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Graduate Assistantships & Fellowships

Financial Assistance

Support Services

GPSA Assistantship Information

Most students in the Graduate Programs in Student Affairs hold graduate assistantships in student service areas at The University of Iowa. These assistantships are designed to provide students with work experience and a means to finance their education while providing the University with the benefit of an innovative work force. Assistantships are closely related to specific departments or fields, and all require specific skills or aptitudes. In addition to assistantships in student affairs, GPSA students might be eligible to work for faculty members as research assistants if funds are available, or as teaching assistants in the Department of Counseling, Rehabilitation, and Student Development.

Offices which have employed GPSA students recently include: Orientation Services, Office of Student Life, Residence Life Programs, Pomerantz Career Center, Admissions Visitors Center, Athletic Student Services, Student Health Services, Undergraduate Business College, Belin-Blank Center for Gifted Education and Honors Program, Student Disabilities Office, Cultural Centers, and the Office of International Students and Scholars. Some students with an interest in private colleges have found part-time employment or practica at one of several colleges within easy driving distance from Iowa City, including Cornell College, Coe College, Mount Mercy College, and Saint Ambrose University. Note, however, there is no waiver of out-of-state tuition and fees for students who choose to do their assistantship at a location outside The University of Iowa.

An assistantship in any student affairs office on campus provides valuable experience, opens new career paths, and helps finance your graduate education. In addition to a monthly salary, all UI assistantships provide a fee waiver for the out-of-state portion of tuition. In addition, many assistantships offer a partial tuition scholarships. Positions vary from quarter-time (10 hours per week, the minimum necessary for out-of-state tuition waiver) to half-time (20 hours per week) and may span nine or 12 months. Graduate Assistantships typically pay between $13,500 and $17,000 for a half-time nine month position. Although MA students in the SDP program are exempt from the union, most on-campus employers try to honor the current COGS agreement.

Relationship with COGS (The Graduate Assistants Union)

In March 2002 we received confirmation from UI Human Resources that SDP MA students are exempt from the collective bargaining agreement between The Board of Regents, State of Iowa, and the United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America, Local 896 (COGS). Article I, Section 2, of the Agreement between COGS and the Board of Regents excludes from the COGS bargaining unit "Research Assistants (FR19 or FL19) whose appointments are ... (b) primarily intended as learning experiences which contribute to the students' progress toward their graduate or professional program of study." (p. 1). Student Development in Postsecondary Education MA students are Research Assistants whose assistantships are necessary for their professional development. What this means in practice is that as of the incoming class of Fall 2002, SDP MA students do not come within the salary or benefits requirements of the COGS contract. Some UI assistantship sites have continued to treat SDP MA students as though they were part of the COGS agreement and some do not. In all cases, however, the GPSA faculty work with the sites to ensure our students are treated properly.

Assistantship Opportunities for 2008-2009

Most graduate assistantship sites list their openings with us for the fall semseter during the previous spring semester. We assist students admitted to our programs in identifying assistantship opportunities. We will provide assistantship information to students admitted for 2008-2009 in advance of the March 2009 Campus Visit Days and in plenty of time for interviews to be scheduled during CVDs. Although most offices hire during the late spring, additional positions open during the academic year. Position announcements often can be found in the Office of Student Services (N310 Lindquist) and the GPSA bulletin board (outside N338 Lindquist). Most students are placed by May 1.

Graduate Fellowships

Students from under-represented groups might be eligible for the Dean's Graduate Fellowships sponsored by the Graduate College. Most of these fellowships cover tuition costs plus approximately $15,000 for the first year of study. Second-year assistantships are encouraged. In order to be considered for these competitive fellowships, students must be a member of an under-represented group and must be nominated by the program faculty.

Each year, the Iowa Testing Programs award a limited number of full-ride fellowships to students with outstanding academic credentials in the College of Education. For information about these special graduate assistantships (SGA), contact the Iowa Testing Program early in the application process.