Assistantship Application process FAQs

When are applications for Higher Education and Student Affairs (HESA) assistantships due?
Completed applications are to be submitted no later than JANUARY 4. Please note that the HESA Academic application is due to the graduate college on December 15.

What application materials do I need to apply for a HESA graduate assistantship?
To apply for a HESA graduate assistantship, you must complete and submit the following by JANUARY 4. To expedite the application review process, please send all of your application materials in one package to the appropriate office.

You will need the assistantship application, which must include:
1. Three letters of reference, two of which must be written by current or former supervisors/employers who can speak to your traits/skills
2. A current resume
3. A short personal statement
4. A short answer to a question on the application
5. A current GRE score

What application materials do I need to apply for the HESA graduate program?
Please refer to the Graduate College website

Where do I send my application materials?
All material for the Higher Education and Student Affairs graduate program should be sent to the Graduate College

Your assistantship application can be submitted online. Letters of recommendation can be emailed to us.

Do the academic and assistantship applications each require a set of reference letters?
Yes, each application requires its own set of three reference letters.

Can I use the same reference letters for both applications?
Yes, as long as they each have original signatures and as long as the references for the assistantship application include at least two letters from current/former supervisors or employers who can speak to your employment experience.

Can I apply for the HESA graduate program without applying for a HESA graduate assistantship?
Yes, student can apply to the HESA program without applying for an assistantship.  However, each accepted HESA student is required to fulfill a minimum number of hours (an average of 20 hours per week beyond the practica hours) devoted to practice.  The practice requirement can be fulfilled in a number of ways:  extended practica, internship placements (including summer positions), assistantships, full-time positions, and/or other opportunities as determined by the student in conjunction with the faculty adviser and approved by the HESA faculty.  Students are required to meet with their faculty adviser to work through the practice agreement on a case-by-case basis.

Can I apply for a HESA graduate assistantship without applying for the HESA graduate program?
Yes.  Application for Division of Campus and Student Life assistantships and other assistantship administered through the Division is open to all graduate students.  However, preference for these assistantships is give to students from the HESA program.  These assistantships fulfill the professional practice requirement for that program and, as such, are integral to that program's curriculum.

Are there HESA assistantships available in addition to the ones listed online?
Generally, the list accurately reflects the available assistantships for the upcoming admissions cycle. Occasionally, however, new assistantships are created and the list will be updated accordingly. If you are invited for an on-campus interview, you will also be notified of updated assistantships that might be a good fit for you, based on your interests and experiences.

Are there other assistantships available on campus?
The HESA assistantships are offered in close partnership with the HESA graduate program. If you are interested in an assistantship and are enrolled in another program or do not plan on applying for the HESA program, please contact the Graduate College for other options.

How do I select a HESA assistantship?
You should consider areas you are interested in and previous experiences. While all of the HESA Graduate Assistantships offered will provide a combination of skills and experiences that will assist you as you take your next professional steps in the field of higher education and student affairs, the actual experiences within each assistantship may be quite different. Every placement, however, will provide ample opportunity for learning and discovery. It is ultimately up to the student, as a reflective practitioner, to draw connections between the higher education and student affairs literature and professional experiences.

There are also several key themes and areas of content that will be present in all of the assistantships (Learn more here).The University of Vermont strongly values and promotes multicultural competency in order to prepare professionals for working with students from a variety of different backgrounds and identities. Students will also be able to gain an understanding and knowledge of the organizational and structural characteristics of the University.

How long is my appointment as a Graduate Assistant?
Graduate assistantships are two-year appointments. The second year is renewed in January so long as assistantship requirements have been satisfactorily met.

If I am invited, when will the interviews take place?
There will be two separate sets of interview dates: February 24-25 & March 10-11.