Graduate Assistantships Overview

What is a Graduate Assistantship?

An assistantship is awarded to a graduate student who provides teaching (teaching assistantship: TA) or research (research assistantship: RA) support to the University that is a part of their academic program. In recognition of this support, tuition is waived by the University and subsidized health insurance is offered. Graduate Assistants (GAs) are responsible for paying their student fees at the negotiated GA rate.

Who is Eligible to be a GA?

To be appointed, retain an appointment, or reappointed, a student must: hold Regular (not Provisional) status; maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least a “B” (3.00) in any course work taken; be eligible to register (that is, not have more than three viable grades of “Incomplete” on their academic record); be enrolled in a graduate degree program scheduled to extend through the entire period of the appointment or reappointment and; be a full-time student.

To perform duties with direct instructional responsibilities, graduate students appointed as Teaching Assistants (TAs) must provide proof of English language proficiency. Information on how to provide proof of proficiency can be found on UConn’s English Proficiency Policy for TAs and Testing Procedures Page.

What is the Appointment Length and Hours Per Week?

Effort devoted to the duties of a graduate assistantship typically range between 10 and 20 hours per week (also sometimes called a “half GA” and “full GA,” respectively). Appointments ordinarily are made for the nine-month period, August 23 through May 22, but may be of shorter duration for a variety of reasons.

What Benefits Do GAs Receive?

The Human Resources website provides detailed information about benefits available to GAs, including health insurance. If employed in an assistantship that falls under the Graduate Employee and Postdoc Union (GEU), additional benefits may be described in the GEU contract and on our GA Onboarding page.

Note, GAs solely employed at UConn Health do not fall under the GEU.

Do GAs Receive a Tuition Waiver?

GAs enrolled in tuition-based programs receive a tuition waiver for the duration of their appointment. GAs enrolled in fee-based programs are charged academic program fees, not tuition; therefore, tuition waivers are not applicable, nor will the GA appointment provide a waiver of academic program fees. A list of fee-based programs is provided by the Office of the Bursar. For tuition-based programs, while tuition will be waived, the GA is responsible for paying university fees at the negotiated rate. For fee-based programs, there is no available waiver for any part of the academic program fee, and the GA will be responsible for paying university fees at the negotiated rate. There is no tuition waiver for summer or winter intersession courses. When graduate fee bills are calculated by the Office of the Bursar, the tuition waiver will automatically populate to the eligible GAs’ fee bills, provided that two items are in place: an active payroll authorization input by the hiring department and enrollment in at least six credits for the semester.

What are Stipend Rates?

Stipend rates for graduate assistants, which can be found at payroll.uconn.edu, are based on levels that reflect progress toward the advanced degree and experience, defined as follows:

  • Level 1: For graduate assistants with at least the baccalaureate degree (as noted in the Graduate Employee Union contract as “Beginners [Pre-Masters]”).
  • Level 2: For graduate assistants in a doctoral program with at least a master’s degree or its equivalent in the field of graduate study (as noted in the Graduate Employee Union contract as “Masters or Equivalent”). Equivalency consists of 30 credits of appropriate graduate-level coursework beyond the baccalaureate degree, together with admission to a doctoral program. If the master’s degree was used to satisfy the equivalency of a bachelor’s degree for purposes of admission, the degree does not count toward Level 2 eligibility.
  • Level 3: For graduate assistants enrolled in a doctoral program who have passed the doctoral general examination and have the milestone reflected on their record (as noted in the Graduate Employee Union Contract as “PhD Candidate”).

Specific stipend rates may be found on the Payroll Department Website and will be included in the GA Offer Letter.

Are GAs Required to Complete Any Additional Trainings?

As part of their employee role, GAs are required to participate in these mandatory trainings. There may be additional trainings or orientations required or recommended depending on the specific GA duties. GAs should consult with their program/department for more details.

What is the Supplemental Description of Duties?

In addition to an offer letter for a graduate assistantship, the hiring department must also provide GAs with a “Supplemental Description of Duties” (SDD) form for each semester they are appointed. This form summarizes the specific duties a GA is expected to perform and may include, amongst other things: the assigned course, lab, research project, or position; the faculty member to whom the GA will report; course meeting times and location; the maximum number of students for which the GA will be responsible per class, section, lab, and more; and the work location. The SSD form must be signed by both the GAs’ supervisor and the GA. The SSD form may be issued separately from the assistantship offer letter.

Can GAs Work Remotely?

GAs are expected to arrive on campus at UConn prior to the start date of their appointment and remain through the duration of their appointment. GAs may be able to work remotely within Connecticut, provided they have written faculty supervisor approval and the faculty supervisor finds that the responsibilities of the position can be completed from the remote location. In very limited instances, an exception to work as a GA while outside of Connecticut may be approved by the Dean of The Graduate School, however, such exceptions are typically limited to instances where the duties of the position require the GA to be out-of-state. If circumstances require a GA to leave Connecticut during their appointment, they must make arrangements with their GA supervisor to use time off or request a GA Leave through Human Resources.

