Become a Graduate Assistant
Be a leader to resident assistants.
The Graduate Assistant (GA) supports the Office of Residence Life & University Housing in its efforts to enhance the residential experience within the Howard University community. A live-in position, the GA provides leadership for Residential Life student staff (RAs) in an assigned area. They are the direct supervisors for the RAs of their building and complete supervisory tasks such as scheduling, escalation guidance, training, and more. By maintaining visibility and being approachable to student staff and residents, the GA helps educate residents on University policies and builds community in the area of oversight.
PLEASE NOTE: The application for 2024-2025 is closed. We are not receiving any applications at this time and will host a list of alternates throughout the year. We look forward to your interest for 2025-2026.
The GA and RA application opens every spring semester between February and March. Please follow us on instagram @hureslife1867 in order to receive live updates.
General Requirements
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Student should attend one virtual information session to receive helpful information on the position and be able to ask questions.
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Student must have been at Howard University for at least one full semester before applying.
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Student must be enrolled as a full-time graduate student at Howard University.
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Student must have a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA upon application submission and must maintain 3.0 GPA or better each semester.
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Student cannot be on any type of University probation and hold the GA position at the same time.
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Student must have a clean Student Conduct history.
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Student must serve as a GA for the entire academic year.
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It is preferable that applicant has former residence life and/or leadership experience.
Responsibilities
- Train and supervise a staff of Resident Assistants (RAs) and student workers
- Conduct bi-weekly individual meetings with RAs to develop and discuss goals
- Serve in on-call rotation
- Enforce Howard University and Office of Residence Life & University Housing policies
- Coordinate and provide insight of front desk/customer service experience
- Implement programming efforts
- Maintain set office hours each week (20 hours total) Monday-Friday
- Attend to evening and weekend commitments such as staff meetings, hall council, and programs
- Advise Hall Council and Junior RA program
- Assist in the opening and closing of the residence halls
- Provide support and assistance for departmental initiatives, processes, emergencies, and events
- Work with central office staff to evaluate student staff training and selection
- Serve as positive role model for residents, RAs, and other student staff
Compensation
- Annual stipend of $12,000
- Waived housing with laundry points
Please note that rooms come in different sizes and locations of the building.
Residence Life cannot promise specific room dimensions and locations in the building.
Residence Life will assign rooms based on availability and need for the specific building.
Parking is not included.
Training
Fall GA training is held in late July/early August before the fall semester begins.
Spring GA training is held in January before the spring semester begins.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Graduate Assistants able to hold outside employment?
We encourage students that are interested in having a secondary employment outside of the Graduate Assistant role to have a conversation with their supervisor to gain approval before acquiring secondary employment.
When can Graduate Assistants leave at the end of the Fall and Spring semesters?
Graduate Assistants (GAs) are required to remain in the building until each resident has checked out of the building and the building has been secured for the semester closing. This includes Thanksgiving and Spring Break closing. Certain residence halls may have to work during holiday breaks; however, that will be communicated by their Building Manager
Are Graduate Assistants able to choose which residence hall they prefer to work in?
No. Hired Graduate Assistants (GAs) will be placed in the best community to align with their strengths.
If hired for Fall, can I defer my offer letter to the Spring?
We receive many qualified applications; therefore, we are unable to hold a Graduate Assistant (GA) position until the Spring semester.