Assistantships and Employment

Assistantships are paid research, or teaching appointments for graduate students.


Graduate assistantships

Graduate Assistants (GAs) receive financial support for their contributions to the teaching and research missions of the University. The GA's role is different from other forms of employment, due to the kind of work they do, the quality of supervision they receive, and the outcomes they achieve. Under federal law (FLSA), Research Assistants (RAs) are not considered employees, since they must have an educational relationship with the supervisor and hiring department rather than an employement relationship. Teaching Assistants (TAs) are teaching employees of the university.

Graduate students seeking Teaching Assistant (TA) roles must have a minimum of 18 credit hours to serve as a primary instructor (Instructor of Record or IOR). Visit the Academic Affairs web pages for more information.

Other University policies on GAs are located in the Student Funding & Assistantships section of the Graduate School's website. 

Most GAs are hired by the student's academic department.  Stipends, responsibilities, selection criteria, application and notification procedures vary from department to department, so contact your Graduate Program Director for additional information on available assistantships.


On-campus employment

Jobs are posted on Hire-A-Niner.  

Full-time, permanent EPA (Exempt from the State Personnel Act ) and SPA (Subject to the State Human Resources Act) UNC Charlotte employees may be eligible for tuition waivers or reimbursements. More information can be found on the Human Resources website.

Off-campus employment

The University Career Center (UCC) publishes off-campus opportunies on Hire-A-Niner and offers other career services.  The UCC is located in Atkins Building 150.

Already have a job? Many employers offer tuition benefits for individuals seeking to further their education. Be sure to check with your supervisor to see if your company offers employee educational assistance programs.


UNC Charlotte is a participant in the April 15 Resolution ("National Signing Day"). The Graduate School will remove no offer of funding before April 15th. Please accept your offers of funding before April 16th. After that date, UNC Charlotte will remove unaccepted offers and provide them to other students.