Can GAs Hold Additional Employment?

Graduate Assistants seeking on-campus employment or wishing to hold an internship in addition to their full-time (20 hour) GA appointment during the semester must complete the online Supplemental Employment Approval form, which requires their advisor’s approval and is submitted to The Graduate School for final approval.

International students on UConn-sponsored visas are not able to work more than 20 hours per week during the semester.

Job Offer Acceptance Etiquette

When accepting a job offer, feel free to ask clarifying questions. If you feel that you are not being given enough time to make your decision, ask if additional time might be granted. Supervisors are encouraged to give candidates up to a week to accept an offer but sometimes this may not be possible.

If you intend on resigning from your current graduate assistantship to accept a new position, it is strongly recommended that you notify your supervisor of your resignation as soon as possible. This is crucial, as they are likely relying on your participation in teaching courses or labs. Advanced/immediate notice allows them to initiate the hiring process to fill any open positions and ensure that course offerings continue without disruption.

What’s Next?

Prospective applicants can indicate whether they would like to be considered for a graduate assistantship on their graduate school application.

Those who have already accepted an assistantship offer should visit the GA Onboarding Page for additional information, resources, and to-do items specific to your role as a GA to assist with helping you successfully transition into your assistantship.

Transitioning Out of an Assistantship

The GA Transition Guide provides a brief overview of topics that may be of interest to GAs who may not be reappointed in the following semester, including those who may instead be supported on external fellowship funding.

Current GA Opportunities

Are you an academic or non-academic unit that would like to advertise a GA position here? If so, please send your job description to gradschool@uconn.edu to be posted. Additional guidance for non-academic units can be found on our Appointing a GA in a Non-Academic Unit Page.

Budget, Planning, & Institutional Research (BPIR) Graduate Assistant

Graduate Assistant – Budget, Planning, & Institutional Research (BPIR)
2025/2026 Academic Year
Web-Based Data Analytics & Dashboard Development

The Office of Budget, Planning and Institutional Research (BPIR) at the University of Connecticut is seeking a talented and motivated graduate student to develop and maintain a website and interactive data dashboard for tracking student success, career outcomes, and economic impact. This is a fantastic opportunity to gain hands-on experience in web development, data visualization, and advanced programming while contributing to a meaningful project.

Responsibilities:

• Design and develop a user-friendly, interactive website to present labor market analytics and student success data.
• Utilize modern web frameworks such as React.js to build an intuitive front-end experience.
• Implement back-end processing to handle data queries and API requests.
• Develop interactive data dashboards creatively to visualize key metrics and insights.
• Ensure data accuracy, security, and compliance with FERPA and university policies.
• Maintain and update the website and dashboard as new data becomes available.
• Document development processes, ensuring clear guidelines for future maintenance.

 

Minimum Qualifications:

• Must be a currently enrolled doctoral student
• Field of study: Computer Science, Data Science, Statistics, or related disciplines.
• Proficiency in web development technologies (e.g., HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React.js, Vue.js).
• Experience with Python, R, or JavaScript for data manipulation and visualization.
• Strong problem-solving, analytical, and debugging skills.
• Ability to work independently and meet critical project milestones.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with experience in team-based research projects.

 

Workload: 20 hours/week

 

Application Process:

• Interested candidates should submit the following materials to impact@uconn.edu by March 31, 2025:

o Resume or CV detailing relevant experience.
o A brief cover letter outlining your qualifications and interest in the position.
o (Optional) A portfolio or GitHub link showcasing previous web development or data visualization projects.

 

Technical Assessment:

• Qualified candidates will be invited to complete a coding challenge between April 16 –April 30, 2025.
• A sample dataset will be provided.
• Candidates must develop a sample webpage that presents data visualizations based on the dataset.

 

Start Date: August 25th, 2025

 

Contact: Yizhi Zhu, Ph.D. Research and Planning Analyst II (impact@uconn.edu)

 

UConn’ BPIR is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. We encourage applications from all qualified candidates regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status.

REINVENT-PT Lab Graduate Assistant (Kinesiology)

Introduction
The REINVENT-PT lab (REhabilitation INnoVations & Emerging Novel Technologies in Physical Therapy, Principal Investigator (PI): Dr. Sudha Srinivasan) at the University of Connecticut (UConn) is seeking diligent, energetic, and empathetic students interested in pursuing a doctoral degree in Kinesiology beginning Fall 2025.

