- The most common type (about 90%) of assistantship is a Research Assistantship connected with a faculty project or University research center (we have several here at the Humphrey Institute).
- There are a few Administrative Assistantships in the College of Liberal Arts where graduate students are used to advise undergraduates. The Institute sometimes has a few administrative positions for graduate students.
- For second-year students, there are Teaching Assistantships (lasting one semester) for the Institute's core courses. First-year students are sometimes eligible to serve as Teaching Assistants outside of the Humphrey Institute, depending on their undergraduate degrees and previous experience.
The Institute's Admissions and Awards Committee awards a few assistantships each year as part of the Institutes recruitment process. The number varies, depending on available funds. Recipients are assigned to faculty projects according to their interests. These internal awards are over and above the need-based student financial aid, which is processed through the University's Student Financial Aid office (612-624-1111 or 1-800-400-8636). If you are awarded work-study funds, these can be applied to graduate assistantships so it is important to let people know you have work-study when you apply for assistantships.
The majority of assistantships are not awarded with financial aid, but are posted as jobs available to any registered graduate student. Graduate students apply for them as for any other advertised position, usually with a resume and letter of interest. Most of these assistantships come from grants secured by individual faculty members, from research centers, or from University administrative offices.
For more information regarding graduate assistantships, please contact the University of Minnesota Graduate Assistant Employment Office:
200 Donhowe Building, 319 15th Ave. S.E.
Minneapolis, MN 55455-0422
Phone 612-624-7070
Fax 612-625-9801
E-mail: gaoinfo@umn.edu
Website: www.umn.edu/ohr/gae
Frequently asked questions
Conditions of employment/benefits for assistantships
Salary: $16.22 per hour
Hours: Most are 25% time (10 hours a week), some are 50% time (20 hours a week)
Duration: Many are one-semester appointments; others are for an entire academic year. A few (usually the administrative) are for two years.
Tuition benefits: Generally, tuition benefits for MPP, MURP and MS students equal twice the percentage of the assistantship at the Graduate School tuition rate (the Humphrey rate is higher, and you will have to pay the difference). Tuition benefits for the MPA students are different percentages of tuition because MPA students pay on a per-credit basis. In all cases, a 25% time assistantship (or more) provides in-state tuition.
For example, a 25% time assistantship covers (at in-state tuition rates) 50% of Graduate School tuition. In 2007-08, that equals $2435 per semester. An MPP/MURP/MS student would have to pay the remaining $2435 plus $745 (the difference between Graduate School tuition and Humphrey tuition) for a total of $3180 per semester. An MPA student would pay the difference between the charge for the number of credits he or she is taking and the $2435 benefit. If the MPA student were registered for 9 credits, for example, the charge would be $7317 (in-state rate), and the student would pay $4882. A 50% assistantship covers 100% of Graduate School tuition or $4870 at 2007-08 rates.
You must be registered for at least 6 credits per semester to hold an assistantship. Summer appointments normally do not include tuition coverage
Health coverage: Health coverage is provided in proportion to the percentage of your appointment. For more information, call the Graduate Assistant Insurance Office at 612-625-6936.
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Where do I find assistantships?
All assistantships (including those in the Humphrey Institute) are now posted on-line at the University of Minnesota Job Site . Applications are normally on-line, through the posting system, though occasionally you will be instructed to email additional materials (such as transcripts) that the online system cannot process.
For Humphrey assistantships, Humphrey Institute students are generally given priority, unless the job specifically requires qualifications (such as PhD degree) not normally found here.
To view and apply for graduate assistantships, go to http://employment.umn.edu. Click on Search Postings and then on Student-Graduate Assistants under Position Category. You can also specify Humphrey Institute under college to view only Humphrey postings, but it may be wise to check out postings from other colleges as well.
The Graduate Assistants Office is located in 200 Donhowe Building, 319-15 th Avenue SE .
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When should I look for an assistantship?
Assistantships are seldom posted far in advance. There will be some postings late in the summer for next fall, but many will not appear until late August or early September when faculty members return to campus. However, its not a bad idea to start checking into the University job site mentioned above on a regular basis as early as June. Since a position only needs to be posted for 5 days before it can be filled, you should check these sites at least once a week.
A word of advice: Don't count on getting an assistantship your first year here. You may, but your chances are better after you are on campus and get to know people. Your stress level can be lower if you can make other arrangements to fund your studies during your first year.
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When am I eligible to take an assistantship?
Once you have been officially admitted to the University of Minnesota Graduate School, you can begin working as a graduate assistant as early as the summer before your initial enrollment in the fall. Available summer positions will be posted through the University job site.
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Student jobs off campus
There may be more of these than there are assistantships. We post a good number of public policy and planning-related student jobs in the public/nonprofit/ private sectors off-campus (the number fluctuates with the economy). These positions often provide excellent professional experience and many will satisfy the MPP and MURP internship requirement. The pay generally ranges from $10 to $15 an hour. Hours are usually flexible. These positions do not offer any of the tuition or health insurance benefits provided by the graduate assistant positions.
Off-campus jobs that are funded through the University (as many of the University's Center for Urban and Regional Affairs' positions are) are considered Research Assistantships with all of the related benefits. They also may satisfy your internship requirement, depending on the job responsibilities and total number of hours.
Off-campus jobs are posted on GoldPass, the University's on-line system for external jobs.
Off-campus jobs are also posted on the Humphrey Job Blog. These blogs are for Humphrey students only and are password protected. See login and password in recent email or contact the GPO front desk.
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Student jobs on campus
For information on work-study and other non-graduate student employment opportunities go to the University of Minnesota job site at: http://employment.umn.edu
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Funding your graduate education with a University staff position
Another possibility for covering costs of a graduate education is to secure a regular staff position at the University of Minnesota. Any University employee working 75% time or 585 hours per semester is eligible for the Regents Scholarship, which covers tuition costs. For University employment information, go to
http://employment.umn.edu and check out Civil Service and Bargaining Unit positions (or P&A positions if you already have another graduate degree). To be considered for the Regents Scholarship, eligible staff are those who are continuing, probationary, or temporary appointments, or on approved leaves of absence from qualifying appointments. For more information and to download an application (pdf form), go to http://www.fpd.finop.umn.edu/groups/hr/documents/Form/rsapplp.pdf
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Financial aid
Need-based student financial aid is processed through the University's Student Financial Aid office (For more information contact 612-624-1111 or 1-800-400-8636 or http://onestop.umn.edu/onestop/financialaid.html). US citizens should fill out the FAFSA (http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/) as soon as possible in order to ensure eligibility for need-based aid. Keep in mind that, except for work-study, all aid for graduate students will be in the form of loans (not grants). Work-study funds can be applied toward graduate assistantship salaries, so if you are awarded work-study, you should not turn it down until you are sure you won't be able to use it.
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