Requirements
Official University Communication and Notices
Appointment or Fellowship award letters, university account balance notifications, registration, grade reports, and other official university communications are sent to your Ohio University email account. You are responsible for any and all official correspondence sent to your Ohio University email account, so please activate it and check it regularly.
Throughout your academic career, please keep your mailing address current on your student record by visiting the following University Registrar web page. Your employment record is separate from your student record, so please be sure to update your employment record by visiting myhr.ohio.edu.
Registration Requirements to Maintain My Graduate Appointment
Maximum hours of total employment are 20 hours per week, on or off-campus. Graduate appointment recipients may not accept other full-time employment, either within or outside of the University. Graduate students cannot have two full-time graduate appointments.
Registration Requirements
- Minimum registration requirements must be met in order to retain a graduate appointment and/or tuition scholarship. see Table 1 below.
- Courses numbered 5000 or above and carry graduate credit. Use care to register for the graduate level in dual numbered courses.
- Hours taken for Audit and undergraduate courses cannot be used to meet the minimum graduate hour requirements. Note: if you are registering for undergraduate courses, your total registration hours are a combination of the undergraduate AND graduate credits. Be sure you are registered for the minimum graduate credits to satisfy your appointment requirements (see Table 1) before adding undergraduate credits.
- Some departments/schools may require more registration hours. Register during the posted registration times to avoid late registration fees. To receive/retain your tuition scholarship, you must be registered for the required number of graduate credit hours by the second Saturday of the academic term (thirteenth calendar day). Late registration to bring your registration to the minimum requirement will incur fees.
- Under unusual circumstances, limited exceptions to the minimum enrollment level may be granted. Requests for exceptions should be sent with the department/school and college approval to the Associate Dean of the Graduate College for consideration.
- Failure to comply with graduate appointment requirements, including registration for the required number of graduate hours, could result in the termination of the entire graduate appointment. This could result in the student being responsible for all tuition scholarship charges.
- Any registration hours exceeding 18 credit hours will incur an additional cost per credit hour to the student as determined by the Ohio Board of Trustees.
- Course hours dropped after the second Friday of the semester remain on your schedule as withdrawn. Withdrawn hours are counted in your total registration hours for the purposes of your graduate appointment registration requirement.
Table 1. Work Hour and Registration Requirements
| Appointment Type |
Work Hours |
Fall / Spring Registration Requirements (per term) |
Summer Registration Requirements |
|---|
| TA/RA/GA/RD stipend with tuition scholarship (full appointment) |
15 to 20 |
12 |
9 |
| Fellowship with tuition scholarship |
0 |
15 |
9 |
| TA/RA/GA/RD stipend with tuition scholarship (half appointment) |
8 to 10 |
12 |
9 |
| GRS (Available Fall and Spring Terms Only) |
5 |
12 |
N/A |
| Stipend only |
1 to 20 |
1 |
1 |
| Tuition Scholarship only |
0 |
15 |
9 |
| Fellowship only |
0 |
1 |
1 |
Academic and Work Performance Standards
- You must have a cumulative GPA of 3.00 in all graduate courses and show satisfactory progress toward your degree, as defined by your program/department. Some programs may require a higher GPA to maintain a graduate appointment.
- You must perform graduate assistantship duties satisfactorily, as defined by the immediate supervisor or the department/school. Failure to perform duties satisfactorily may result in termination of the appointment.
Questions or problems concerning work assignments should be resolved within the employing department/school, whenever possible. Problems not resolved at the department/school level can be referred to the Graduate Student Appointment Grievance Board, Ohio University Policy and Procedure 28.102.
English Proficiency Requirements
Non-native speakers of English must demonstrate English proficiency to be awarded a graduate appointment. For details regarding the English proficiency policy, please see the Ohio University Graduate Catalog.
Teaching Assistants must meet oral English proficiency requirements as defined by the State of Ohio. These requirements apply to all teaching assistants with instructional responsibility regardless of the teaching assistant’s native language. Non-native speakers of English must demonstrate proficiency through a university-sanctioned test or an appropriate score on the Speaking section of the iBT (iBT – 80 Composite, Speaking score of 24, all other section scores 17 or higher) or the IELTS. For details, see the Graduate Catalog section Oral Englis Proficiency for Teaching Assistants. Native English speakers must be certified by department/school for which the student is teaching.
Term Limits for Tuition Scholarships
Eligibility for a tuition scholarship is based on the number of semesters in which a student has received such a scholarship at Ohio University. The rules set the MAXIMUM number of semesters in which a student could receive support. Colleges and programs may have more restrictive limitations than the university policy. The counting of semesters of eligibility does NOT include summer semesters. Any student who receives any tuition support from the university will be considered to have received a tuition scholarship.
A graduate-level student with an awarded graduate-level degree from ANOTHER institution can receive no more than 10 semesters of tuition scholarship from any department or combination of departments.
A graduate-level student without an awarded graduate degree from another institution or one who has earned a graduate degree from Ohio University can receive no more than 12 semesters of tuition scholarship from any department or combination of departments.
Students who have reached the maximum number of semesters of tuition scholarship are NO longer eligible to receive a tuition scholarship from any Ohio University program or department. Students can continue to receive a stipend without a tuition scholarship.
Notice of Renewal/Non-Renewal of Your Appointment
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 nonrenewal 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 be made as early as practicable.
Withdrawal Policy for Graduate Appointments
Graduate Tuition Scholarship: An awarded tuition scholarship is withdrawn from the student’s account if the student withdraws within the first fifteen calendar days of the semester. The student is responsible for the full 20% withdrawal assessment. An awarded tuition scholarship remains on the student’s account if the student withdraws after the first fifteen calendar days of the semester, provided the student was registered for the correct number of graduate credit hours at the time of withdrawal. The student is responsible for the balance of tuition and fees assessed, as well as any other charges incurred.
Stipends: Students who withdraw from all classes are paid a pro-rated portion of their stipend award, based on the actual number of days worked prior to the withdrawal.
