Assistantships

• Must be enrolled in a minimum of 9 semester hours in the fall or spring semester (a minimum of six hours for graduate credit), or a minimum of 6 semester hours in the summer term (a minimum of 3 hours for graduate credit).
• Students admitted and enrolled in good academic standing, maintaining a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00.
   

A full assistantship requires a student to work for 20 hours per week on average. Students may or may not be required to report to work during school breaks. Departments may also offer partial assistantships.

The assistantship compensation package offered at LSU includes:

• monthly stipend (paid monthly according to the university's salary payroll schedule)
• non-resident tuition fee waiver (if eligibility requirements are met)
• full tuition exemption (if eligibility requirements are met)*

* Not applicable to all assistantships. Consult with department offering the assistantship.

Tuition and Non-Resident Fee Exemption Requirements

• Student must be employed on an assistantship on or before the following dates in order to get tuition waiver:
  • Spring Semester: March 1
  • Summer Semester: 1st Day of Class of 2nd Session
  • Fall Semester: October 1
• 50% effort assistantship appointment (20 hours)
  • Receives waiver for tuition, non-resident fee (if applicable), all other associated fees with enrollment (with the exception of professional program fees), and a 75% health insurance waiver.
• 25% effort assistantship appointment (10 hours)
  • Receives a non-resident tuition fee waiver (if eligibility requirements are met).
  • Student is responsible for paying additional fees & tuition.

The following benefits apply to you as a graduate assistant for the duration of your appointment:

• 10% discount on supplies and book purchases at the Barnes and Noble on campus.
• Non-resident students who hold assistantships are classified as residents for fee purposes only, and only for the duration of the assistantship appointment.

Departments determine the stipend amount based on the student's qualifications and experience, academic standing, the type of appointment, and availability of funds. The minimum annual stipend amounts for a 25% effort (10 hours) appointment and a 50% effort (20 hours) appointment are below.

• 25% effort appointment is $5,400.
• 50% effort appointment is $10,800.

Tax Information

All graduate assistantship stipends are considered as taxable income.

• Tax forms (W-4 and L-4 forms) must be filed within the first three days of employment, and students will receive an email to complete these documents online.
• Some countries have tax treaties with the US in which all or some portion of earnings may be tax exempt.
• Questions about tax information should be directed to LSU's Office of Accounting Services.

Pay Schedule

• All Graduate Assistants are paid once a month on the last business day of the month.
• If you have an academic-year contract (9 month graduate assistantship), your appointment will start mid-August and end mid-May. The specific dates of your contract will come from the offer letter from your employing department.

English Language Requirement

A graduate assistantship offer is contingent upon receiving and maintaining valid visa status. International students holding teaching positions must meet the University’s language requirements. Some colleges/departments require international students with graduate assistantships to demonstrate additional English proficiency. You will get more information at International Student Orientation and from your department. 

• All international graduate students are evaluated in a 30-minute, one-on-one oral interview.
• In order to be employed as a TA2 or TA3, you must have completed English 1051 or be exempted from the course based on your oral interview.
• This must be completed before the appointment begins, and it is usually scheduled during International Orientation.
• For more information about ESL Programs, you can visit the English as a Second Language (ESL) Spoken English Program for International Graduate Assistants website or contact the ESL coordinator below:

Albert S. Camp
Allen Hall, 260-J
Phone: 225-578-3041
Email: acamp2@lsu.edu