Graduate Assistantship

Graduate assistantships provide vital instructional, research, and administrative support to various departmental initiatives. The College of Graduate Studies offers an allotted amount of assistantships each semester. These positions play a crucial role within the academic community at Virginia State University, offering students the chance to students to enhance and apply their academic knowledge and skills under the guidance of faculty or administrators. There are comprehensive guidelines outlining the roles and responsibilities associated with graduate assistantships listed further down on this page.

Each semester, the Office of Graduate Studies announces opportunities to apply for upcoming assistantships. For more information on the application process, please contact the College of Graduate Studies at gradstudies@vsu.edu or 804-524-3692.

Eligibility Requirements

1. Submit all requirements for admissions to include official scores from standardized tests (GRE, Praxis, VCLA, etc.), if applicable.
2. Accepted to a graduate program at Virginia State University and be enrolled as a full-time student with 9 credit hours or more.
3. Minimum cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 for first time graduate students, and minimum cumulative graduate grade point average of 3.0 for current graduate students if applicable.
4. S. Citizen or Permanent Resident Alien 

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Duties are at the discretion of a designated faculty member or administrator referred to as the GA (Graduate Assistant) supervisor.
2. Duties may include, but not limited to assistance in laboratories, assigned duties that complement classroom instruction and/or performing common academic duties, and/or holding office hours or other administrative support.
3. Graduate assistants may not be assigned to regular classroom instruction duties nor may they serve as an instructor of record for any instructional activity.
4. Attend the orientation session and other assigned events that are organized by the College of Graduate Studies specifically for graduate assistants.
5. Complete at least 9 hours per semester, with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher. Students failing to maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 and/or maintaining 9 credit hours will be terminated. The student may reapply once the grade point average is restored. Students with a grade of “I” (incomplete) are ineligible but may be eligible once the “I” is removed and the term grade point average is restored.
6. Receiving the Graduate Assistantship does not guarantee renewal.
7. Students must complete a minimum of 20 hours of work in the department each week. A Graduate Assistant Hours Work Log must be completed monthly and returned within 5 business days from the end of each month to the College of Graduate Studies.
8. Satisfactorily perform the duties assigned by the GA supervisor. The GA supervisor will complete a mid-semester and end of the semester evaluation. The evaluation must be satisfactory if the GA will return the next semester.
9. The GA will have a maximum of 4 semesters to receive the assistantship (see six above).
10. Sign a written GA contract each semester.
11. Students accepting the graduate assistantship cannot be employed with another entity on or off campus.