1. COLA Graduate Assistantship & Scholarship Information Session
COLA Graduate Assistantship & Scholarship Information Session

2. Assistantships
AKA as: Graduate (GA), Teaching (TA) or Research (RA) Assistantship
Teaching Assistants are students who provide instructional or administrative support as specified by the appointing department. RA’s are typically funded from a grant and are research related positions.
Students must be enrolled in a minimum of 6 credits to be eligible for an assistantship (GRAD 800 course is not eligible for assistantship)
Assistantships include:
Stipend for the required work performed
Tuition(includes course fee if applicable) & tech fee waiver
Overload charges are not covered by tuition waiver
Health Insurance waiver (If the student has health insurance coverage elsewhere they should waive UNH’s health insurance plan)
***Mandatory fees are NOT covered by an assistantship***

3. Assistantships
Students on a full assistantship are expected to work 20 hours per week.
Any additional work regardless of where on campus requires a “Petition for Exception to Academic Policy” form completed and approved prior to the commencement of other work performed.
Located at:
Students on a half assistantship are expected to work 10 hours per week.
Exception to Policy Form not required for PT Assistantships.

4. Assistantships
Allowable offerings are either full or half (no quarters).
Offerings are typically EITHER an assistantship or scholarship.
Departments to issue one package of support to a student- not forwarding two separate offers with the understanding that one will be selected at a later date.
Clarify in notes on the dept. spreadsheet if assistantship is split (i.e. Carsey and Sociology) and who is paying what portion of assistantship as well as the contact name of the other program and their BSC contact.
The goal with combining an partial asstship with a scholarship can happen, the goal is not to issue overlapping aid from COLA. Loose revenue on one student, vs allowing two students to attend and receive half tuition from each.
*UNH could be financially liable for both offers signed by student, one offer.
Split assistantships typically have one program pay the stipend and the other program cover the tuition & health waiver.

5. International Student Assistantships
International students are required to meet with OISS upon arrival to confirm employment eligibility and to complete the I-9 document.
First year students who have a F1/J1 Visa and have not worked in the U.S. have a background check during the Visa issuance process & UNH HR will initiate a US background check thereafter.
International Students usually have a F1/J1 Visa and are required to have the University health insurance plan offered through Health Services.
Attendance at the Graduate Assistant Orientation (8/21/18) is required.
The Graduate School will send the invites to the students.
Initial stipend payments are often delayed due to the timing of their arrival, completion of the I-9 document, and the payroll calendar deadlines.

6. Grant, Gift & Discretionary Fund Assistantships
Grants: Assistantships can be offered from a grant fund, provided it is written into the grant and approved.
Verify with Angela Prescott-Bell (COLA BSC) assistantship is allowable on grant fund prior to offer to student.
Gift Funds: Assistantships may be offered from a gift fund provided the Memo of Understanding allows for it.
Verify with Christine or Doris assistantship is allowable on gift fund prior to offer to student.
Assistantships from grant, gift & discretionary funds follow the same guidelines as COLA assistantships (waivers, J-term eligibility, etc).

7. J-Term Assistantship Offerings
Academic Year or Spring Semester Assistantships are eligible for J-term waivers.
Fall semester only assistantships are not eligible.
J-term course(s) must be program required.
J-term Waiver Process;
Graduate School provides report(s) of registered students to AA BSC
AA BSC enters the data into a holding table in Banner Student.
Business Services applies the waivers to the student accounts.

8. Spring Only Assistantship Appointments
Follows same process as the Academic Year and Fall Assistantship offers.
Department sends the proposed offer to the BSC for review and approval.
Once BSC approves, the department issues offer letter to student(s).
Department provides signed letter of offer to the BSC.
BSC enters the position, stipend and waiver request.
Business Services applies waivers to student’s account.
Student must be registered for courses for waivers to be applied.
Spring only offers could be done with others (spring/summer if known), or sometimes done in December by department/program. Also note, late notice to the BSC can delay payroll and waivers to the student’s accounts.

