Graduate Assistantships

There are a limited number of graduate assistantships available each year. Applications for Fall are due at the end of April (see application for specific date), application for Winter semester are due at the end of October (see application for specific date). (click here for Assistantship application)

Criteria for selecting students for assistantships include: those who are fully admitted to the Criminal Justice Program, have a high likelihood of excellent academic performance,  and have the ability to conduct independent research of high quality or to contribute to the teaching efforts of the School of Criminal Justice.

Assistantships are renewed each semester.  Students MUST re-apply EACH SEMESTER.  Funding is not guaranteed.  Students must maintain a minimum 3.0 gpa to be eligible for a Graduate Assistantship.

Inquiries about the availability of assistantships should be made to the Director of the Graduate Program.  Dr. Debra Ross, (616) 331-7150 or rossde@gvsu.edu.

According to current GVSU Graduate Assistant Policy (Appendix E, Faculty Handbook):

• Half-time assistantships (20 hours per week) include a stipend per semester and 9 -12 hours of graduate tuition waiver (not to exceed 24 credits per year).
• Quarter-time assistantships (10 hours per week) include a smaller stipend per semester and 6 hours of graduate tuition waiver (not to exceed 12 credits per year).
• Tuition will not be paid (waived) for students who are reimbursed from other sources. 
• Master's students may receive a maximum of two years of full-time graduate assistantship support. Students must reapply each year and only students who make good progress in the first year of their program will be considered for continued support. All graduate assistants will be reviewed by their supervising faculty member once a semester using a form provided for this purpose. This evaluation will be placed in the student's file.  Assistantship support may be withdrawn at any time that a student's overall performance is judged inadequate by the Graduate Program Committee or gpa falls below 3.0.
  

Other Financial Aid

Scholarships for Research Support

 All fully admitted graduate students are encouraged to join and participate in the activities of appropriate professional societies, such as the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences and the American Society of Criminology. This is an important part of the student's professional development and an important forum for the student to establish academic and professional contacts in the field. Graduate students may apply to the University Research and Development Office for support as well as to the professional society sponsoring the conference.

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