Graduate Assistantships
Everything you need to start and maintain graduate assistantships in your department.
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University of Maine Graduate Workers Union
how to initiate an assistantship appointment
1. Advertise the position and search for applicants
The hiring process for graduate assistants varies by department. Here is for the assistantship. You can post the job listing to CareerLink, your department’s website, and our funding opportunities page (email the description to Amanda Rose at amanda.rose@maine.edu). Feel free to advertise the position via email if you wish.Ìý
2. Request an Exception
Units must use the for any new graduate admissions for students who will be receiving financial offers from external sources. Note that not all assistantships require exception approval. Contact Ally Davis (allyson.davis@maine.edu) with any questions about the exception process.
3. Make an Initial Offer
Assistantship offers, both initial appointments and reappointments, are completed by submitting the . Upon submission, an email will be sent to the student with basic information about the assistantship, including the stipend, tuition, and insurance benefits. Students may accept electronically. Notification of acceptance will be sent automatically to the hiring unit as well as the graduate program coordinator for the student’s program. The formal award letter will follow in step 4. Recommended deadline for this step is 60 days before the student begins work.
4. Send a Formal Offer Letter
The student should receive an award letter that includes their stipend, tuition and insurance benefits, and a job description. You must send this letter to the student at least 30 days before the student begins work. We recommend that you use an award letter template to ensure all required information is included:
5. Set Up the Appointment
The steps to set up an appointment depend on the funding source:
WARNING
Assistantship paperwork must be completed in a timely manner. Late paperwork can result in delayed pay as well as inability to access health insurance, purchase parking passes, and set up payment plans for their bills.
The deadline for approved forms to be sent to Payroll to be included in the biweekly payroll is Thursday before the biweekly pay period ends (). This means that all approvers need to approve prior to that date to allow the Graduate School to process it in time
REVISIONS & TERMINATIONS
Appointments that have not been processed by the Graduate School can be edited on Smartsheet.
For appointments that have been processed by the Graduate School, please see the links to the additional compensation form as well as the revision form. Reach out to Allyson Davis (allyson.davis@maine.edu) with any questions.
To pay a student an extra amount on top of their regular stipend.
To revise a processed appointment form.
Budgeting for an assistantship
An assistantship must offer:
- At least the minimum stipend rates referenced below,
- Tuition coverage,
- 65% of the student’s medical insurance premium (if they enroll in the GA health plan) plus 50% for up to one dependent they enroll, and
- 50% of the student’s dental premium.
Stipends
Effective July 1, 2026, all Graduate Assistants must be paid at least the minimum stipend rate. Please see below for the new minimum rates for a 20 hour/week appointment. Graduate Assistants working less than 20 hours/week, and/or more or less than 9 months, must receive at least the minimum stipend prorated accordingly. See the Stipend Calculator below.
91¸£Àû has released interim guidance to assist Principal Investigators (PIs) in budgeting for graduate workers on new sponsored project proposals. Following the 2026–2028 Collective Bargaining Agreement, these updates ensure all submissions meet new minimum stipend and benefit requirements. (Note: requires single sign-on access). Questions may be directed to the Office of Research Administration by email at ora@email.edu.
Standard Minimum 9-Month Stipend for Doctoral Students
Standard Minimum 9-Month Stipend for Master’s Students
Tuition
Tuition per Credit Hour
- A 9 month, 20 hour/week appointment would need to cover 9 credits for fall, 9 credits for spring, and 6 credits for summer.
- If the appointment is less than 20 hours, prorate these amounts accordingly.
- A one semester appointment would need to cover 3 credits in the summer. Example: A fall only appointment would need to cover 9 credits for fall and 3 for summer.
Medical Insurance Premiums
Note: The GA health insurance plan is required for all graduate assistants unless they already have adequate coverage. Click here for more information about insurance. The amounts below are for the 26-27 plan year (effective 8/1/26-7/31/27). The cost for one dependent costs the same as the amount for the student.
Full Year Insurance
Fall Insurance Only
Spring & Summer Insurance Only
Summer Insurance Only
Dental & Vision Insurance
Graduate Workers are eligible for dental and vision plans administered by the Benefits office. An enrollment window opens for the student when their appointment is processed by the Graduate School and sent to Payroll. The estimated cost for a year of dental insurance is $588. Students should contact benefits@maine.edu for questions about the dental and vision plans.
types of assistantship
The Graduate School categorizes assistantships into the following three types:
Teaching Assistantship (TA)
TAs are assigned to specific undergraduate courses for which they teach, grade, and answer general student inquiries.
Research Assistantship (RA)
An RA’s job is primarily to conduct and assist with research.
Graduate Assistantship (GA)
A catchall term for assistantships that don’t fit into the other two categories. A student in this category might be working on general administrative tasks, answering emails, secretarial work, etc.
hours, responsibilities, and requirements
Students on assistantships usually work 20 hours/week. Domestic students can work up to 30 hours/week during the academic year, and international students can only work 20 due to visa restrictions. Both domestic and international students can work up to 40 hours/week during breaks (spring, summer, and winter).
Work responsibilities vary widely according to the type of assistantship and what is needed for the role. It is important to provide a job description in the offer letter that outlines general responsibilities. Students should not be asked to complete tasks outside the scope of their original offer unless it is agreed to in writing. Students should never be asked to complete personal tasks for their supervisors.
Students are required to be enrolled full time during the semester(s) they are on an assistantship. For fall and spring semesters, this means at least 6 graduate-level credits. For summer, only 1 credit is required. If a student has applied for graduation and/or if they are a doctoral candidate, only 1 credit is required for any semester.
fellowships vs. assistantships
Fellowships, like assistantships, provide a monthly stipend and tuition and insurance coverage. The main difference between fellowships and assistantships is that fellowships don’t come with work requirements – the student is supported by the funds to complete their research or other academic projects.
Because fellowships aren’t considered employment income, they are paid via Strategic Procurement instead of Payroll. Students will receive paper checks by default but have the option of receiving direct deposit via Zelle (instructions here).
Use the to initiate a new fellowship. This can be used for the student’s award letter.
resources
Teaching Assistantship Handbook
This handbook is directed toward TAs and contains useful information and strategies for students in teaching positions.
Graduate Worker Payroll Schedule
to be sent to Payroll to be included in the biweekly payroll is Thursday before the biweekly pay period ends.
Graduate Workers FAQs
answers common questions about Graduate Workers’ pay.
Graduate School Financial Award Information
This page contains information about Graduate School-funded awards, which include shared TAs, teaching assistantships, and fellowships.
Stipend Calculator
as an Excel document, or save a copy to your personal Google drive, and enter information in the yellow fields to calculate bi-weekly rates and total stipends.
