Assistantships at a Glance

The most common source of University funding for graduate students are paid teaching or research assistantships where students assist a faculty member in teaching, research, or lab work as a paid employee.

Assistantships with a minimum of 10 hours per week enjoy the following benefits:

  • a tuition credit, GEO tuition benefits do not apply to University+ courses except under exceptional circumstances.  Please see Tuition Credits for University+/Online Courses for more information
  • a 100% reduction of the Service Fee
  • University pays 95% of the individual health insurance premium
  • University pays 95% of spouse and/or dependent health insurance premium
  • parking discounts
  • Free dental and vision insurance
  • Time off for illness, vacation, bereavement, parent/family reasons
  • Wellness reimbursements for gym memberships
  • A $150,000 fund is available to support graduate students with childcare, after-school tutoring and summer camp costs
  • The minimum pay is currently $36.67/hr.

The minimum stipend for a 9 month 20 hr assistantship is $27,869.20.  Some departments may pay assistantships at a higher hourly rate. They may also offer financial support in the summer. 

For more information, please see our funding policies and procedures.

Information on financial aid for graduate students, tuition and other cost estimates can be found here.

UMass offers robust support for teaching assistants in the Teaching Academy.

Per Article 36 of the GEO collective bargaining agreement, the University is offering a pilot no-interest transitional loan program for members of the bargaining unit.  The loan program is offered in accordance with the following:

  • For Fall 2025, loans will be available to new and returning graduate students who are members of the bargaining unit
  • The maximum loan amount is $1,200 which can be used for any purpose
  • Loan disbursements will be reflected on a student’s tuition account
  • Loan repayment must be made through payroll deduction during the Fall 2025 semester

Should this program be extended beyond the Fall 2025 semester: 

  • subsequent loans will not be available to those students whose prior loans were not paid in full
  • loans are only available for the fall semester each year

How it works

Students who will be active employees in GEO-eligible positions for the Fall 2025 semester and are interested in the loan program should fill out an online application.  

Applications for the Fall 2025 Transitional Loan Program can be found here.

The application period is August 1st through August 15th at 5:00pm.  Applications will be approved unless a student has a prior term balance (prior to Summer 2025).

Once approved, students can expect to see a ‘Transitional Loan’ item posted to their Bursar account under the ‘Refunds’ section.  The funds will be deposited to the bank account that the student has indicated in their Excess Express setup in SPIRE. Funds will be deposited by August 22nd, assuming no delays from your bank.

How to Enroll in Excess Express

Students who will to receive a transitional loan must enroll in Excess Express so the funds can be deposited directly to your US bank checking or savings account.

To enroll in Excess Express:

  • Log in to your SPIRE account
  • Click on the Finances tile
  • Select Excess Express from the left hand menu
  • Follow the instructions and click SAVE.

Be sure to verify the routing and account number with your bank to insure timely deposit of funds.

How to Enroll in Payroll Deduction

As part of the GEO bargaining agreement, members are eligible to elect payroll deduction to pay a portion or all of your Bursar bill.  By accepting a transitional loan, you will be required to enroll in payroll deduction to pay your loan as well.

Payroll Deduction allows you to pay an amount over the five (5) bi-weekly pay period from October 24th through December 19th.  You must elect to pay at least the amount of the transitional loan through payroll deduction, but you can elect to include any outstanding tuition to be paid as well.

To enroll in Payroll Deduction:

  • Log in to your SPIRE account
  • Click on the Graduate Assistantships tile
  • Select GEO Payroll Deduction from the left hand menu.
  • Follow the instructions and click CONSENT.

Payroll deduction enrollment opens on September 2nd.  Important note, your assistantship has to be processed and you have to be listed in payroll as an employee to enroll in payroll deduction.