Graduate Assistantship (GA) Program

The University of Illinois Springfield awards more than 50 graduate assistantships to qualified students each year. The program is highly competitive and is designed to:

  1. Recruit outstanding and promising students to graduate study, with special attention to access and equal opportunity policies.
  2. Provide graduate-level learning experiences through a supervised assignment.
  3. Provide support that enables students to complete their graduate degree on time.
  4. Provide UIS with limited support services in selected programs and areas.

Assistantships are categorized into four types: Graduate Assistantships, Graduate Teaching Assistantships, Graduate Research Assistantships, and Pre-professional Graduate Assistantships. Preference will be given to students who have not previously received a master’s degree. The annual application deadline is March 15. In order to be eligible for consideration, applicants must be admitted, either fully or conditionally, into a UIS graduate degree program. To facilitate file completion and admission, applicants are strongly encouraged to initiate the application process at least two months prior to the application deadline. Files completed after March 15 will be added to the pool of eligible applicants after the first round selection process is completed.

Assistants receive a monthly stipend (taxable income) and work 20 hours per week during the academic year. During each fall and/or spring semester assistants receive a tuition and service fee waiver. Assistants serving at least one full semester during the regular academic year are eligible for a tuition and service fee waiver for up to six semester hours in the subsequent summer term. The maximum tuition waiver for the academic year is 30 hours.

For more information related to the Graduate Assistantship Program, including complete application instructions, please visit the Graduate Assistantships web page. You may also contact the Graduate Assistantship Office via email at gaprog@uis.edu or by telephone at (217) 206-6544.