Printed on: 04/18/2024. Please go to policy.umn.edu for the most current version of the document.
University of Minnesota  Appendix

Eligibility for Graduate Assistant Employment

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General Requirements

Students are eligible to hold a graduate assistantship if they are:

  1. Admitted to a graduate school degree program or post-baccalaureate professional degree program, AND
  2. Registered for the minimum number of required credits for an assistantship held during Fall or Spring terms.

NOTE: For all teaching assistantships (9511, 9515, 9517, 9518, 9519, 9571, 9574, 9575), English proficiency requirements apply.

Eligibility for graduate assistant employment is lost under any of the following circumstances:

  1. Graduate students who leave school or who fail to meet registration requirements may lose eligibility for GA employment. GAs who lose eligibility will be immediately terminated from employment.
  2. Graduate assistants who graduate mid-term can continue working in an assistantship title until the end of the term. However, they cannot continue working in a graduate assistantship after the semester in which they graduate. Contact Graduate Assistant Employment and Services (GAES) for other employment options.

Registration Requirements for Fall or Spring Terms

Students with the following titles and classifications are required to register for at least six credits per term. Registration must be completed by the first day of employment and maintained for the entire semester. Registering for audit-only courses does not fulfill the registration requirements.

  1. Administrative Fellow - 9531
  2. Graduate Instructor - 9515
  3. Graduate Research Project Assistant - 9526
  4. Research Assistant - 9521
  5. Teaching Assistant - 9511

Advanced Masters or Ph.D. candidates are required to register for at least one credit per term.

  1. Administrative Fellow - 9532, 9533
  2. Graduate Instructor - 9517
  3. Research Assistant - 9528, 9529
  4. Research Project Assistant - 9527
  5. Teaching Assistant - 9518, 9519

Note: Registration for GRAD 0999 does not fulfill the registration requirements. Exceptions to the six-credit registration requirement are considered when a completed form, UM 1655 Special Graduate Assistant Registration Status (SGARS) (DOCX), is submitted.

Registration Requirements for May or Summer Sessions/Terms

Registration is not required to hold a GA appointment during May or Summer sessions/terms.