Graduate School

You should contact the awarding school or office to begin the hiring process. That school or office will begin the process by submitting an electronic personnel action form (PAF) and the signed graduate assistant memorandum through SOARHR.

All offers of employment with The University of Southern Mississippi (including offers of assistantships) are contingent on the successful clearance of a background check. You may not begin as an employee of the University until the results of your background check have been received and all new employee hiring paperwork has been completed. Once your hiring office has initiated the hiring process through SOARHR, you should receive an email from Red Tail Security Screening to your USM email address with instructions on authorizing a background check. Be sure to check your spam and clutter folders for this email too.

All full-time GAs (20 hours/week) will receive a tuition waiver equal to 100% of the assessed in-state and out-of-state (if needed) tuition. All half-time GAs (10 hour/week) will receive a tuition waiver equal to 50% of the assessed in-state and out-of-state (if needed) tuition. Tuition waivers do not cover course fees, student activity fees, international programming fees, textbook fees, capital improvement fees, or any other type of fees. Tuition waivers will be prorated based on days worked if the assistantship is terminated or the student resigns.

Students conditionally admitted into a graduate program are ineligible to hold an assistantship until they have achieved a regular admit status.

Graduate assistants should work no more than 20 hours per week to fulfill the obligations of the assistantship. Hour restrictions are still in effect during holiday breaks and the summer semester.

The University of Southern Mississippi requires that all Graduate Assistants have a qualified healthcare plan. To support that goal the University offers a healthcare plan where GAs are auto enrolled and must waive the plan if not needed. If the plan is waived, the GA must provide evidence of comparable coverage. All international GAs are required to maintain this health insurance unless specified by International Student and Scholar Services. There is a monthly cost associated with this plan that is subsidized by 50% for students hired on an assistantship.

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Before starting work, you must complete tax paperwork in-person in the Human Resources office, located in McLemore Hall, Room 301. Paperwork should be completed no later than your official hire date. (International students will complete tax paperwork after arriving on campus, but no later than the fifth day of class.) When coming to the office to complete your paperwork, you should bring unexpired original documents that establish your identity and your employment authorization (for example: domestic students typically provide their driver’s license and their social security card, birth certificate, or passport; international students typically provide their passport, I-20, I-94, and social security card receipt). If you have questions about which other documents would be acceptable, please contact Human Resources at 601.266.4050.

GA Hiring Info from HR

Graduate assistants are paid monthly, August through May, unless they are on work study. Graduate assistants funded through work-study are paid at an hourly rate on the biweekly pay cycle.