.  Any grievance arising from this employment relationship shall be brought under non-faculty exempt procedures.  Graduate assistants, regardless of percent of time, are not eligible for benefits, including sick and annual leave, health and life insurance, and retirement. 
 

Modifications / Additions to Existing Policy
Any modification or addition to these policies must be initiated with the Graduate Council and receive the approval of the President. 

(Revised 8/99-asstpolr)