Graduate Assistantships in Student Affairs in Higher Education

Balance Classroom Learning and Practical Experience

A primary component of a strong student affairs program is its ability to balance classroom learning with practical experiences and to support its students through providing various graduate assistantships.

Approximately 90 Percent of our Students Hold Assistantships

SAHE is proud that approximately 90 percent of its students hold assistantships at IUP or at neighboring institutions. Most assistantships are offered as a two-year commitment, following a successful first-year review; however, some graduate assistantship contracts are for one year.

Assistantships are awarded based upon undergraduate experiences and credentials, practitioner recommendations, and successful interviews. Students who have been fully accepted into the program and qualify for an assistantship will be invited to participate in SAHE's prospective student Visitation and Assistantship Interviews. Details on the visitation will be made available in January.

Supervisors who host a SAHE graduate assistantship and whose position will become vacant for the following year will interview prospective students at the visitation/interview day. The awarding of those positions will begin within a few weeks of the visitation and will continue for several months until all positions are filled.

The list below provides examples of where SAHE students have held assistantship positions at IUP and in various offices at other institutions:

Assistantship Options for SAHE

The basic compensation package for an IUP on-campus assistantship is a full tuition waiver plus a $5,540 stipend per academic year. IUP's graduate resident directors receive room and board and a $5,800 stipend in addition to tuition. Compensation packages vary at the other institutions, but they usually equal or exceed the "value" of the basic IUP package.