Graduate Assistantships

Earn and learn

If you qualify for a graduate assistantship, you can earn a stipend and pay reduced tuition. We offer competitive graduate assistantships every semester to students in the MSIS, MSCD, MSA, MSET, MSCS, and PhDIS programs.

Reduced tuition

Many graduate students are eligible for tuition reduction, including South Dakota-certified teachers, members of the National Guard, state employees, and students who teach on campus as a graduate assistant.

National Guard members

If you're a member of the SD National Guard, you're eligible for reduced tuition equal to one half of the resident state-supported tuition rate on any hours not covered by federal education benefits.

The graduate benefit is limited to 32 credit hours. Students are billed at the full rate with the benefit paid by the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.

SD teachers (K-12)

If you are an elementary or secondary teacher or vocational instructor who meets certain criteria, you’re eligible for a 50% tuition reduction for certain courses. This benefit is limited to six credit hours per year. Off-campus and distance courses are not eligible for tuition reduction.

If you are taking eligible courses during the fall and spring terms, you must be under a current teaching contract. If you’re taking courses during the summer term, you must be under a teaching contract for the succeeding school year to qualify for tuition benefits.

To apply for reduced tuition, simply complete Form 250-97 and submit it at the time of registration.

Types of assistantships

• Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA): Teach or assist DSU faculty in teaching
• Graduate Research Assistant (GRA): Conduct research and assist DSU faculty with their research
• Graduate Administrative Assistant (GAA): Provide administrative assistance to various offices on campus

Responsibilities and requirements

To qualify for a graduate assistantship, you must:

• Work part-time (up to 19.5 hours per week) at DSU
• Maintain a 3.25 GPA, in order to have your assistantship renewed each semester
• A regular/admitted full-time student

Eligibility

DSU awards assistantships to graduate students with tremendous skills and abilities. To par up to the competition, you must:

• Be a regular/admitted full-time student who can devote their full attention to the program
• Be registered for a normal course load concurrent with the assistantship
• Not be employed full-time outside of DSU. Graduate students with other full-time employment are ineligible
• GRE completion with official scores sent to the Graduate Office

*Students with conditional or special student status are not eligible for assistantships until their status changes to regular admit.

International students must hold an F-1 visa and have (or be in the process of obtaining) a Social Security number. Students with non-student visas are not eligible for an internship until they have obtained the F-1 visa.

Deadlines

Applications must be submitted along with your admissions application. Once you are admitted to your graduate program, you will then find out if you’ve been accepted for a graduate assistantship.

• April 15: Fall semester
• October 15: Spring semester