Dear Colleagues:
We are grateful for the support that graduate assistants provide to units across campus on a daily basis. Today we announce that all graduate assistants will receive a 2 percent cost-of-living increase starting in January 2019. This is in line with the increase that faculty and staff will receive in January 2019 as well.
After a careful assessment of the cost of attendance for graduate assistants, as well as productive discussions with graduate students across campus about their needs, we deemed that a significant increase in the minimum stipend was appropriate.
A 12 percent increase to the minimum stipend is our goal. However, due to budgetary constraints, the university is not able to implement this increase all at once. We will therefore be using a phased approach.
In addition to the 2 percent cost of living increase in January 2019, starting in July 2018, the minimum stipend levels for graduate assistantships will be increased by 6 percent above the FY18 level. The minimum stipends for full (20-hour- per-week) Step I graduate assistantships in
FY19 will be:
● 9-month assistantship : $16,212
● 9.5-month assistantship: $17,113
● 12-month assistantship: $21,616
The 6 percent increase applies only to the minimum stipend for Step I, not to all graduate assistantships. The Graduate School sets minimum stipends for Step I; departments, schools, and colleges are responsible for ensuring that their Step I stipends are at least equal to the minimum and for setting stipend levels for Step II and Step III assistantships. Step I is for first- year graduate assistants not holding a master’s degree; Step II is for continuing graduate assistantships and first-year assistants holding a master’s degree; and Step III is for doctoral students who have advanced to candidacy.
Finally, it is our intention to increase the minimum step I stipends by an additional 4 percent in FY20, subject to the availability of funds, which would bring the minimum step I stipends to 12 percent above the FY18 levels.
Sincerely,
Steve Fetter
Interim Dean, Graduate School
Associate Provost for Academic Affairs