Assistantships – Information for Faculty

• Graduate Assistantships Policy

• Graduate Tuition Waiver Policy
• Types of Tuition Waivers (PDF)
• How to Request a Tuition Waiver (PDF)
• Guidelines for Entering Waivers (PDF)
• Summer 2026 Tuition Waiver Memo (PDF)
• Fall 2026 Tuition Waiver Memo (PDF)

Effective Spring 2021: A graduate assistant will only be allowed to keep the tuition waiver if they are experiencing hardship or extenuating circumstances that are preventing them from finishing the semester. This applies to withdrawals initiated BEFORE and AFTER the withdrawal deadline.

Withdrawal Process

• Student Care and Outreach will serve as the liaison for students who are withdrawing from all courses while on a graduate assistantship.
• If the student/Direct of Graduate Services/Graduate Program Administrators contacts the Graduate School, the student will be routed to Student Care and Outreach for verification of hardship and/or extenuating circumstances that are preventing them from finishing the semester.
• If Student Care and Outreach cannot verify the hardship or extenuating circumstances, the student will be responsible for any outstanding tuition and fees if the student chooses to withdraw via Athena.
• If Student Care and Outreach verifies the hardship or extenuating circumstances, Student Care and Outreach will notify the Graduate School of this verification. Upon withdrawing, the student’s tuition waiver will remain in place and the student will not incur any additional charges.

Award Letters

• Departmental Assistantship Offer Template FY27
• Departmental Assistantship Template Final Year No Renewal FY27

• Departmental Annual Rates for Graduate Assistants (FY27)
• Pay Calculator FY27 Instructions

Graduate School Block Grants are awarded to schools and colleges to be used for student stipends and other expenses related to recruiting. Units will be notified by early November of their stipend allocation for the following academic year.

• Graduate Tuition Return Incentive Program (GTRIP) – Formerly known as VIP or RIAS/RIAT

Graduate Research Fellow Assistants (GRFAs) are typically students who are recipients of external fellowships that do not provide tuition benefits. Students are eligible for GRFA support if their external support is equivalent to a 33% assistantship at the minimum rate set for students at the doctoral or master’s level in their program (as appropriate). Like GRAs, GRFA students are enrolled in the Graduate School and assigned to assist one or more faculty members in the conduct of research. Students must provide documentation that their sponsoring agency allows them to accept paid work at UGA while on the fellowship and are subject to the same conditions of employment as other UGA Graduate Assistants. Per UGA policy, GRAs cannot be assigned as an Instructor of Record and cannot have instructional duties.

• Graduate Research Fellow Assistantship Request Form
• Instructions on how to request a Graduate Research Fellow Assistantship

To request the Graduate School Presidential Fellow Award letter template, please email gradawards@uga.edu.

To request the Graduate School Doctoral Fellow Award letter template, please email gradawards@uga.edu.

To request the Graduate School Master’s Fellow Award letter template, please email gradawards@uga.edu.