Graduate student research assistants are part-time employees of the university who are paid to assist faculty in conducting research. Graduate research assistants must be enrolled for at least six credit hours of classes and must work in their assistantships at least 10, but no more than 20 hours per week.

For budgeting purposes, and assigning effort on grants for graduate students, 20 hours per week is considered 100% of effort. The full amount of tuition associated with each graduate research assistant should be requested from the external sponsor.

In addition to receiving a salary, non-South Carolina residents who are graduate assistants are eligible to receive the in-state rate for tuition. In-state graduate student tuition rates are available on the Bursar's Office website. UofSC Policy ACAF 4.00 [pdf] governs tuition for graduate assistants. 

For information on the minimum and maximum tuition rates see the Graduate Studies Bulletin. Click on the Academic Personnel Policies link and scroll down to Graduate Assistants. The minimum stipend is $1200 per semester, $600 per summer course and the maximum stipend cannot exceed the amount paid to a first year postdoctoral fellow in the academic unit.