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Graduate College

Graduate Student Appointments and Benefits

All policies, including current minimum award amounts and a table of required registration hours for each type of award, are detailed in the Graduate Appointment Policy sheet found on the Graduate College website here.

General Information and Policies

Expectations

Students awarded an assistantship are provided a service stipend for work and (typically) a tuition waiver. It is the responsibility of the unit and (assistantship) advisor to ensure that students work no more than the stipulated hours on their assistantship work. When an assistantship encompasses the student’s academic work (e.g., an RAship overlapping with the thesis), you should make sure that the student understands what part of their work is toward their degree.

Students on most assistantships are expected to work all 15–16 weeks of the semester (including finals week), on a Monday-Friday basis, with Thanksgiving break and spring break included. TAs are on appointment until grades are due. Official policy does not provide for students working before the start of the semester, but if special arrangements are made, total hours cannot exceed those in the contract. Along with Additional compensation.

For students on appointment in the area of residence life, workdays will be determined based on the special terms and conditions as set forth by the associate director of residential housing. Any appointment expectations that extend beyond the above framework (e.g., weekend or holiday duties, duties that extend beyond the defined semester) should be noted as part of the appointment creation. For further details, please see University Policy 41.004.

Deadline for creating appointments  

Appointments should be created in OGA as soon as possible based on student information and the semesters for which the OGA system is open. Appointments created fewer than 30 days before the start of the semester run the risk of students incurring tuition bill late fees or having their stipend delayed. This advance time is needed to ensure that the appointment can be fully approved, processed, posted, and disbursed by the beginning of the semester. All appointments require review at the Graduate College, and a large number of last-minute appointments can prove difficult or impossible to fully process. For additional information, contact the Graduate Appointment Administrator.  

Maximum number of terms to receive tuition scholarship

Ohio University policy limits the number of semesters that a student may receive tuition funding from any source within the university (not just from any particular program or unit). In order to make accurate funding offers, programs that wish to admit students with tuition waivers who have been enrolled as graduate students at Ohio University previously should verify the number of remaining terms eligible for waivers.  

A student with an awarded graduate degree from another institution may receive a maximum of 10 semesters of tuition scholarship. A graduate student without a graduate degree or with a previous graduate degree from Ohio University may receive a maximum of 12 semesters of tuition scholarship total from all Ohio University programs.  

Graduate Appointment Guidelines

Appointment offers must include expected start and end dates, weekly work hour requirements, and notice of expectations for work on weekends/holidays or beyond the defined semester.

Prior to arrival, students need to complete Section 1 of the I-9 form electronically. Links to that system and required I-9 documents are on the Graduate College forms page.

Earliest response deadline is April 15th (fall cohorts)

Ohio University abides by the Council of Graduate Schools Resolution Regarding Graduate Scholars, Fellows, Trainees, and Assistants. Students are under no obligation to respond to offers of financial support prior to April 15. Withdrawing an acceptance of financial support after April 15 commits the student to obtain a written release from the program before accepting an offer from a different program or institution. Contact the Assistant Dean of the Graduate College for assistance if you have questions.

For programs admitting to terms other than fall, CGS provides no specific guidance about the earliest date that students may be asked to respond to funding offers. All programs are obligated, however, to honor the spirit of the resolution by giving admitted students enough time to weigh offers received from other institutions in making their choice of program.  

Renewal and non-renewal

Graduate students seeking continuation of stipend and scholarship support must follow all departmental policies and procedures pertaining to renewal of that support. Additionally, Graduate Council guidelines state that graduate students holding graduate appointments written for an academic year must receive notice of renewal or non-renewal of that appointment no later than the end of spring semester. This provision does not apply to appointments terminated early or not renewed for academic or service performance reasons. In such cases, no prior notification is required.

Graduate students holding graduate appointments written on a semester basis must receive notice of renewal or non-renewal of appointment at least one semester before the end of that appointment period. Graduate students holding spring semester appointments must be notified no later than the end of the spring semester of renewal or non-renewal for fall semester. This provision does not apply to appointments terminated early or not renewed for academic or service performance reasons. In such cases, no prior notification is required.

Notification of summer semester appointments can (and should) be made as early as practicable.

Unit Allocations for Graduate Stipends & Scholarships

Waivers and stipend funds are controlled by the budgeting process in each college. Consult with the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies of your unit to determine availability of funding for graduate students.

Student Eligibility Requirements

In addition to the information below, see also requirements listed in the Graduate Appointment Policies.