The REINVENT-PT lab is interested in understanding developmental trajectories of individuals with neuro-developmental disabilities such as Cerebral Palsy, Autism, Down Syndrome, and Intellectual Disability across the lifespan. We are interested in studying how infants and children with developmental disabilities explore their physical and social environment compared to typically developing peers, as well as the cascading effects of motor difficulties on a child’s social communication and cognitive development. We are also interested in assessing health-related outcomes in adolescents and young adults with developmental disabilities, including their physical activity and physical fitness levels. Based on our understanding of the developmental trajectories of individuals with disabilities, our goal is to develop multisystem, engaging, evidence-based, behavioural interventions and assistive technologies to empower the lives of people with disabilities. We are interested in developing motivating interventions that harness an individual’s intrinsic interests/preferences in positive ways to bring about sustained behaviour change.

Past work in our lab has included: (1) developing and assessing the effects of creative movement-based interventions involving music, dance, and yoga for children with autism; (2) assessing physical activity levels in youth with developmental disabilities compared to typically developing peers and understanding stakeholder perspectives related to facilitators and barriers around physical activity engagement among youth with disabilities; and (3) designing accessible and user-friendly communication aids for nonverbal and minimally-verbal children with disabilities and assessing the effects of a training program using novel assistive technologies. In addition, our lab has conducted and published multiple systematic reviews and perspectives in the areas of physical activity, equine therapies, telehealth-based interventions, and creative movement therapies.

Our work on project (1) suggests that whole-body creative movement interventions that promote playful exploration, creativity, improvisation, and self-expression are inherently more enjoyable and motivating for children with autism compared to standard-of-care interventions. Moreover, these interventions can promote multisystem development in perceptuo-motor, social communication, and cognitive domains among children with autism. Our work so far on project (2) suggests that youth with disabilities have lower levels of physical fitness, engage in lower levels of physical activity, are more sedentary, and have lower levels of motor proficiency/function compared to typically developing peers. Moreover, focus group discussions with youth with disabilities, their caregivers, special educators, and therapists indicate that youth with disabilities prefer activities that are fun, non-competitive, and that promote interactions with neurotypical peers. Families face several barriers in promoting physical activity among youth including limitations related to accessibility and affordability of adult-oriented programs, availability of trained personnel, and challenges in balancing multiple work and family-related commitments. Finally, results from project (3) suggest that a 3-month training program provided in a special school setting using a child-friendly, icon-driven communication system called Jellow, which was developed following multiple user studies, led to improvements in communication skills among 17 children with autism.

Over the last 4 years, our lab’s work has focused on exploring the utility and efficacy of using playful joystick-operated ride-on toys to promote upper extremity function and spontaneous use in children with hemiplegia. Children with hemiplegia have poor control, specifically in their upper extremity, on their affected side, which leads to significant limitations in daily activities and their ability to participate in play, at school, and within the community. Current evidence-based clinical practice guidelines suggest that children with cerebral palsy require intensive practice for several hours per week to produce meaningful improvements in function and participation. Our line of work is aimed at assessing the adjunctive value of playful training programs using joystick-operated ride-on toys in addition to conventional rehabilitation to improve arm use and function among children with hemiplegia. We are interested in exploring the feasibility of implementing such training programs within multiple settings and as part of different service delivery models, e.g., at home, clinic, school, summer camp, within the community, etc. We are also interested in comparing the efficacy of single- versus dual-joystick ride-on-toy navigation training in improving unimanual and bimanual function in children with hemiplegia. The new graduate student joining the lab will receive the opportunity to work on funded projects in the lab related to this line of research with children with hemiplegia. We have recently received funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to conduct a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to assess the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a 6-week ride-on-toy navigation training intervention compared to a dose-matched intervention standard-of-care seated intervention among 30 children with hemiplegia between 3 and 8 years.

As a graduate student, the prospective candidate will be involved in multiple related projects in the lab starting with the recently funded RCT. The student will be engaged in several aspects of the research process including preparing materials to get approval for research from the institutional review board, participant recruitment and screening, data collection and administration of standardized
tests/measures with children/youth, development and delivery of novel treatment protocols, data coding and analysis, and data dissemination through manuscript writing. The student will have the opportunity to learn technical skills (e.g., motion capture techniques, accelerometery to assess arm activity, video data-based behavioural coding software, post-processing algorithms to analyse collected data, scientific presentation and writing skills, critical review of published literature, etc.) and soft skills (e.g., time management, multi-tasking, mentoring undergraduate students, etc.). The student will also be interacting on a regular basis, under the supervision of the PI, with undergraduate and graduate students working in the lab on research projects.

