Graduate Assistantships

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Graduate assistantship positions are offered to University of Nevada, Reno degree-seeking graduate students through various departments and are paid by state funds, grants or self-supporting funds. Students interested in these positions must contact the department for specific requirements.

Requirements & Full-Time Status

All students employed as graduate assistants must be enrolled in at least six (6) graduate credits. For graduate assistants on any contract, the University considers an enrollment in six (6) graduate units or more full-time status. Without any assistantship contract, students must be enrolled in nine (9) graduate units to be considered full-time. However, to be considered full time for financial aid purposes, all graduate students must be enrolled in 9 graduate units, even if they are employed as graduate assistant.

Graduate assistantship employment is subject to the following conditions.

• good academic standing in the graduate program;
• adequate progress through the program;
• professional and responsible conduct;
• satisfactory performance of assistantship duties; and
• eligibility for on-campus employment.

Student enrolled in a prescribed program are not ineligible for a graduate assistantship.

The Graduate School does not monitor non-University employment for students on graduate assistantships. Additional work outside of the University is discouraged as it may impede academic success and timely degree completion. Departments may require students to agree to limit outside/additional employment. All Graduate Assistantship positions are contingent upon available funding.

Any Graduate Assistantship must provide:

1. minimum monthly salary approved for the unit in which the Graduate Assistant is employed;
2. graduate health insurance based on the approved fringe rate for Graduate Assistants;
3. a Grant-in-Aid/Fee Waiver to cover tuition/per-unit registration fees

a. All students holding a graduate assistantship are considered Nevada residents for tuition purposes. Non-resident tuition is only waived for the duration of the assistantship.

b. Exceptions to the Grant-in-Aid/Fee Waiver is allowed for those graduate assistantships associated with grants where tuition costs are disallowed. In those cases, the terms of employment must clearly indicate that the contract does not include a grant-in-aid to cover tuition/registration fees.

c. The Grant-in-Aid/Fee Waiver covers graduate level courses only. In rare instances where a case can be made for a graduate student to take undergraduate courses (e.g., when curricular requirements cannot be met otherwise), a request for an exception can be addressed to the Dean of the Graduate School. Faculty and students need to be aware that federal financial aid can be affected when a student enrolls in both undergraduate and graduate level units.

Graduate assistants perform a variety of duties from teaching undergraduate classes to grading papers, to conducting research in laboratories. Graduate Teaching Assistants receive a mandatory training through the Graduate School prior to the beginning of their first semester.

All students holding a graduate assistantship are considered Nevada residents for tuition purposes. Non-resident tuition is only waived for the duration of the assistantship.

State-funded graduate assistantships may be held for a maximum of:

• Three (3) years for master’s degree students;
• Five (5) years for doctoral degree students.

This limitation of graduate assistantship funding does not apply to graduate assistantships funded from non-state sources, including but not limited to grants and self-funded accounts.

International students serving as Graduate Teaching Assistants must pass the Speaking Proficiency English Assessment Kit (SPEAK test) with a score of 50 or better. Students are exempt from taking the SPEAK test if they received

• a TOEFL Speaking score of 24 or better
• an IELTS Speaking score of 7.5 or better
• a Duolingo score: 120 or higher.

The SPEAK test is not required for:

• international students from countries where English is the language of instruction and commerce (see English Speaking Countries Exempt from Testing).
• international students who have received a baccalaureate or advanced degree from an accredited university or college in the United States.

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