Graduate Assistantships
Through many types of graduate assistantship, you will enhance your academic experience at RISD and professional trajectory after graduation. Learn more below.
What is an assistantship?
Most graduate assistantships originate in academic departments or divisions with graduate programs and are assigned to students by their home department’s graduate program director (GPD). We also encourage departments that do not have majors or only offer an undergraduate degree, as well as other campus offices that wish to hire a graduate assistant, to post on-campus jobs on a centralized job board.
Regardless of assistantship type, your position should enhance your professional and scholarly development, while also filling an operational need for the hiring department or office. Assistantships support faculty teaching and scholarship, as well as departmental, divisional and institutional initiatives and priorities.
Graduate assistantship FAQs
Who is eligible for an assistantship?
Graduate students currently enrolled at RISD and who are studying in Rhode Island are eligible for graduate assistantships.
What type of employment is an assistantship?
Graduate assistantships do not count as financial aid or scholarship funds. Rather, they count as compensated employment.
Assistantships are considered exempt work by the federal government. This means that they are salaried, not hourly, positions. Since assistantships are salaried, you will not have a time card.
What is not an assistantship?
Student positions that are not considered graduate assistantships include on-campus hourly positions that do not require a bachelor's degree or equivalent and/or are not closely aligned pedagogically aligned with the student's area of study.
Payroll schedule
The graduate assistantship payroll is distributed on the 20th of the month. Preparation for it closes on the 10th of the month.
- If you were contracted after the 10th day of the month, or completed your employment eligibility form I-9 after the 10th day, you will receive your first payment on the payroll of the following month.
- If you are also working an hourly job, you need to keep track of your time on a timecard set up for your hourly position. The payroll for hourly jobs is distributed every other week. Sometimes the assistantship and hourly payrolls will align and be distributed simultaneously. At other times they will be staggered.
Understand your employee responsibilities
Our guide to student employee rights and responsibilities will help set you up for success in your new role.
Take your next step
Learn more about graduate assistantship opportunities at RISD.
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Types of graduate assistantships
Graduate assistantships are exempt (salaried) positions and as such, are compensated with a stipend aligned with the scope of work. The following types map to annual required federal reporting on graduate employment.
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Hiring and onboarding
Learn more about the steps you need to take for starting your graduate assistantship at RISD.
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Contracts and payment
Learn more about what to expect when you start your graduate assistantship position.