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Funding Opportunities for SAA MA Students

Students in the Student Affairs Administration MA Program typically enroll as full-time students and take nine (9) credits per semester across two (2) years. To cover the costs of the program, students may seek out various sources of financial aid such as graduate assistantships, hourly work, and scholarships. The Ann Marie Bolger Memorial Scholarship (explained below) is also available on a competitive basis to one or more incoming first-year students. 

Graduate Assistantships

Graduate assistantships are competitive student employment opportunities offered by various departments across the university. Students interview for these opportunities with the assistance of the SAA MA program after they have been admitted. Stipends and benefits depend on the specific assistantship.

Graduate assistantships generally include the following benefits: 

Visit the MSU Human Resources website for more information on graduate assistantship benefits. An estimation for tuition can be calculated on the MSU Financial Aid website. 

*Note: graduate assistantships only cover standard graduate tuition for up to nine (9) credits, therefore students with assistantships are responsible for paying additional student fees, taxes, and tuition beyond the standard graduate tuition rate.

Students who are admitted to the SAA MA Program are invited to apply and interview for open graduate assistantships during the spring semester preceding their first term as an SAA MA student at MSU. Prospective students cannot apply for graduate assistantships until they have been admitted.

Graduate Assistantship Partners

Graduate assistantships are available for both new and continuing students. SAA MA students have held assistantships in a number of departments on campus, including:

Hourly Work

Various offices across the university hire SAA MA students for hourly work. These experiences have included working with Women*s Student Services, the Gender and Sexuality Campus Center, and the Center for Community Engaged Learning, among others. Domestic students who already work twenty (20) hours per week in a graduate assistantship may work a maximum of nine (9) additional hours per week. International students may have additional restrictions and should consult the Office for International Students and Scholars Work on Campus webpage. Opportunities for hourly work are often circulated on the SAA MA listserv. 

Ann Marie Bolger Memorial Scholarship in Student Affairs

The Ann Marie Bolger Memorial Scholarship is awarded on an annual basis to one or more incoming SAA master’s students who best exemplify the qualities required for outstanding work in the profession of student affairs.  

Criteria for the scholarship include:  
  • Admitted to the Student Affairs Administration Master’s Program;
  • Evidence of academic excellence;
  • Evidence of contribution to peer learning (e.g., service as a mentor, peer advisor or educator, student government leader, resident advisor, etc.); and
  • Evidence of commitment to the profession of student affairs (e.g., participation in conferences and clear professional goals).
Application process:

By March 1, 11:59 pm ET, applicants should send a resume and an essay, no longer than 800 words, addressing how their experiences and aspirations meet the above criteria. Materials should be emailed to the SAA Program Coordinator, Dr. Patricia Marin, at pmarin@msu.edu, with the subject line “Bolger Scholarship.” Only complete applications received by the deadline will be considered.

Additional Funding Resources

Additional MSU funding resources are listed below: