1. Purpose: Graduate assistantships provide graduate students with financial resources to assist them in the completion of their degrees. Students who hold assistantships experience educational and professional benefits by fulfilling selected faculty and staff functions that would otherwise be performed by regular faculty and staff members and, in so doing, receive valuable practical experience as they prepare for their careers following degree completion. The responsibilities and benefits of assistantships vary, but, in general, students gain further instruction in knowledge and techniques in their fields; hone their research skills; develop professional skills including leadership and interpersonal effectiveness; and have collegial collaboration with advisors. Two important principles are applied in the selection of students for and placement in assistantship assignments. First, assistantships are seen as filling a need and/or function that advances the University, i.e., there is a job to be done and a graduate student, rather than an undergraduate student, is uniquely qualified to do it. Second, the placement has a genuine educational value for the student relating to the student's chosen area of specialization and/or future professional career goal(s).

2. Definition: A graduate assistant is a student who has been admitted into a graduate degree program at the University or who is studying in graduate level coursework normally taken prior to admission into a degree program. The graduate assistant is a student who, under faculty or administrative supervision, assists in the conduct of the University's overall program, most typically in an academic area, by providing teaching assistance, research or other services.

Graduate Assistantship (GA): A student holding a general graduate assistantship, under the supervision of a CCU faculty member or administrator, may provide service to the University in a number of different ways such as administrative or faculty support services, curriculum development, tutoring, completing special project assignments, etc.

Research Assistantship (RA): A student holding a research assistantship (RA) is expected to actively participate in a research initiative, typically a research grant-supported initiative, provided for in the grant that funded the assistantship. This type of assistantship expects the student to engage in active research and research support under the direct supervision of the faculty member who directs the grant.

Fellowship: Graduate Fellowships are awarded through an application process and offer the student financial assistance, typically through reduced tuition and/or a stipend, to support the student during his or her period of study at the University.

1. Assistantships are ordinarily assigned on an academic year basis, i.e., fall through spring terms, but may also be awarded during the summer term.  As an employee at the University, graduate assistants are officially considered by the Office of Human Resources and Equal Opportunity to be on semester-long appointments that must be renewed at the end of each semester.  Graduate assistants normally receive a salary payment ranging from $4,000 to $10,000 for the academic year on the completion of what may be considered a half-time work schedule. The graduate assistant’s work schedule may be arranged in terms of hours per week, customarily no more than twenty, or tasks completed, e.g., courses taught, research project, etc. Proportionally to the fall and spring terms, students who hold graduate assistantships in the summer normally do so at a stipend rate of $2,000 to $5,000 and follow a work schedule typical to schedules arranged in the fall or spring semesters.
2. A graduate assistant's salary payment should be stated in terms of the semester, academic year or summer term, rather than on an hourly basis, in order for the assistant to qualify for reduced tuition fees. Appointment periods are:

Fall (8/16 - 12/15); Spring (1/2 - 5/15); Summer (5-16 - 8/15)

3. Graduate assistants qualify for a special tuition rate, as published annually. Graduate assistant tuition rates apply to both in-state and out-of-state assistants.
4. In addition to receiving a salary payment and a reduced tuition rate, graduate assistants may have a portion or all of their tuition paid by their hiring units. When this is the case, the tuition portion of a graduate assistant's compensation will be established by the hiring unit as a credit with the Bursar's Office against which the tuition will be charged each semester. Students are responsible for any portion of their tuition and fees not covered by the employing unit.
5. A graduate student is classified as a full-time student for academic purposes when registered for a minimum of 9 credit hours during a fall or spring term and 3 hours during the entire summer session.  For purposes of eligibility to receive a graduate assistantship, it is normally expected that a student be registered for at least 6 credit hours per semester (fall and spring terms) and a minimum of 1 credit hour during either summer period.  A student who has an approved degree program of study or course plan leading to the completion of at least 13 credits over contiguous fall, spring and summer terms, however, is also eligible to receive a graduate assistantship.  It is noted that some departments and/or programs may require the assistant to be enrolled in more than 6 hours during the fall and spring terms.  A student whose unique situation may not align with normal procedures for graduate assistant appointments may petition the Director of Graduate Studies for special consideration of these procedures.
6. Flexibility is needed in interpreting the time commitment of the graduate assistant to accommodate the demands of the assignment, the needs of the assistant, and the varying skills and capabilities of assistants. Having flexibility in the time a student spends on assistantship duties, however, is not license for departments to increase these duties to an unreasonable level. Assistants and their supervisors should work together to develop a written plan, based on reasonable expectations of student productivity, to involve an amount of effort commensurate with the appointment. Assistants should keep their supervisor(s) apprised of any changes that need to be made to the agreed-upon schedule. Changes may be necessary because of the assistant's own classes, examinations, job searches, conferences, illness, or other personal or professional factors. The appointing department is expected to provide assistants with work space and equipment necessary for their work.
7. Typically, graduate assistants who are appointed after the first 30 days of a semester or after the first 10 days of a summer term are not eligible for the special tuition rate during that semester. Assistants who are appointed prior to these deadline dates, but whose duties terminate before the midterm date or before they earn the minimum salary payment amount, will be billed for full fees. This standard applies specifically to CCU-funded assistantships. Assistantships funded by sources external to CCU, however, may be considered on a flexible or variable schedule as determined by the University's receipt of funds from an external funding agency or organization. For example, external funding may be confirmed early in or even prior to a particular semester but not be in place until the semester is underway. In such a circumstance, a student may be selected for the assistantship, officially begin work when the funding becomes available, but also receive a tuition reduction for that semester as it has been confirmed that the funding has been awarded.
8. Graduate assistants do not accrue sick leave, so work missed due to illness should be made up.
9. It is the responsibility of the department or hiring unit to discuss and confirm work schedules with the graduate assistant when he or she is appointed. Normally, graduate assistants are not expected to work during examination periods and state and staff holidays. Graduate assistants that fail to perform their duties may be terminated from their appointment.  While perhaps handled in different procedural ways by different hiring units, graduate assistants should receive a letter of appointment clearly identifying the graduate assistant’s supervisor and duties to be performed, i.e., job description.

