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Graduate Assistantship Program

Each year, Kean University offers a limited number of graduate and doctoral assistantships. These maybe of three types: Graduate Administrative Assistant (GAA), Graduate Research Assistant (GRA), and Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA).

An overview of the Graduate Assistantship Program may be found here.

A Kean student meets with an academic advisor
A Kean student studies with a cup of coffee

GAA and GRA assistants draw on a variety of different skills and require service on campus 15-20 hours each week for full-time in exchange for full tuition and fees waived, 7.5-10 hours for half-time in exchange for half tuition and fees waived and 3.75-5 hours for quarter-time in exchange for quarter tuition and fees waived. GTAs receive 1/3 tuition remission, and a stipend of $1,667 for each course section taught.

Providing the best education at an affordable cost to our students is paramount.

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Overview

  • Applicants for a graduate assistantship should apply by March 1 for priority consideration for an assistantship.

  • To be eligible for a graduate and doctoral assistantship, a student must:
    • Hold a baccalaureate degree
    • Be enrolled for no more than 12 credits per semester, but no less than 9 credits per semester of graduate study in their program at the university
    • Have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.25 or better, or GRE score in the 70th percentile or higher
    • Have a 3.5 graduate GPA at Kean after completing at least 9 credits
  • Prospective faculty/administrators seeking graduate assistants will review applications, conduct interviews and hire assistants. As this is a rolling process, a student may be contacted before any semester if they wish to interview the student for an open position.

  • Graduate assistantships begin in the Fall semester of the new academic year and continue through the end of the Spring semester. There is the possibility to work as a student worker during the summer months, however, this is not guaranteed and is at the discretion of the supervisor and budgetary constraints. Summer GA positions do not cover summer tuition and fees.

  • Doctoral assistantships cover tuition and fees for Fall, Spring and Summer.

Requirements

  • If a student is granted an assistantship as a Full-time assistant, the hours shall not exceed 20 hours nor fall below 15 hours per week.

  • If a student is granted an assistantship as a Half-time assistant, the hours shall not exceed 10 hours nor fall below 7.5 hours per week.

  • If a student is granted an assistantship as a Quarter-time assistant, the hours shall not exceed 5 hours nor fall below 3.75 hours per week.

  • GA's must register and successfully complete a minimum of nine credits per academic semester.  Students are not permitted to register for more than twelve credits unless they are in the DPT, PsyD or Physician’s Assistant programs. In these programs, a student can register for up to 18 credits.

  • If a GA drops or withdraws from a course and falls below nine attempted credits in an academic semester, his/her assistantship will be withdrawn.

  • Graduate Assistants must maintain a 3.0 GPA during their graduate studies at Kean.  Failure to maintain a 3.0 at the end of an academic semester will result in a forfeiture of the graduate assistantship.

  • GAAs and GRAs must also register for volunteer events as a requirement of the program. 

For a full list of graduate assistantship requirements, please view the Graduate Assistantship Handbook.

New Hire Procedures - New Graduate Students To Kean University

Upon being selected as a graduate assistant, the following steps are required:

  1. Complete a Graduate Assistant Authorization to Hire form (this should only be completed AFTER the student receives an offer.  This form is not for all eligible candidates, only those selected as a Graduate Assistant).

  2. Upon submission of the form, the student will receive a confirmation email.  Instructions on the email must be carefully followed. The completed form must be submitted in person to Human Resources. Please contact at ga@kean.edu if you have any questions during this process.

  3. All paperwork for the Fall 2024 semester must be submitted no later than the first week of July, 2023

  4. If a student is an international student who has received a graduate assistantship, he/she will be required to provide our office with a copy of your passport, I-20, I-94, and Social Security Card.

Any delay in this process can result in a delay of payment.