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Graduate Assistantships

These guidelines adhere to current U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and federal income tax regulations. No exceptions can be made to these regulations.

New York Institute of Technology offers a number of graduate assistantships to qualified students enrolled in our graduate degree programs. Depending on their skills and experience and the needs of a specific program, graduate assistants may be asked to work in one of three positions:

  • Research Assistant (RA): Work with faculty on specific scholarly projects, performing duties as assigned, including: collecting data, conducting statistical analysis, running experiments, interviewing subjects, performing library work, editing manuscripts, etc.
  • Teaching Assistant (TA): Work with faculty, performing duties, as assigned, including: grading exams and/or assignments; assisting students in studying or completing homework; assisting students in performing laboratory exercises; giving an occasional lecture or presentation to the class, etc.
  • Graduate Assistant (GA): Perform duties, as assigned, that are beneficial to the operation of New York Tech and provide a learning experience to the student, such as helping to manage a department office or facility.
SEARCH FOR ASSISTANTSHIPS ON HANDSHAKE

Graduate assistantships provide partial tuition remission in exchange for a specific number of hours of service per week to a New York Tech school or department.

Graduate assistants may also work in New York Tech’s Student Aid or Federal Work Study programs (domestic students only) at the same time, as long as they do not exceed 20 hours of work per week, combined. As part-time employees, graduate assistants may not work more than 999 hours in a single calendar year.

These graduate assistantship guidelines adhere to current U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and federal income tax regulations. No exceptions can be made to these regulations.

Eligibility


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To be eligible for a graduate assistantship position, a student must:

  • Be attending full-time, taking a minimum of nine (9) course credits in graduate studies at New York Tech. No undergraduate prerequisite courses are allowed and a student may not earn more than six (6) tuition credits in a semester.
  • Have a minimum cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.25 if at least one semester of graduate work at New York Tech is completed. Beginning graduate students must have a strong recommendation from their dean or academic advisor, based on previous academic achievements.
  • Final- and summer-semester graduate students may receive, at a maximum, graduate assistantships equal to half the number of course credits they are taking.
  • Be a U.S. citizen or (if an international student) have a Social Security number and a documented immigration status that allows employment. Students who do not have a Social Security card may not work at New York Tech.

If you are interested in a graduate assistantship, contact the director of your selected program to find out about open positions and requirements.

How to Apply


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The Graduate Assistantship Supervisor (or designated New York Tech representative) must initiate a contract via the electronic contract and timesheet system, fill out the Student and Supervisor sections, and then submit the contract electronically to the GA to fill in the remaining Student section. Once the student has filled in and submitted their portion, the contract will automatically go to Academic Affairs. The system may be accessed via the my.NYIT Portal.

Academic Affairs will then schedule an appointment* with the student to bring in all identifying documents and to complete all supporting paperwork at one of the following locations:

Long Island Campus
Tower House, Room 204
516.686.1451
By appointment only

New York City Campus
26 W. 61st Street, Room 209
516.686.1451
By appointment only

*Designated New York Tech representatives for the College of Engineering & Computing Sciences (Christopher Springston in LI, 516.686.4912, and Jackline Okot in NYC, 212.261.1603) will schedule appointments for Graduate Assistants to provide identifying documents and complete all supporting paperwork.

At the appointment, the student fills out the required tax forms (NOTE: Only GAs are required to submit tax forms, not RAs or TAs):

  • Form W-4 (U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents only)
  • Form 8233 (International students from only the countries listed below must fill out Form 8233; all other international students are not required to submit a tax form, due to existing treaties between those countries and the U.S.):
    View Countries
    • Bangladesh
    • China, People's Republic of
    • Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS): Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan)
    • Cyprus
    • Czech Republic
    • Egypt
    • Estonia
    • France
    • Germany
    • Iceland
    • Indonesia
    • Israel
    • Kazakhstan
    • Korea, South
    • Latvia
    • Lithuania
    • Morocco
    • Netherlands
    • Norway
    • Pakistan
    • Philippines
    • Poland
    • Portugal
    • Romania
    • Russia
    • Slovak Republic
    • Slovenia
    • Spain
    • Thailand
    • Trinidad and Tobago
    • Tunisia
    • Ukraine
    • New York Tech Tax Information Form
  • New York Tech Tax Information Form

The student and the Office of Academic Affairs or designated New York Tech representative will also complete:

The student will then present:

Acceptable Documents for Form I-9 that verify identity and immigration status (see Lists of Acceptable Documents on page 3 of Form I-9).

Acceptable Documents for Form I-9

Academic Affairs will then submit the contract with all documentation to Financial Aid for final contract approval and for the posting of funds to the student's account.

NOTE: All students must have a social security card in order to work at New York Tech. If a student does not have a social security card, their supervisor or New York Tech representative must print out an On-Campus Employer Intent Letter for Social Security Card on New York Tech department letterhead, fill it out and sign it. The student will then take it to New York Tech’s Graduate, Global & Office of International Admissions office (Karen Johnson in Long Island or Christopher Olagunju in New York City) to facilitate the process. (Students who do not have a social security card or proper immigration status may not work at New York Tech.)

SEE OUR GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIP APPLICATION CHECKLIST

Deadlines

Students must submit Graduate Assistantship contracts/applications by—the latest—the week before they start working.