The Department of Kinesiology at the University of Connecticut (UConn) is regarded as one of the best in the United States, with the doctoral program ranked #2 in the US. The faculty includes recognized leaders in the fields of exercise science, athletic training, and physical therapy. Given the nature of our work, our lab also works closely with the Psychological Sciences and Biomedical Engineering Departments at UConn. In addition, the PI is an affiliate of the Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention, and Policy (InCHIP; https://chip.uconn.edu/home/) and the Connecticut Institute of the Brain and Cognitive Sciences (IBACS; https://ibacs.uconn.edu/). The student may be able to work with faculty within these institutes/centres and take relevant training courses offered by these institutes/centres. As a part of their graduate curriculum, the student will receive an interdisciplinary education, which may include several courses in statistics, research methods, developmental psychology, developmental disabilities, exercise science, exercise prescription, scientific presentations, grant writing, and human development and family studies. The plan of study will be tailored based on the requirements of the topic of the student’s dissertation and in accordance with the lab’s research agenda.

Required Qualifications and Attributes

  1. Master’s degree in Physical Therapy/Physiotherapy/Occupational Therapy or related fields with a specialization in Neuroscience or Rehabilitation or Paediatrics, with a strong academic record. Students with a Bachelor’s degree in Physical Therapy/Physiotherapy/Occupational Therapy, with a strong academic record, may be considered for the position. (Note: Students with a Bachelor’s degree will need to get their Master’s degree at UConn prior to beginning their PhD curriculum. This requirement need not be separately satisfied - it will be integrated into the student’s PhD program.). Students from other related fields with relevant experience working with children or individuals with developmental disabilities will be considered.
  2. 1-2 years of experience working with children or young adults with developmental disabilities.
  3. Experience with research including designing a study, obtaining approval for human subjects research, recruitment of participants, data collection, data analyses, and data dissemination (e.g., writing manuscripts, presenting at conferences through platform and/or poster presentations, writing abstracts for submission to conferences/annual meetings, etc.).
  4. Ability and willingness to learn and work hard, with great attention to detail.
  5. High levels of motivation, passion for research, and academic curiosity to excel.
  6. Willingness to take the initiative in designing and solving research-related problems.
  7. Excellent interpersonal and time management skills and ability to work as part of an inter-disciplinary team.
  8. Strong written and oral communication skills (as indicated by TOEFL scores>100/120 or IELTS score > 7/10, writing sample, and as assessed during virtual interview) and leadership qualities to work with research staff and students in the lab.
  9. Proficiency in using MS-Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).
  10. Working knowledge of statistics, research design, and quantitative skills, as assessed by GRE scores > 300. (Note: In exceptional circumstances, the GRE requirement may be waived, but this is completely at the discretion of the PI.)
  11. Willingness and ability to drive a car to travel within 1.5 hour driving distance from UConn for data collections (note, mileage reimbursement will be provided for travel)

Preferred Qualifications and Attributes

  1. Knowledge of motion tracking systems and their use for measuring upper and lower extremity kinematics
  2. Knowledge of programming using MATLAB®
  3. Experience with brain imaging tools such as fNIRS, EEG, etc.

To Apply
To apply for this position, please send the following materials via email to Dr. Sudha Srinivasan at sudha.srinivasan@uconn.edu

  1. A cover letter with at least 2 references (please provide contact information and details of at least 2 of your references who can be contacted for more information);
  2. Curriculum Vitae (describing educational qualifications, trainings/certifications, and relevant work/research experience);
  3. A brief (1-2 pages) statement of interests (please clearly define your research interests and discuss how your interests align with the work we pursue in our lab; please add what you think you will bring to our lab and what you hope to gain from pursuing research in our lab);
  4. A writing sample (thesis draft / journal article / review paper / conference paper, etc.).

Next Steps

  • Upon review of your application packet by the lab PI, you may be contacted for a virtual 1.5-hour interview, if you are shortlisted for the position. The interview will help the PI learn more about your academic qualifications, career aspirations, potential fit with the lab agenda, interpersonal skills, expectations from the program and your advisor, and any other issues on which the PI would like clarification.
  • Following this initial interview, the PI may schedule a second interview that will involve a presentation of your past work / research project / publication.
  • If the PI selects your application, you will be requested to formally apply to UConn. Please note that you can apply to UConn BEFORE you take the TOEFL &/or GRE. Steps for completing the UConn application, along with timelines, are outlined here: https://grad.uconn.edu/admissions/requirements/
  • Assistantships: Based on your interactions with the PI, you may be selected to receive a research or teaching assistantship (RA/TA). If you are on at least a 50% RA/TA (i.e., involving 10 hours of work per week), your tuition fees are waived by the university. Please note that the assistantship allows you to work as an academic assistant at UConn while still pursuing your graduate education at the university. The duties of an RA/TA are decided in conjunction with your primary advisor and the needs of the department that will hire you. More information on assistantships can be found at: https://grad.uconn.edu/assistantships/
  • Other helpful links for students are as follows: