GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIPS AND GRADUATE WORK-STUDY APPOINTMENTS Graduate assistants receive a stipend through a graduate assistantship or work study assignment through the school. If you accept one of these appointments, you will commit to work 20 hours per week, on campus. In almost all cases, students will participate in activities that will enhance their training and professional development. Students may, for example, help faculty to conduct research or serve as teaching assistants within the school. Only students granted regular admission to the program who are able to provide campus based work will be considered for graduate assistantships. Please read the following information carefully.
A. You must have an average of B or better each semester, and must perform work assignments in a satisfactory manner, in order to maintain a graduate assistantship or graduate work-study appointment. In addition, any student who receives a disciplinary action (e.g., warning or probation) will not be eligible to continue as a graduate assistant.B. If you are on a graduate assistantship or graduate work-study appointment, you must maintain a 12 credit hour course load during the period of the appointment.
C. General tuition and the non-resident fee are waived if you hold a graduate assistantship or graduate work-study appointment. To qualify for this waiver, you must be registered for graduate courses totaling twelve (12) hours each semester (9 hours during Summer term). Courses taken as Audit do not count toward these hours. The tuition waiver does not cover tuition for courses during intersessions. The tuition waiver does not cover fees.
D. The Perkins Loan Program (formerly NDSL) and the Federal Work-Study Program are available to graduate students who meet certain criteria. All students in the graduate program are expected to make application for the Federal Work-Study program if they wish to be considered for any form of departmentally administered financial assistance. The faculty wishes to support as many students as possible, and at the highest level possible within the resources available to the program. One important way of maximizing that level of support is for students to qualify for the work-study program. The Federal Work-Study match significantly augments the overall resources remaining for all of our graduate students. An advantage for students who do qualify for work-study is that they are normally funded during the summer. Summer funding is not always available to those who are funded by a graduate assistantship.
E. Applicants for Perkins Loans and Federal Work-Study Program should apply by March 15 (priority date) for loans and work to begin the fall term. Applications for the Perkins Loan Program and the Federal Work-Study Program may be obtained from the USM Office of Financial Aid.
All library and information science students should consult the American Library Association web pages and their state library association webpages for current information about available scholarships.
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