Closing Deadlines:

  • Summer II Semester: Submit all contracts/applications by July 10, 2023
  • Fall Semester: Submit all contracts/applications by October 1, 2023
  • Spring Semester: Submit all contracts/applications by March 1, 2024
  • Summer I semester: Submit all contracts/applications by May 31, 2024

*Per New York Tech’s fiscal-year calendar (July 1–June 30), the summer semester is divided into two sessions – Summer I (June 1–30) and Summer II (July 1–August 31)

Compensation


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Graduate assistantships are compensated via tuition credit only. No stipends are paid. Students may be hired according to the following schedule:*

  • 1 credit = 50 hours per semester
  • 2 credits = 100 hours per semester
  • 3 credits = 150 hours per semester
  • 4 credits = 200 hours per semester
  • 5 credits = 250 hours per semester
  • 6 credits = 300 hours per semester

*Variations on these credits may be made (1.25, 3.5, 4.75, etc.), but no fewer than .5 credits.

Students may not work more than 20 hours per week in all employment combined during the fall and spring semesters, and no student may work more than 999 hours for the year.

Students may work up to 35 hours per week during Intersession, Spring Break, Summer Semesters, and Winter Recess.

Please note that a student cannot receive more tuition credits than their tuition balance after factoring in scholarships, discounts, and other financial awards.

Graduate assistantships that are funded by internal and external grants must also be compensated via tuition credit only, and conform to the work requirements outlined above.

All graduate assistants are required to submit signed, weekly timesheets to their supervisors via the new electronic contract and timesheet system. These timesheets must be approved and co-signed each week by their supervisor. At the end of the semester, the student must submit a Graduate Assistantship Completion Form (also via the electronic contract and timesheet system), to their supervisor. Upon approval, the supervisor submits it to the Office of Academic Affairs for final approval. This form verifies that the student fulfilled the required number of hours equal to the tuition credits received. Students who do not complete their hours will lose tuition credits in proportion to the hours missed, and will be billed for the balance.

Tax Information

Graduate assistants, including out-of-state residents and international students, may be liable for income taxes on the value of their assistantships according to Internal Revenue Service regulations. Therefore, graduate assistantship applicants must fill out the required tax form, if applicable, when they meet with the Office of Academic Affairs or their designated New York Tech representative to complete the supporting paperwork for their Graduate Assistantship contract/application. See Tax Forms for further information.

Forms

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Tax Forms

(NOTE: Only GAs are required to submit tax forms, not RAs or TAs)

  • Form W-4 (U.S. Citizens & Permanent Residents)
  • New York Tech Tax Information Form
  • Form 8233 (International students from only the countries below must fill out Form 8233; all other international students are not required to submit a tax form, due to existing treaties between those countries and the U.S.):
    View Countries
    • Bangladesh
    • China, People's Republic of
    • Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS): Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan)
    • Cyprus
    • Czech Republic
    • Egypt
    • Estonia
    • France
    • Germany
    • Iceland
    • Indonesia
    • Israel
    • Kazakhstan
    • Korea, South
    • Latvia
    • Lithuania
    • Morocco
    • Netherlands
    • Norway
    • Pakistan
    • Philippines
    • Poland
    • Portugal
    • Romania
    • Russia
    • Slovak Republic
    • Slovenia
    • Spain
    • Thailand
    • Trinidad & Tobago
    • Tunisia
    • Ukraine
  • 8233 Tax Form Instructions

Remote Work Policy

As of September 1, 2021, student employees, including graduate assistants and those hired with federal work-study and/or student aid institutional funds, are permitted to work remotely under the following conditions:

  • Employee’s remote work location must be in New York State or Arkansas.
  • Employee’s job duties and responsibilities are deemed suitable for remote work at the institution’s sole discretion. For example, employees handling certain confidential and/or sensitive information may not be permitted to work remotely.
  • Remote workers should have set work hours and be productive and accessible during their agreed-upon regular work schedule.
  • Supervisors must be able to accurately track the number of hours a student works in order to certify their weekly timesheets.
  • Supervisor/department is responsible for determining the employee’s remote work needs and ensuring the employee has the necessary equipment and resources to perform the job duties remotely. Employees may be required to supply certain standard equipment, such as a laptop, for remote work.
  • Remote workers are responsible for maintaining the security and confidentiality of New York Tech equipment, files, data and other information that are in the remote work site. This includes protecting any remote-working equipment from being stolen or accessed by unauthorized persons, as well as the security of information in paper or other media format.
  • New York Tech will have no responsibility for any injury to person or property unrelated to New York Tech work activities which might occur at the remote work site.
  • Employees must comply with all other applicable New York Tech policies.
  • New York Tech may terminate the remote work arrangement at any time at its sole discretion.

Supervisor Responsibilities:

  • Discuss how the student will check-in and check-out with you and be available to you during their scheduled work time.
  • Outline the tasks and work that the student will do during these times, with clear due dates.
  • Agree on how students will document their tasks during the time they are working or send a summary of the work completed during the time they are working.
  • Identify how work will be submitted.
  • Be available to student employee(s) during their scheduled work time and make sure they know how to contact you.

Contact Us

The Office of Academic Affairs coordinates all graduate assistantships. If you have any questions, email Sheri Kelleher at skellehe@nyit.edu or Rosemarie Feurtado at rfeurtad@nyit.edu.