Counseling and Human Development Services

College Student Affairs Administration MEd

Assistantships

Currently all of our masters and doctoral student have assistantships. Salary amounts vary by position, but all include a tuition and out-of-state fee waiver in addition to a monthly stipend.

The Vice President for Student Affairs Office handles the assistantship process for student affairs-related assistantships. You need to follow the assistantship application process as outlined at: http://www.uga.edu/studentaffairs/students/assistantships.shtml Please note that the deadline for applying for these assistantships is January 4, 2006. No one will be considered after that date unless there is a new graduate assistantship opening.

Available assistantships vary from year to year. Some of the assistantships are not offered by UGA's Division of Student Affairs, but will be included in the application and interview process. The Vice President for Student Affairs Office current list of assistantships is located at: http://www.uga.edu/studentaffairs/students/gradappdescription.shtml.

Frequently Asked Questions about Assistantships:

What is an assistantship? An assistantship is a form of graduate student financial assistance for which the student provides services, that is works.

Where are assistantships available? For students enrolled in the College Student Affairs Administration masters program, assistantships are available primarily in departments of the Student Affairs Division and related areas of the University of Georgia and in student affairs divisions of colleges and universities within commuting distance (such as Georgia Tech, Emory University, Oglethorpe University)

What do assistantships pay? Individual departments determine the level of the assistantship and the amount of work (hours) required of the student per week and the stipend offered. Normal one-third time assistantships require 13 hours of commitment per week. The stipends may vary between $8,600 and $14,400 for the academic calendar (nine months).

Are there other monetary benefits? All assistantship holders of 1/3 time or more qualify for a reduced matriculation fee of $25 per semester. Students (enrolled for 9 or more semester hours) pay additional fees (student activities, transportation, etc.) of approximately $435 per semester. In other words, total fees (a.k.a. tuition) total less than $700 per academic year. For persons holding an assistantship in University Housing, in-hall apartments are also provided at a low rental charge. Most assistantships are for the academic year. Students enrolled in the summer still qualify for the reduced matriculation fee even though they are not working.

What about Out-of-State Fees? Students who are not ”residents” of Georgia (according to the University’s definition) and who hold 1/3 time or more assistantships have all non-resident fees waived.

What are the work requirements? Persons holding 1/3 time assistantships are expected to average working 13 hours per week; 1/2 time assistantships require 20 hours per week of work. Working hours may vary from week to week depending on the activities in the assistantship site.

Are there enrollment requirements to hold an assistantship? Any student holding an assistantship must be enrolled for at least 12 semester hours, except summer. Students may be enrolled for 9 hours in the summer and still qualify for an assistantship.

Does enrollment in the student affairs program require students to hold assistantships? Students are not required to hold assistantships, but are strongly encouraged to seek assistantships because of the valuable learning opportunities available and for the opportunity to gain in-depth practical experience. Generally, 90-100% of full-time first-year masters students hold assistantships; all, or almost all, full-time second-year students usually hold assistantships. All full-time doctoral students generally have academic year assistantships available. Admission, however, does not guarantee the award of an assistantship.

How difficult is it to get an assistantship? While assistantships are not guaranteed to everyone, most students in the program have an assistantship during their time in the program.

When should I apply for an assistantship? Applications for assistantships should be made at approximately the same time that you apply for admission to the CSAA Program. It is advisable to have program applications in by January 4th and assistantship applications completed by January 15. Assistantship applications received after the deadline will be considered only if new vacancies occur or no satisfactory candidates are identified in the initial screening.