Eligibility requirements for students to receive a stipend

Stipend dollars can be awarded to any student who meets the following requirements:

  • Admitted without academic conditions to a graduate program
  • Meets English Language Proficiency requirements for funding
  • Enrolled for minimum required credits. (see Table 5 for details). Audit and undergraduate hours do not count toward the registration requirement
  • Has a graduate GPA ≥3.0 (Note: Colleges are allowed to extend a graduate appointment for one-semester probationary period if a student’s GPA falls below 3.0)
  • Has met all other requirements as stipulated in the Graduate Appointment Guidelines sent to student at time of award
  • Completes specified weekly work hour requirements (see this table)
  • Has or has applied for a Social Security number. Information for international students who need to request a social security number is found on the ISSS website.

Please also note that international exchange students (e.g., Fulbright participants) require a letter authorizing work in order to receive a service stipend, including the small one included in a GRS. (International students enrolled in a degree program usually hold F-1 visas, which by default allow part-time on-campus employment.)

Eligibility requirements for students to receive a graduate tuition scholarship  

Tuition scholarships can be awarded to any student who meets the following requirements:

  • Has not exceeded the maximum allowable number of tuition scholarship terms funded  
  • Meets English Language Proficiency requirements for funding
  • Has been admitted without academic conditions  
  • Enrolled for minimum required credits (see Table 5 for details below). Audit and undergraduate hours do not count toward the registration requirement
  • Has a cumulative graduate GPA ≥3.0. (Note: Colleges are allowed to extend a graduate appointment for one-semester probationary period if a student’s GPA falls below 3.0.)
  • Has a graduate appointment that includes a graduate stipend or a fellowship award.
  • Has met all other requirements as stipulated in the Graduate Appointment Guidelines sent to student at time of award

Special eligibility requirement for instructional duties (Teaching Assistantships)

Ohio Revised Code 3345.281 stipulates the following:  

As used in this section, “teaching assistant” means a student enrolled full-time or part-time in a graduate degree program at an educational institution for which the student has received an appointment to provide classroom-related services.

The board of trustees of each state university, medical university, technical college, state community college, community college, and the board of trustees or managing authority of each university branch shall establish a program to assess the oral English language proficiency of all teaching assistants providing classroom instruction to students and shall ensure that teaching assistants who are not orally proficient in the English language attain such proficiency prior to providing classroom instruction to students.

To comply with this law, Ohio University requires all non-native speakers with TA appointments to achieve minimum scores on an official test of spoken English. Students who have indicated on their application that they are native speakers of English, however, are also subject to the provisions of this law. The program of assessment for these students is departmental evaluation. It is the responsibility of each program to verify the oral English proficiency of ALL TAs for whom other formal testing is not required BEFORE the beginning of the first term of teaching.  

This law predates the ADA and thus provides no guidance on TAs who may require, e.g., a sign-language interpreter. If you have an incoming TA whose oral proficiency is in question for reasons covered by the ADA, please consult as soon as possible with the Associate Dean of Student Success of the Graduate College, who will assist in coordination with the ECRC. 

Types of Graduate Appointments

Please note that while stipends may be given without a tuition scholarship, tuition scholarships must be accompanied by a stipended appointment with a work requirement or a fellowship. 

Graduate stipend 

A stipend can be funded from operating, foundation, and/or grant accounts in any amount $100 or more per semester. Programs can award a stipend either with or without a tuition scholarship. If a unit wants to provide a tuition scholarship with the stipend, it will need to provide those funds and meet the funding level requirements summarized in this table. Work requirements cannot exceed 20 hours per week and the stipend must be commensurate with work hour requirements as specified in the Table. 

Full tuition scholarships 

Funding criteria for a full tuition scholarship is as follows: 

  • Any student who is awarded a stipend of $4,200/semester or more may also be given a full tuition scholarship for that semester.  
  • A full tuition scholarship only covers regular instructional fees; it does not cover the additional instructional fees associated with a premium priced graduate program or instructional fees for course overloads (>18 hours per semester).  
  • The award amount is charged to the account number provided on the graduate appointment. 

Fees the student pays: 

  • A college technology fees, a portion of the general fees, a portion of graduate student health insurance (if not waived), and other miscellaneous fees must be paid by the student. If the awarding department has available funding, it may elect to pay these fees through the OGA system. 
  • Any additional instructional fees associated with premium priced programs are normally the responsibility of the student, unless the department elects to pay these through the OGA system.  

