Northern awards graduate assistantships each year. If you are accepted for an assistantship, you'll be supervised by Northern faculty or staff. Supervisors serve as mentors, responsible for providing training and guidance to help you successfully fulfill your assigned responsibilities. For details and a complete list of assistantships, contact the Office of Graduate Studies by email!

Graduate Assistant Application

Academic Requirements

Students applying for assistantships must meet the academic requirements for admission to graduate studies and to a degree program. Once admitted, they are required to maintain good academic standing with a 3.00 GPA. If their cumulative grade point average falls below 3.00 in any academic term, they will be placed on academic probation the following term.

A graduate assistant placed on academic probation will lose the assistantship for the probationary semester. While on academic probation, the student must earn a term grade point average of 3.00 or higher. When the student achieves a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or higher, they  may re-apply for an open assistantship position.

A student on academic probation who fails to maintain a term grade point average of 3.00 will be placed on academic suspension for a minimum of two academic terms. Following the suspension, they may apply for reinstatement by seeking the approval of the appropriate school/college dean. If approval is granted, they must complete a reentry form in the Office of Graduate Studies.

Students must be enrolled in a minimum of six graduate credits each semester to be eligible for an assistantship position; graduate assistants may enroll in no more than 12 credits each semester. Graduate students must be enrolled in at least nine credits to be considered full-time. Students who resign their assistantship positions or drop below six credit hours, but continue classes, will be required to reimburse the university the remaining tuition waived.