Graduate Assistants & Fellows

Overview

Stipend Graduate Assistantships and Fellowships are awarded by the graduate colleges. For SGA or Fellowship opportunities, please inquire within your graduate college directly. Receiving SGA or Fellowship funding during a particular semester does not guarantee and award for the same amount during subsequent terms.

Stipended Graduate Assistantships (SGAs)

Eligibility	Northeastern PhD students
Coverage	Tuition, Northeastern University Student Health Plan
Required Pay	University Health and Counseling Services fee
Limitation	Students on SGAs are generally ineligible for on-campus employment.
Dispersal	Semi-monthly
Commitment	Require a 20/hr per week commitment.
Taxes	Have taxes withheld. However, the tuition waiver portion will not be taxed since it is considered a scholarship.

Your initial scholarship portion billing statement will reflect this award until later classes begin.

Northeastern Managed Fellowships

Eligibility	Northeastern PhD students
Coverage	At the level of an SGA or higher. Including tuition and the Northeastern University Student Health Plan. The conditions for each fellowship depend on the funder’s requirements.
Required Pay	University Health and Counseling Services fee
Dispersal	The graduate college or PhD Network will provide funding processing information.
Commitment	Does not require a 20/hr per week commitment.
Taxes	Taxes are not withheld, and the tuition waiver portion will not be taxed since it is considered a scholarship.
Taxes with SGAs	PhD students may receive Fellowships from their colleges with a service expectation and the Fellowships will be appointed SGAs, or they may receive a combination of SGA and Fellowship funds. In these cases, they will receive taxes withheld.

Health Plan for Spouses/Dependents

Rates for spouses or dependents are available at the NUSHP website and are the responsibility of the student.

Preparatory Paperwork

Graduate assistants and fellowships do not need to complete Form I-9 for their commitment but need to enroll in Direct Deposit to receive the award.

How to Enroll in Direct Deposit

1. Log into the Student Hub

2. Click on the Resources on the top bar

3. Click on the Financial Services

4. Click on the Direct Deposit Form in the list

5. Fill in the routing number & account number (Please be sure to use the paper and electronic routing number provided by your bank)

6. Wait up to 3 business days for your bank to process the request

7. Paychecks will be deposited into the account you designate.

Learn More

Apply for SSN

International students who are serving as SGAs must have their SSN on file with the University Registrar. Students with fellowships may also need an SSN to receive the award.

1. Submit SGA Social Security Number Letter Request

2. Please allow 15 business days for OGS to review. The authorization letter will be sent to your Northeastern email address.

3. Prepare supporting documents (SSN Authorization, I-20, I94, Passport, Visa, SSN Application)

4. Visit your nearest Social Security Administration Office to present the supporting documents.

5. Once you receive the SSN, please update your number here.

Learn more about Social Security Number (SSN)

Getting Funded

Assistantships Distribution

Duration	One semester. Receipt during a particular semester does not guarantee an award for the same amount during subsequent terms.
Stipend Amounts	Determined by the graduate school or academic department.
Stipend Distribution Date	Semi-monthly, on the 15th and the last day of the month. The department students are working for should submit payment requirements before the payroll deadline.
Stipend Distribution Rates	Total Award Amount / 8 Pay Periods

Tax Information

The US tax system follows a “pay as you go” model, meaning that taxes are deducted from each stipend.

Students getting assistantships stipends are subject to federal and state taxes and will receive the W-2 Tax Form which summarizes your earnings and the taxes you have paid before Jan 31 each year. You may access the W-2 tax documents from Workday.

The W-4 Form indicates how much in taxes will be withheld from your stipend. You will only be required to complete the form once after you’ve been funded, but you can not update it anytime you wish on Workday. Completing W-4 on Workday takes the place of the paper form and allows you to make any necessary changes electronically.

Learn more about tax forms

Steps to find W-2 Tax Form

Go to Workday → Menu → Pay → My Tax Documents → External Tax Documents

Steps for Updating W-4 Tax Information

Go to Workday → Menu → Pay → Withholding Elections → Update

On The Job



Responsibilities

Show up on time. If you are going to be late, contact your supervisor to let them know.
If you need to request time off or a change to your schedule, speak to your supervisor as soon as possible.
If you need to quit your job, let your supervisor know as soon as possible. You should give your supervisor at least two weeks’ notice before your last day.
Ask your supervisor to know what work needs to be done. If you have ideas about how to improve a process, share them!

Your Rights



Equal Opportunity Employment

Northeastern university is committed to providing a living, learning, and working environment free of discrimination and harassment. This policy applies to all members of the university community when acting on behalf of the university, whether on or off campus, as well as to contractors, parents, and visitors when they are on university property.

Parental Leave for Graduate Students

This policy offers graduate students who become parents with the option of requesting a leave from their academic requirements and other teaching and research responsibilities. The policy applies to all full time, registered graduate students at Northeastern in good standing.

