2,905: Resignations and Terminations for Graduate Assistants

Revised: November 2025

Resignations

A graduate assistant (GA) who wishes to resign during a contract period should submit a letter of resignation to the department chair. The department chair, or designee, will process the termination in Workday.

Terminations

  1. If a graduate assistant fails to meet pertinent work standards, the Recommendation for Termination of Graduate Assistantship Form must be used to terminate a graduate assistantship appointment and the attendant stipend prior to the end of the GA’s appointed term of service.
  2. The authority recommending termination, usually the GA’s immediate supervisor, must complete the Recommendation for Termination of Graduate Assistant Form in its entirety; supporting documentation must be attached and submitted with the form.
  3. The form must be reviewed and signed by the recommending department chair and the graduate program director in a period not to exceed fifteen (15) calendar days.
    1. In the case of interdisciplinary graduate programs, the form must then be submitted to the Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Dean of the Graduate School for review and approval/disapproval within fifteen (15) calendar days from the date of approval by the department chair and graduate program director.
    2. In the case of department-based graduate programs, the form must be reviewed and approved/disapproved within fifteen (15) calendar days by the dean of the relevant college/school before being submitted to the Graduate School.
  4. Official notice will then be sent to the GA’s immediate supervisor and the impacted GA including the date when the termination is to take effect. The graduate director and PI/direct supervisor shall meet with the student to explain any registration fee implications of the change in employment status.
  5. Once the Recommendation for Termination of Graduate Assistantship Form has been signed by all parties including the Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Dean of the Graduate School, the termination date will be recorded as the next available future date. The termination date cannot be a date in the past or prior to the completion of the signature process. If signatures are completed after payroll has run, the earliest available date for termination will be the first of the following month.

Impact on Registration Fees

Registration fees for ended assistantships will be prorated based on the number of weeks completed. The department will remain financially responsible for the weeks during which the student was employed in a graduate assistantship. The student will become financially responsible for the pro rata portion of the registration fees for the remainder of the semester. The department retains the option to pay all or an additional portion of the registration fees.  Any charges that are deemed to be unallowable costs on a sponsored account will become the responsibility of the department that hired the student.