Fall: 8/16 - 12/31 
Spring: 1/1 - 5/15 
Summer: 5/16 - 8/15 
For the number of months per semester see Stipend ranges, SI charges, Months per semester.

• Graduate assistantship appointments should be made for one complete semester only.
• Undergraduate and professorial assistantship appointments may be made for a single semester, or for the academic year.

New appointments:  An I-9 must be completed in the electronic I-9 system. If an I-9 is not submitted, the form will not be approved. 
In order to be appointed with a three-quarter time assistantship for Fall and/or Spring semester, an international student must have evidence of authorization from the Office for International Students and Scholars (OISS). A copy of an Employment Authorization (EAD) card that says "Optional Practical Training" in the Terms and Conditions sections is acceptable. A Curricular Practical Training (CPT) designation on the I-20 form is also acceptable. Note: International students can be appointed with a three-quarter time assistantship during the Summer semester without OISS authorization. 

Reappointments:  If the expiration date of work authorization on the previously submitted I-9 is before the end date of the assistantship, submit a new I-9 with date of work authorization expiration after the end date of the assistantship to the Solutions Center. 
If reappointing an international student to a three-quarter time assistantship for the first time, evidence of authorization from OISS must be abtained as stated above under 'New Appointment'. 

Amendments:  No documentation is required unless the appointment is increasing an international student's assistantship to three-quarter time for Fall or Spring semester. If so, then evidence of authorization from OISS must be obtained as stated above under 'New Appointment'. 

Cancellations:  no attached documentation of any kind.

• Quarter-time appointment - 10 hours per week average per semester
• Half-time appointment - 20 hours per week average per semester
• Three-quarter-time appointment - 30 hours per week average per semester
• Professorial Assistant normal hours are from 8 to 10 hours per week
• Undergraduate Assistant normal hours are 5 to 10 hours per week

• Fall Appointment only: August 16th to February 15th of the following year
• Fall and Spring Appointment: August 16th to August 15th of the following year
• Spring Appointment only: January 1st to August 15th
• Summer Appointment only: May 16th to August 15th

"Full-time status" for doctoral students is defined as a minimum of 1 credit for those students who: 1) Have successfully completed all comprehensive exams and are actively engaged in dissertation research; OR 2) Are doing department-approved off-campus fieldwork related to preparation of their dissertation (up to a maximum of three semesters). 

For 1) above, College Dean's Offices must notify the Registrar's Office (Monica Klaver, 150 Admin) by sending a copy of the "Record of Comprehensive Examinations" form with all signatures, no later than 30 days (60 days is preferable) prior to the beginning of the semester in which the one-credit minimum will be effective. No back-dating or back-notification will be permitted. The pre-comp minimum will be applied if the Registrar's office is not notified by the above-stated deadline. 

For 2) above, the Dean's Office must notify the Registrar's Office (Monica Klaver, 150 Admin) of the student's name, student number, and department no later than 30 days (60 days is preferable) prior to the beginning of the semester in which the department/school-approved off-campus fieldwork/research related to the dissertation will be effective and in which the one-credit full-time status is requested. No back-dating or back-notification will be permitted. The pre-comp minimum will be applied if the Registrar's office is not notified by the above-stated deadline. 
Visitor credits may count as part of a student's credit load if approved in writing by the student's department chair or unit director, college and the Dean of the Graduate School. 
Any deviation from the maximum requirements must have the written approval of the dean of the college in which the student is enrolled prior to registration.

Deviation from the minimum enrollment requirements is permitted in the following case: In the semester in which the degree is granted, when the student must enroll for at least the number of credits required to complete the degree or if no more credits are needed, at least meet the University minimum registration requirement of one credit.

The "function" of every graduate assistantship must be identified, based on major assignments:

Teaching (T) - teaching, preparing handouts, monitoring examinations, and other instructional duties. Included in the collective bargaining unit (GEU). 

Teaching (TE) - teaching, other instructional duties, but excluded from the collective bargaining unit based on a reason in the following list of "TE" Exclusions.

Research (R)- research, non-instructional duties only, excluded from the Graduate Employees Union collective bargaining agreement. 

All graduate assistants appointed as teaching assistants: 
1. Whose responsibilities are as Assistant Hall Directors (formally known as resident hall advisors);
2. Who supervise other graduate teaching assistants where the supervision involves intervention as needed and the taking of action

• if a recitation section or class is off track and/or
• when course information is not delivered to the students and/or
• where it involves the evaluation of the performance of a teaching assistant on behalf of the faculty member of record

3. Whose responsibilities are as graders who do not have direct classroom and/or laboratory instructional responsibilities and/or personal contact in pre-scheduled and posted office hours;
4. Whose responsibilities are to advise or consult and who (a) do not have direct classroom and/or laboratory instructional responsibilities or (b) do not have office hours for purposes other than advising or consulting;
5. Whose responsibilities are to tutor and who are not employed primarily to assist students enrolled in a specific course;
6. Who are GAANN fellows or others on similar state or federal training grants;
7. Who teach courses offered by the MSU College of Law and who are paid by reimbursement funds from MSU-LAW.
Research (R) - all duties directly related to research or other research assistant duties as exemplified by the status quo appointment practices in use as of February 2, 2001. 

Graduate Assistants who hold more than one appointment, one coded as T and one coded as R, are included in the union for the T appointment and excluded from the union for the R appointment.

• admitted MSU graduate student
• bachelor's degree
• less than two semester's experience as a graduate assistant or full-support fellow

• admitted MSU graduate student
• master's degree (a JD or LLB is equivalent to masters in determining level); OR 30 or more grad semester credits or equivalent; OR at least two semester's experience as a graduate assistant or full-support fellow
• level 3 required criteria have not been met

• admitted MSU graduate student
• a master's degree or equivalent
• The graduate assistant experience must be in the employing unit or in a department considered relevant by the chairperson or employing unit. The minimum number of semesters shall be four (4), five (5) or six (6) but in any case no greater than department's current practice as stipulated in 2004

• admitted MSU graduate student
• successful completion of doctoral comprehensive exams, as defined by the department in which the student is enrolled
• 6 semesters as a graduate Research/Teaching (R/TE) assistant at MSU, or equivalent. The definition of equivalence is left to the discretion of the chairperson of the appointing unit, but it is expected that only experience in research-oriented assignments count toward the 6 semesters of experience as an RA

• CDEF
• Distinguished Fellowships
• IGERT Fellowships
• NSF
• Pharmacology Fellowships
• Plant Science Fellowships