Graduate Assistantships

Students must have a conferred bachelor’s degree and must be admitted to a graduate program before they can begin any Graduate Assistant (GA) position advertised on Handshake.  

• Admitted graduate students without a conferred degree must sign up for a Handshake account. If you are coming from an institution other than Providence College, do not use that institutions email address as your Handshake login. Please use a personal email address.
• Providence College students without a conferred degree may use their current PC email address to create a Handshake account.

Expectations

• GA positions are academic awards, thus GAs are expected to prioritize academic responsibilities above work responsibilities. 
• GAs are expected to average no more than 20 hours of work per week in their position and to track their hours.
• GAs must maintain good academic standing (≥ 3.0 gpa).  GA positions will not be renewed for students on academic probation (falling below 3.0 gpa).

Position length

• GA positions are characterized as either ‘9-month’ or ‘12-month’ assistantships. The 9- or 12-month clock for each position begins at that position’s start date, as defined by the position supervisor. Each year ends on Graduate Commencement Day, regardless of the start date.
• Two-year GA appointments are reviewed at the end of year 1. Renewal for a second year will be based on a combination of academic and job performance.
• Any renewal for a second year is subject to the terms and conditions of the program at such time, which may be different from the terms and conditions during the first year and may include changes to the tuition remission benefit and compensation.

Benefits & Pay

• With the exception of students awaiting the conferral of degrees in May, benefits of an assistantship do not begin before the position start date. Benefits end when the student leaves her/his program of study or completes their degree requirements.
• GA positions provide a stipend of approximately $700/month for year one and $750/month for year two, paid on a bi-weekly basis, for all months beginning with your start date. Click here for the 2024 Student Payroll Calendar.
• 9-month positions cover the cost of tuition for 3 (minimum) or 4 (maximum) classes in the fall and spring semesters and up to 2 classes in the winter session, but do not cover the cost of Maymester or summer session classes.
• 12-month positions provide tuition remission for 3 (minimum) or 4 (maximum) classes in the fall and spring semesters, up to 2 classes in the winter session, and 1 (minimum) or 2 (maximum) classes total across the two summer sessions and Maymester.
• Classes not required by the GA’s program, pass/fail, audit, or non-required SCE classes, do not receive tuition remission.
• GA’s are responsible for any fees associated with their program, such as lab fees, graduation fees, late registration fees, etc. 

Withdrawals and Final Semester

• If a student withdraws from their program of study and stops working before the completion of the semester/term, then the GA stipend is stopped.
• If a student withdraws from a course(s) and falls below the minimum required by the award, they will be charged tuition for the remainder of the semester on a pro-rated basis.
• In their final semester, GAs only need to take those courses required for graduation.  Students cannot continue in a GA position once all course requirements are met.

GA positions are subject to the terms and conditions outlined in the annual appointment letter.

For further information or for questions, please contact Todd Hopkins, Coordinator of Graduate Assistantships at 401-865-2502 or thopkin2@providence.edu.