Half- and partial-tuition scholarships  

Funding criteria for a half- or partial-tuition scholarship is as follows: 

  • A unit can provide a student with a half or other partial tuition scholarship. See this table for details regarding tuition scholarship levels (minimum allowable amount is $100). 
  • The award amount is charged to the account number provided on the graduate appointment. 
  • No tuition scholarship can be given to a student who is not also receiving a graduate stipend of at least $4200/semester (except in the cases of international agreements or exchange of services agreements) or a fellowship.  

Fees the student pays: 

  • College technology fees, a portion of the general fees, a portion of graduate student health insurance (if not waived), and other miscellaneous fees must be paid by the student. If the awarding department has available funding, it may elect to pay these fees through the OGA system. 

Graduate Recruitment Stipend/Scholarship (GRS) 

The Graduate Recruitment Scholarship (GRS) is intended to give units a vehicle to recruit graduate students into their programs who might not be fully prepared to become graduate assistants. By providing a lower level of support, the GRS provides a way to increase the number of graduate students in certain disciplines and to provide support to a wider range of students. A GRS has the following funding criteria:  

  • The GRS provides a partial tuition scholarship (instructional fee for Ohio resident students minus $1050; full non-residential surcharge if applicable) plus a $1050 stipend. 
  • Students receiving the GRS are expected to work five hours/week. Note that in the case of Recruitment Scholarships, your tuition scholarship budget includes both the partial instructional fee waiver and the $1050 stipend. 

Fellowship 

This appointment type has no work component and may include a tuition scholarship. The funding criteria is as follows: 

  • Enrolled for minimum required credits (see this table for details). Audit and undergraduate hours do not count toward the registration requirement. 

Parental Leave for Graduate Students on Appointments

The full policy and forms for requesting leave of absence and requesting replacement costs are found here.

Eligibility 

Students eligible for paid parental leave must meet the following conditions: 

  • Have completed two consecutive semesters on any graduate appointments (Graduate, Teaching, or Research), of at least 15 hours per week, paid through the Ohio University payroll system, prior to the date a leave of absence is to commence; and 
  • Currently hold a current graduate appointment of at least 15 hours per week (or multiple concurrent graduate appointments combined for at least 15 hours per week) paid through the Ohio University payroll system. 

Students are also normally expected to be registered full time during the parental leave and to be making satisfactory academic progress. 

How the student benefit works 

  • Students receive 100% of their fellowship or stipend pay and associated benefits during parental leave.  
  • Leave may be up to six weeks for the birth mother or primary caregiver.  
  • Leave may be up to three weeks for a spouse or domestic partner. 
  • Leave must be completed by six weeks after the birth or adoption (except in the case of consecutive leaves for two parents). Parental leave may begin before birth if medically necessary.  
  • If both parents are graduate students who are eligible for parental leave, they may take their respective leaves consecutively or concurrently, but may not transfer them to the other partner. 
  • Students should submit the Parental Paid Leave of Absence Form well ahead of the planned leave to allow their unit to plan for the absence. 

Reimbursement to units 

For appointments funded by the university, units may request that the central administration pay the actual replacement cost incurred covering the GA, RA, or TA’s absence for parental leave. These are costs beyond the amount of tuition scholarship, stipend, and associated benefits.

For externally-funded appointments, the unit may request the grant amount allocated for the paid leave time. The reimbursement form should be submitted after the birth or adoption as soon as actual replacement costs or leave time from the grant-funded activity is known, but in all cases within the fiscal year. 

Health Insurance

All graduate students enrolled in Athens credit hours are required to maintain an active health insurance policy. They may choose from the OHIO Student Health Insurance Plan or, by using the waiver process, in a plan that provides a similar level of benefits. For international students, the policy must include evacuation and repatriation benefits. Details of the policy and waiver information can be found through the Division of Student Affairs: https://www.ohio.edu/student-insurance/.  

Students on any eligible appointment or stipend will receive a subsidy of 60% of the premium if they purchase OHIO Student Health Insurance Plan. Appointments are insurance-subsidy eligible if they pay at least a half stipend (see this table). 

OPERS

All graduate students on appointments are, by default, subject to 10% payroll deductions to the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System (OPERS). Many graduate students, particularly those who are more recent college graduates, choose not to participate.

Those who have appointments of at least six hours/week may submit the online form directly to OPERS in order to opt out. Students must submit their election within 30 days of their contract start date in order to opt out. Elections cannot be changed after that time unless the student has an extended break in employment with the university.  

It is important, however, for units to be prepared to cover the employer contribution for students who do NOT choose to opt out. The current employer contribution is 14% of salary, which generally speaking needs to come out of the unit’s budget for graduate student funding.