Stipend Payment
As employees of UA Little Rock, graduate assistants will be paid twice a month (the 15th and the last day of the month). If the 15th or the last day of the month is on a weekend, payday will be on the preceding Friday.
All UA Little Rock payroll checks are automatically deposited into the employee’s bank account. The first check may be delayed if all forms are not completed prior to UA Little Rock’s next payroll run date.
Tuition Scholarship
- Graduate assistants who are enrolled as full- or part-time students typically receive a tuition scholarship.
- Undergraduate classes, even if required for certification purposes, for deficiency removal, or for personal enrichment, will not be covered by the tuition scholarship.
- Tuition scholarships for students supported on grants and contracts are typically paid by the grants or contracts.
- A full-time (20 hour) graduate assistant will receive a tuition scholarship covering up to 9 hours each spring or fall semester he or she works.
- A part-time (10 hour) graduate assistant will receive a tuition scholarship for half of his or her enrollment, up to 4.5 hours per semester.
Minimum Enrollment
- To qualify for their assistantships each semester, full-time graduate assistants must be enrolled in at least 9 graduate hours at UA Little Rock.
- Part-time graduate assistants must be enrolled in at least 6 hours.
- Failure to enroll in the required course load or dropping below the required course load will result in a graduate assistant’s tuition not being paid and may result in loss of the assistantship.
- Exceptions to these hour requirements can be made for students in their final semester who are lacking only thesis or dissertation hours. Petitions for exceptions are made to the graduate dean.
- Graduate assistants must notify the Graduate School Dean’s office of any changes to their class schedule (drop or add).
Student Accounts and Billing
- Tuition scholarships will be credited to graduate assistants’ student accounts by the payment deadline. If their appointment is made after the end of July (or after the end of December in case of a spring semester appointment), their scholarships could be delayed.
- Graduate assistants should be prepared to pay their tuition and seek reimbursement.
- Graduate assistants are responsible for all fees and, depending on the arrangements of the assistantship, may be responsible for part of the tuition. Graduate assistants should be sure to pay their portions or make arrangements for deferred payment with the Cashier’s office (located in the Student Services Building) before the payment deadline (normally the last business day before classes begin). Otherwise, a late fee may be assessed.
- Graduate assistants are responsible for making sure their balance is paid on time. Balances can be checked on BOSS. Call the Graduate School Dean’s office at 501-916-6213 if your student account does not seem to be credited appropriately.
- Graduate assistants should register for classes as early as possible to ensure that all internal processing is completed by the payment deadline. In some instances, graduate assistants may receive a billing statement from the Cashier’s Office before all credits are entered into the system.
Loss of Assistantship
- If a graduate assistant stops working at any point during the semester, she/he will lose the remainder of the stipend and a percentage of the tuition will be recovered. The percentage subject to recovery is based on how much of her/his commitment has been fulfilled. If the tuition is recovered, she/he is immediately liable for the charges.
- If a graduate assistant drops a class after the deadline for 100% refund has passed, she/he is responsible for repaying the full tuition cost. Deadlines to drop and receive 100% refund are generally the end of the first week of classes. Check the BOSS system to be certain about the drop deadline for each semester.