1. As previously noted, assistantships are ordinarily assigned on an academic year and summer basis. Renewal is at the discretion of the department. Departments may have differing policies on the length of time students may hold assistantships and sometimes limit the total number of terms or courses in which an assistant may be concurrently enrolled.
2. An appointment remains in effect only if the student is in good academic standing, is making satisfactory academic progress, and is providing satisfactory service.  As previously noted, graduate assistants should receive a letter of appointment that clearly identifies the assistant’s supervisor and expected duties to be performed.  It is against this identification of duties that the determination of satisfactory service should be based.
3. Assistants should be informed as early as possible of a department’s intention about renewing the assistant's appointment. If, because of enrollment or budget uncertainties, a department cannot make a firm commitment to a student about reappointment, a letter of intent should be sent to the assistant stating that these uncertainties exist and explicitly defining the department's plans once the situation is clarified.
4. An assistantship appointment may be terminated during the term of the appointment if the assistant is no longer a student at the University, no longer making satisfactory progress, or substantially fails to perform assigned responsibilities. Assistants should be formally evaluated at the end of each semester that the assistantship is held. The evaluation should be conducted by the assistant’s immediate supervisor and be specific to the duties assigned to the assistant. The results of the evaluation should be conveyed to the student in writing in a timely manner and filed in both the college as well as the Office of Graduate Studies. In cases of termination, the assistant should be provided written notice and an opportunity to respond to the department head prior to termination.
5. A student who resigns an assistantship appointment or whose appointment is canceled before service is rendered for at least three-fourths of the term during the regular semester or half of a summer term is required to pay the full amount of appropriate tuition and fees for that term.
6. Graduate assistant appointments are expected to follow the semester or term schedule from beginning to end in order to be eligible for reduced fees during the period of appointment.

1. In some instances assistantships may be partially or fully funded by non­profit organizations or federal or State agencies other than Coastal Carolina University. These assistantships typically are termed research assistantships (RAs). Coastal Carolina University encourages the inclusion of funds for graduate assistantships and tuition remission in sponsored program budgets. When applying for grants or contracts, providing such funding is available, faculty members are expected to include a tuition remission request as a part of the application. Tuition remission is the difference between what the graduate student will be expected to pay in terms of having a tuition reduction and the regular graduate tuition at the university. For example, if a student holding a graduate assistantship is expected to pay $100.00 per credit hour, reflecting the institution's tuition reduction for a graduate assistant, and the university's regular tuition per credit hour is $300.00, the tuition remission is $200.00 per credit hour.
2. In some instances applying for tuition remission as a part of the grant proposal may have an adverse effect on the overall grant funding or grant potential. If it is felt that this is the case, the faculty member(s) submitting the grant may receive a waiver of the expectation to apply for tuition remission from the Provost. Waivers should be approved by the Provost before the proposal is submitted and should be requested using the appropriate form developed for this purpose.
3. Graduate assistantships and tuition remission payments may be charged to grants and contracts at rates that are consistent with established institutional policy as noted in this document. Assistantships funded through a grant or contract from a sponsored program should be comparable but need not be the same as University-funded assistantships.  However, tuition remission charges to grants and contracts should be at the same partial tuition differential level as the University provides to graduate assistants supported from University funds.
4. Under certain conditions federal grants may pay tuition remission in lieu of compensation to the individual. In such cases, the student's full tuition may also be charged to the grant. The University Office of Grants and Sponsored Research can provide additional details on policies established by granting agencies.
5.  It is possible that a faculty member applying for a grant from a non-profit organization, requesting the assistantship salary payment as well as the tuition remission, may be successful in receiving the assistantship salary payment but not the tuition remission. In such an instance, the University will consider the student as eligible to receive the graduate assistant tuition reduction providing the faculty member applying for the grant had the graduate assistantship approved, including criteria and procedures for the selection of the recipient, by the college dean and the Provost, before the grant proposal was submitted.

1. While graduate assistants officially are employees of the University, they are unique employees in that they are being employed as a means of supporting them in their pursuit of advanced study.
2. Additional employment by the graduate assistant away from the University is discouraged.
3. Additional employment at the University, in addition to the assistantship, must be approved by the assistant’s immediate supervisor and the Director of Graduate Studies.  This approval will be influenced by the quality of the assistant’s work in the assistantship assignment but also the quality of the assistant’s work in his or her academic program.  If it is felt that additional employment is not in the best interest of the student’s successful completion of the academic progress, it should not be approved.

1. Each academic and administrative unit with assistantship appointments should clearly communicate expectations about assistantships to students as well as to supervising faculty and staff to ensure that students' duties have intellectual and educational value.  Each graduate assistant will have an immediate supervisor who will be either the Cost Center Director or an individual appointed by the Cost Center Director.
2. The Director of Graduate Studies is responsible for the implementation of these policies and regulations; any deviations from them must have prior approval from the Provost.