Non-Fraternization

In keeping with its commitment to provide equal opportunity to students, faculty, and staff, and in order to avoid potential conflicts of interest, favoritism, exploitation, harassment, or breaches of professional standards, the university prohibits romantic or sexual relationships where there is supervision, direction or control between the parties.

Sexual & Gender-Based Harassment

Northeastern University is committed to providing equal opportunity to its students and employees in an environment free of Sexual and Gender-Based harassment. Because Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment interferes with the expectation that all individuals at the University will learn and work in an environment that is free from discrimination, it will not be tolerated in any form.

Report a Concern

If you have a concern related to your workplace, you can request to speak with a staff member to discuss your reporting options.

Contact Our Staff

Or you can access the following resources directly

Graduate Assistants & Fellows

Contents

Overview

Stipended Graduate Assistantships (SGAs)

Eligibility

Northeastern PhD students

Coverage

Tuition, Northeastern University Student Health Plan

Required Pay

University Health and Counseling Services fee

Limitation

Students on SGAs are generally ineligible for on-campus employment.

Dispersal

Semi-monthly

Commitment

Require a 20/hr per week commitment.

Taxes

Have taxes withheld. However, the tuition waiver portion will not be taxed since it is considered a scholarship.

Your initial scholarship portion billing statement will reflect this award until later classes begin.

Northeastern Managed Fellowships

Eligibility

Northeastern PhD students

Coverage

At the level of an SGA or higher. Including tuition and the Northeastern University Student Health Plan. The conditions for each fellowship depend on the funder’s requirements.

Required Pay

University Health and Counseling Services fee

Dispersal

The graduate college or PhD Network will provide funding processing information.

Commitment

Does not require a 20/hr per week commitment.

Taxes

Taxes are not withheld, and the tuition waiver portion will not be taxed since it is considered a scholarship.

Taxes with SGAs

PhD students may receive Fellowships from their colleges with a service expectation and the Fellowships will be appointed SGAs, or they may receive a combination of SGA and Fellowship funds. In these cases, they will receive taxes withheld.

Read more about Fellowships and Awards

Health Plan for Spouses/Dependents

Rates for spouses or dependents are available at the NUSHP website and are the responsibility of the student.

Preparatory Paperwork

Graduate assistants and fellowships do not need to complete Form I-9 for their commitment but need to enroll in Direct Deposit to receive the award.

How to Enroll in Direct Deposit

1. Log into the Student Hub

2. Click on the Resources on the top bar

3. Click on the Financial Services

4. Click on the Direct Deposit Form in the list

5. Fill in the routing number & account number (Please be sure to use the paper and electronic routing number provided by your bank)

6. Wait up to 3 business days for your bank to process the request

7. Paychecks will be deposited into the account you designate.

Apply for SSN

International students who are serving as SGAs must have their SSN on file with the University Registrar. Students with fellowships may also need an SSN to receive the award.

1. Submit SGA Social Security Number Letter Request

2. Please allow 15 business days for OGS to review. The authorization letter will be sent to your Northeastern email address.

3. Prepare supporting documents (SSN Authorization, I-20, I94, Passport, Visa, SSN Application)

4. Visit your nearest Social Security Administration Office to present the supporting documents.

5. Once you receive the SSN, please update your number here.

Getting Funded

Assistantships Distribution

Duration

One semester. Receipt during a particular semester does not guarantee an award for the same amount during subsequent terms.

Stipend Amounts

Determined by the graduate school or academic department.

Stipend Distribution Date

Semi-monthly, on the 15th and the last day of the month. The department students are working for should submit payment requirements before the payroll deadline.

Stipend Distribution Rates

Total Award Amount / 8 Pay Periods

Tax Information

The US tax system follows a “pay as you go” model, meaning that taxes are deducted from each stipend.

Students getting assistantships stipends are subject to federal and state taxes and will receive the W-2 Tax Form which summarizes your earnings and the taxes you have paid before Jan 31 each year. You may access the W-2 tax documents from Workday.

Steps to find W-2 Tax Form

Go to Workday → Menu → Pay → My Tax Documents → External Tax Documents

Steps for Updating W-4 Tax Information

Go to Workday → Menu → Pay → Withholding Elections → Update

On The Job

Responsibilities

Show up on time. If you are going to be late, contact your supervisor to let them know.

If you need to request time off or a change to your schedule, speak to your supervisor as soon as possible.

If you need to quit your job, let your supervisor know as soon as possible. You should give your supervisor at least two weeks’ notice before your last day.

Ask your supervisor to know what work needs to be done. If you have ideas about how to improve a process, share them!

Your Rights

Equal Opportunity Employment

Parental Leave for Graduate Students

Semi-monthly, on the 15th and the last day of the month. The
department students are working for should submit payment requirements before the payroll deadline.