Graduate Staff Appointments

Graduate staff appointments offer a tuition remission and a small monthly stipend. Staff may work as teaching assistants, research assistants or graduate professionals. These positions are very competitive since there are far more applicants than positions available.

Graduate staff appointments are a form of financial aid to support graduate study. Employment is incidental to graduate study. Graduate students who are employed by the university provide services (teaching, research, administrative) that further the missions of the university while providing students with valuable professional experience and financial remuneration in the form of tuition remission and a modest salary.

These students are considered employees and are subject to the policies and procedures outlined in the Graduate Staff Employment Manual.

Finding a Position

Please check with your admitting program for its policy on graduate staff positions. To obtain a graduate staff position inquire within your department or contact PNW’s Career Center. Students may also find graduate staff positions through Handshake. Hourly student positions may also be available.

Eligibility

• Graduate staff positions are available on a quarter-time and half-time basis. Three-quarter time and full-time positions or students with multiple positions totaling three-quarters or full-time will not be allowed without prior approval from the Director of Graduate Studies. It is the hiring department’s responsibility to verify that student does not hold appointments that will total over half-time.
• Applicants must be enrolled as a graduate student in a degree-seeking or teacher license program and be registered for at least three credit hours of graduate level (50000 or above) course and/or research work during the entire appointment period.
• The appointment must be in effect during the first six weeks of a semester or July 1 of the summer session. If an appointment terminates within the first six weeks after the start of a semester or before July 1 during the summer session and the coursework is continued, all fees will be assessed for the semester or summer session.

Health Insurance

• PNW is pleased to offer health insurance options to students through UnitedHealthcare Student Resources, administered by Academic Health Programs (AHP). Please visit the PNW Student Health Insurance web page to learn more about enrollment options and requirements.
• Purdue University Northwest requires all international graduate students who are registered for classes, regardless of credit hours, to enroll in the Academic Health Programs (AHP) insurance plan unless an approved waiver is on file. The fee remission of any international student holding a graduate staff position will be held if proof of insurance is not submitted to the Graduate Studies Office.

Fee Remission

• Graduate students who are appointed as graduate staff for the 2024/2025 academic year are granted a tuition remission in addition to the pay received for the hours worked. The tuition remission leaves the student to pay $924.35 per semester ($462.18 for summer 2025) plus lab fees, differential fees, special course fees and workshop fees. Tuition and fees are subject to change every academic year.
• The Graduate Staff Fee Remission Form is available through the Bursar’s Office. A fee remission form must be submitted each semester a student holds a graduate staff position. The student must complete the fee remission form and submit it to the employing department for the proper signature.
• We strongly recommend that signed fee remission forms should be submitted to the Graduate Studies Office (Lawshe 212) no later than two weeks after position appointment.
• Students enrolled in the summer are eligible for the summer fee remission if they held a graduate staff position in the prior spring semester and will also be appointed to a graduate staff position in the following fall semester. A student who held a graduate staff position in the spring semester but will not hold one in the fall semester because he or she will graduate during the summer may be granted a remission for the summer session.

Required Documents

A summarized listing of documents that must be completed before a new graduate staff member may be paid are listed below:

• Hiring Form
  • Completed by the hiring department. Includes citizenship status and case verification number (CVN) from the electronic I-9 service for Employment Eligibility Verification, Self-Identification Compliance Form (SICF Form), Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate (Form W-4), Glacier Tax Summary and appropriate immigration documents (if applicable).
• Employee’s Withholding Exemption and County Residence Certificate (Form WH-4)
• Direct Deposit Form (Business Office Form 0003)
• Employee Information Form (Form 13)

Termination Guidelines

Employment is subject to the availability of funds. The employment of graduate staff may be terminated prior to the expiration of the stated employment period or the compensation may be reduced during such period in the event federal or state appropriations are reduced or are deemed insufficient by Purdue University.

Compensation paid from other sources will be paid only to the extent of funds available from such sources. If for any reason employment is terminated before the expiration of the stated employment period, compensation shall be paid up to, but not beyond the date of such termination.

Continuation of graduate employment is conditional upon performance of the work assigned and/or satisfactory academic progress. The employment of any graduate staff member may be terminated at any time prior to the expiration of the stated employment period by the University for cause, which shall include any violation of University rules, regulations, or policies. No extension or renewal of employment of any graduate student beyond the stated employment period shall be effective unless a notice in writing is given to the student.

If the staff member’s appointment terminates within the six weeks after the start of the Fall/Spring semester or four weeks after the start of the summer session and coursework is continued, regular student tuition and fees must be paid for that semester or summer session.

Frequently Asked Questions