Graduate assistantships and tuition waivers

What is a tuition waiver?

NAU tuition waivers are scholarships which pay for all or part of a student’s tuition. There is no work requirement for tuition waivers.

To be awarded a tuition waiver, students must be graduate degree-seeking students in good academic standing. These awards may be based on academic merit and/or financial need. They are available to both resident and non-resident graduate students. The application process for tuition waivers is available through the academic program.

What is a graduate assistantship?

Graduate assistantships (GAs) are an outstanding way to fund graduate education while simultaneously developing professional skills. Graduate assistants perform vital teaching, research, and service duties to their program and earn a stipend for their work.

To be awarded a graduate assistantship, students must be graduate degree-seeking students with a GPA of 3.0 or higher.  Students that are conditionally admitted to a graduate program due to a GPA below 3.0 upon admission are not eligible to receive a graduate assistantship.

All graduate assistants with an appointment of 10 or more hours per week are considered residents for tuition purposes during the term of appointment. The application process for graduate assistant positions is available through the academic program or service unit.

The Fall 2025 Orientation recording is now accessible to current graduate students via their Canvas portal, located within the Graduate Student & GATW Orientations & Support course shell.

Graduate assistantship benefits

Full-time (20 hours/week) graduate assistantships offer:

• 100% tuition remission (excluding any university and program fees)
  • *For online students, tuition payment is capped at 9 credits per semester. Talk to your GA coordinator to learn if further tuition coverage can be offered departmentally.
•  a waiver of the student health insurance premium
  • Please visit NAU SHIP to explore insurance plan eligibility.
  • *Online only graduate students are not eligible for the SHIP premium waiver per Campus Health Services.
• stipend
• The minimum stipends for 20-hour GAs are as follow:

• • $15,000 for masters level students
  • $18,000 for doctoral level students

Part-time (10 hours/week) offer:

• 50% tuition remission (excluding any university and program fees)
• stipend

Graduate Assistantship and Tuition Waiver FAQs

Graduate assistantships and tuition waivers are highly sought out awards with enrollment requirements, which leaves new and incoming students with many great questions! Please review our Graduate Assistantship and Tuition Waiver FAQ page for the answers to our most common questions.

Looking for a graduate assistantship position?

NAU teaching and research assistantships

Graduate teaching and research assistantship opportunities at NAU are offered through individual academic units and grant-funded programs. Students are encouraged to utilize the NAU Directory to connect with the graduate coordinator or department chair in their specific program area for detailed information on available assistantships. Please note that most assistantship opportunities are posted in early spring for the upcoming fall semester and/or academic year.

NAU non-academic or “at-large” graduate assistantships

Non-academic graduate service assistantships are offered through a variety of university-wide offices. These positions include a stipend, with amounts varying based on the hiring office, assigned responsibilities, and the student’s degree level.

Most assistantship opportunities are posted in early spring for the upcoming fall semester and/or academic year. Currently, there are no open graduate service assistantship positions. Please check back regularly, as new postings will be updated on this webpage as they become available.