9. Early Terminations of Assistantships
Examples of early termination of an assistantship:
Student accepted academic year appointment and cannot continue appointment for spring semester.
Student chooses to leave UNH for personal reasons, take a semester off, or transfers to another institution.
Student is not enrolled in enough credits to be eligible for assistantship.
All of these would require notification to the BSC to terminate the position which stops the payroll.

10. Early Termination Process of Assistantships
Student notifies the department/program and Graduate School of decision to terminate position.
Department notifies BSC (best to include student’s communication)of early termination of assistantship.
BSC terminates the position which stops payroll and removes future waivers for academic year.
Important to note that as soon as the department has received notification from student to notify BSC to allow for termination of pay timely.

11. Scholarships
Scholarships offered by COLA are financial commitments to support a student’s education and are awarded on the basis of academic or other achievement.
There is no requirement of ‘work’ in exchange for the scholarship.
Includes Fall and/or Spring Semesters Only (No Summer/J-term offers)
** Half scholarships cannot be combined to make a full**
Students must be registered for courses before scholarship can be applied.

12. Scholarships
Full tuition scholarships offered to students will be applied as a 100% tuition waiver whether the student is enrolled in 12, 6, or 3 credits.
Partial tuition scholarships offered to students will be applied as a 50% tuition waiver whether the student is enrolled in 12, 6, or 3 credits.
Scholarships include;
Tuition Waiver (includes course fees if applicable)
Tech Fee Waiver
***NO Mandatory Fees***
***NO Health Waivers***
***NO Stipend***

13. Lifecycle of Issuing Appointments
BSC provides departments with appointment document, template letters & spreadsheets (March)
Departments complete spreadsheets and provide proposed offerings to BSC (March)
BSC reviews offerings and provides approval to the departments and programs to issue offer letters (March/April)
Departments and programs issue offer letters to students. Signed acceptance letters to be returned to the department with a copy to the BSC by X date. Upon acceptance by the student, departments initiate background check and complete hiring documents.
BSC enters the assistantships (stipend & waivers) and submits the tuition scholarship data by August X for processing.
Business Services applies the tuition waivers to the student accounts.
* Student must be registered for waivers to be applied which may take to early October for fall semester and early March for spring semester.
The word “appointments” is inclusive of assistantship & scholarship offerings.

14. Template Letters Assistantship: Scholarship: Dates of appointment
Stipend Amount
Tuition & Tech fee waiver
Students financial responsibility for remaining fees and expenses
Health Insurance if applicable
Description of work
Acceptance (or denial) date of offer by department
Policy & Links
Dates of appointment
Tuition & Tech fee waiver
Students financial responsibility for remaining fees and expenses
Acceptance (or denial) date of offer by department
Policy & Links

15. Sample of TA or GA Appointment Letter

16. Sample of Scholarship Letter

17. Department or Program Position Allocations
New interactive spreadsheets for available for use this year for TA’s and Scholarships.

18. Department Processing Items (Upon acceptance by student)
Assistantships:
Scholarships:
Background Checks;
Complete I-9 and other hiring documents.
Copy of signed letter to the BSC for processing.
Copy of signed letter to the BSC for processing.
Asstships 1st yr International – no background check needed by dept, done via VISA issuance process.

19. Informational Links Appointment Letter Templates
2018 HR & Payroll Deadlines
UNH Academic Year Dates and Payment Schedules
UNH-Rate Schedule for Externally-Funded
HR Background Check
Appointment Letter Templates
Graduate School Orientations (fall & spring) are located at;

20. Contacts for Questions
Contact COLA BSC;
Questions regarding stipend payments
Changes in stipend amounts due to change in candidacy level
Early terminations (assistantships & scholarships)
Late hires
Change in funding source
Contact Business Services;
Questions regarding waivers applied to student accounts
Billing questions
Contact Graduate School;
Questions on academics
Change in candidacy
Exception to Academic Policy Forms

21. Questions???