Research Assistantship and Graduate Appointment Management
Kissflow routes a graduate assistantship appointment through funding verification, department and graduate school approval, and appointment letter generation on one record, so a stipend, a tuition waiver, and a funding source agree with each other before a student starts work.
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A graduate assistantship bundles a stipend, a tuition waiver, a course load cap, and a funding source into one appointment letter, and every piece has to agree with the others before that letter goes out.
A PI wants to appoint a graduate student as a research assistant on a grant. That single appointment touches a stipend rate that has to match the funding source's allowable rate, a tuition waiver that has to be confirmed against the student's enrollment status, a course load cap the graduate school enforces so a funded student stays reasonably full-time, and a start date that has to line up with the grant's own budget period. Any one of those out of sync is the kind of thing an award audit or a Uniform Guidance effort-certification review catches later, not the kind of thing anyone wants to catch later.
Today that appointment usually starts as an email from the PI to the department, gets a stipend number attached somewhere in that thread, and reaches the graduate school for enrollment and course-load verification only after most of the decision has already been made informally. If the funding source changes, a grant renewal, a switch from a training grant to the PI's own award, the same verification has to happen again, often without anyone flagging that it needs to.
Kissflow builds this as a governed appointment workflow: a request that captures the funding source, stipend, and tuition waiver terms, department and graduate school review to verify enrollment status and course load, generation of the appointment letter once every piece checks out, and status tracking through the appointment period, with reappointment or funding-source changes routed through the same check.
What breaks when a GA appointment starts as an email
The stipend gets set before anyone verifies the funding
A rate gets agreed to informally before it's checked against what the funding source actually allows.
Enrollment status isn't confirmed until late
The graduate school's course-load and enrollment check often happens after the appointment is already assumed.
A funding-source change doesn't trigger re-verification
A grant renewal or a switch in funding source can carry an appointment forward without anyone re-checking the terms.
The appointment letter is the first documented record
Everything before the letter is an email thread, not a record an audit can point to.
Six modules. Built for terms that have to agree before day one.
Every module ships with default forms, routing, and dashboards. Configure each one to your appointment process in the visual builder.
Appointment request intake
Captures the funding source, stipend, tuition waiver terms, and proposed start date for the appointment.
Funding verification
Checks the stipend against what the funding source allows before the appointment moves forward.
Enrollment and course load check
Confirms the student's enrollment status and course load against graduate school policy.
Department and graduate school approval
Routes the appointment through department and graduate school sign-off with delegation for staff absences.
Appointment letter generation
Generates the appointment letter once funding, enrollment, and course load all check out.
Status tracking
Tracks the appointment through its period and flags reappointment or funding-source changes for re-verification.
From request to system of record in four steps
Submit
A PI or department submits the assistantship request with funding source and proposed terms.
Review
The stipend is checked against the funding source, and enrollment and course load are checked against policy.
Approve
The department and graduate school approve, and the appointment letter is generated.
Record
The appointment is recorded and tracked through its period, with any funding-source change routed back through verification.
What changes when GA appointments run on Kissflow
| Process | Before Kissflow | On Kissflow |
|---|---|---|
| Stipend terms | Agreed to informally by email | Checked against the funding source before appointment |
| Enrollment check | Happens after the appointment is assumed | Verified before the appointment letter is generated |
| Funding-source change | Can carry forward unverified | Automatically routes back through the same check |
| Approval | Scattered across department and grad school separately | One routed workflow through both |
| Appointment letter | The first documented record | The final step in a documented process |
| Appointment history | Reconstructed per audit | Retained and available on demand |
Connects to your SIS and grants management system
Kissflow does not replace your SIS, your grants and contracts financial system, or your HRIS. It is the appointment workflow that verifies funding and enrollment terms agree before a graduate student starts work.
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Built for terms that have to agree before day one
Funding checked before it's promised
A stipend rate is verified against the funding source before it reaches the student.
Enrollment and course load confirmed
Graduate school policy is checked as part of the appointment, not after it.
One workflow, two approvers
Department and graduate school sign off on the same record.
Funding changes trigger re-verification
A grant renewal or funding switch routes the appointment back through the check.
Live in weeks
The graduate school configures the request, verification, and approval flow in the visual builder.
Access limited by role
Appointment and stipend data stay restricted to the PI, department, and graduate school staff involved.
Related apps
Employee Hiring & Rate Card Processing Management System
The parallel rate-verification pattern for staff and adjunct hiring, distinct from a graduate assistantship's stipend and tuition-waiver structure.
Continuing / Non-Credit Education Enrollment
A different enrollment population; this app is scoped to degree-seeking graduate students on a funded appointment.
Faculty & Staff Onboarding & Credentialing Management System
Where a graduate appointee's broader onboarding, beyond the appointment terms themselves, is coordinated.
We help graduate schools verify an appointment's terms before the letter goes out
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Talk to usGot questions? We're here to help.
Get SupportNo. Your SIS remains the enrollment record and your grants system remains the financial system of record. Kissflow verifies that appointment terms agree with both before the letter is generated.
That app covers staff and adjunct hiring with an hourly or salaried rate card. This app is scoped to graduate assistantships, with a stipend, tuition waiver, and course load cap tied to enrollment status.
A funding-source change routes the appointment back through funding and enrollment verification before it continues.
Yes, as part of the same workflow that verifies funding, before the appointment letter is generated.
Yes, and it routes through department and graduate school approval before the appointment is finalized.
Yes, in the visual builder, with the AI Builder able to generate a starting workflow from a description of your appointment process.
Access is role-based, limited to the PI, department staff, and graduate school staff involved in a given appointment.
Yes. Kissflow is certified to SOC 1, SOC 2, SOC 3, and ISO/IEC 27001, and supports HECVAT review.
