Graduate Assistantships
Graduate Assistantships (Teaching/Non-Teaching) are assigned at the time of admission by your home department. If you are not offered a GA (Teaching/Non-Teaching) in your offer of admission it is still possible for a department to offer you an assignment if the department needs GAs. Contact your department’s Graduate Coordinator for more information.
Both Graduate Assistantship (Teaching/Non-Teaching) and Graduate Assistant (Research) appointments are guided by the GSA Graduate Collective Agreement.
Graduate Assistantship (Teaching/Non-Teaching) appointments are contracted employment within your Faculty are assigned by the department and typically a full GA is $3,900 for 112 hours of work over a specified amount of time.
Graduate Assistant (Research) appointments are typically funded by a faculty member's research funds and allow faculty members to employ graduate students whose duties include the performance of research-related duties that are unrelated to the student's program of study. These appointements are considered employment and are bound to the GSA Collective Agreement.
Research Stipends are not employment, they are funded by your supervisor's research funds and have no expectations for the student beyond completing their program of study.
You are required to upload the follow to: Graduate Payroll Secured Drive:
- Bank account information (blank cheque or printout of account information)
- U of L direct deposit form, signed
- Update your Social Insurance Number on the Bridge (under Personal Information). To get your SIN number, you can visit a Service Canada in person or Apply Online.
- Copy of study permit (international students)
This information must be received no later then the Cut-off date for Payroll Authorization Forms (PAF's) (usually the 8th of the month) in order to be processed and for payment to be set up for that month.
If you are emailing this information, it is recommended you password protect the information.
The university will be hosting workshops this fall to assist with obtaining or updating your Social Insurance Number (SIN). For more information, please visit the following webpage.
Both Graduate Assistantship (Teaching/Non-Teaching) and Graduate Assistant (Research) appointments are paid via the University’s payroll system. Funds are directly deposited into your bank account on the last business day of the month.
Graduate Assistantship (Teaching/Non-Teaching) appointments are paid only in the semester you are completing the work. Typically departments have Graduate Assistantship (Teaching/Non-Teaching) appointments in the Fall and Spring terms.
Graduate Assistantships (teaching/non teaching/research) are paid via the University’s payroll system. The University has a single payday per month with funds distributed directly to your bank account on the last business day of the month. In order to be paid as a GA, you must be registered at the time of employment.
Only necessary if you will be receiving payment through the University
In order for your payments to be made to you through Payroll, the following information is required
You will need to obtain a letter of employment from your home department to take to Service Canada prior to applying for your SIN.
Information must submitted to Payroll by the ‘Monthly and One-time Payroll Authorization Forms’ date in the ‘Payroll Calendar’ to receive payment at the end of the month
Questions? Contact the School of Graduate Studies Graduate Awards Advisor.
Graduate Assistantships FAQ
We cannot assign or activate any award funding or employment/Graduate Assistantship (GA) payments until you are registered as a full-time graduate student for the funding period. If you are not registered by the Cut-off date for Payroll Authorization Forms (PAF's) (usually the 8th of the month), your employment payments (e.g., Graduate Assistantships) will be delayed until the end of the next month. If you are not registered by the term add/drop deadline, your award payments will be delayed until the end of the next month.
Accurately tracking your Graduate Assistant (GA) hours is crucial. ULGA provides a downloadable time tracking sheet that you can use to record your hours. It's important to regularly update your hours and ensure that you do not exceed the limits set in your contract. For more information and to access the tracking sheet, please refer to the ULGA website.
The standard cap for GA hours is 224 hours per academic term. If you anticipate exceeding this limit, you must submit a request for approval using a special waiver form before the start of your assignment. This ensures compliance with the terms of your contract. For detailed instructions and to access the waiver form, please visit the ULGA website.