Teaching Assistantships: Responsibilities, Funding and How to Apply

Teaching assistantships are paid university appointments in which graduate students help teach undergraduate courses, typically in exchange for a stipend and, at many institutions, some form of tuition support. For many master’s and doctoral students they’re a main source of funding. They’re also a first, supervised experience of teaching at university level.

The details are anything but standard. Duties, pay, tuition arrangements, benefits and hours are set by each university, and often by each department. Some are shaped by collective bargaining agreements or state rules as well. This guide explains the common structures and the questions that matter. Your offer letter and your department are the authorities on your own terms.

Not the same as a school teaching-assistant job

The phrase “teaching assistant” covers two very different jobs, and search results often mix them up.

University teaching assistantships compared with school teaching-assistant jobs

University teaching assistantships compared with school teaching-assistant jobs

Consideration	Graduate teaching assistantship	School teaching assistant (K–12)
Who holds it	A graduate student enrolled at the university	An employee of a school or district, often called a paraprofessional or teacher aide
Setting	University courses, labs and discussion sections	Elementary, middle or high school classrooms
Purpose	Supports teaching while funding graduate study	Supports a classroom teacher and students as a job in its own right
How pay works	Commonly a stipend, often with tuition support; terms vary by institution	Wages set by the school or district
Requirements	Admission to a graduate program, plus any department requirements	Set by state and district; may include certification

This guide is about the university kind. If you’re interested in supporting young learners, our guide to mentoring kids through STEM may be more useful.

What the work involves

A teaching assistant, or TA, usually works under a faculty member who is responsible for the course. Common duties include:

• Leading discussion or recitation sections, where you review material and work through problems with a smaller group.
• Running laboratory sessions, including safety briefings and supervising experiments.
• Grading homework, lab reports, quizzes and exams, often from a rubric the instructor provides.
• Holding office hours for students who need extra help.
• Course administration, such as managing the course website, proctoring exams or answering student email.

In some departments, experienced graduate students teach a course themselves as the instructor of record. That’s a different level of responsibility, and it may come under a different title and different terms.

An invented teaching example of one week: a TA for an introductory chemistry course leads two lab sections, holds two hours of office hours, attends the weekly lecture and a short TA meeting with the instructor, and grades one set of lab reports. The weekly load is predictable until exam week, when grading peaks. Real assignments vary widely, so ask what a typical week looks like in the course you’d support.

How the money usually works

Assistantship packages often combine several parts. Each one is defined by your institution and your offer, so treat this list as a set of questions to ask, not a description of what you’ll get.

• Stipend. Regular pay for the appointment, often expressed per semester, per academic year or as a monthly amount. Check whether summer is included.
• Tuition support. Some assistantships include a full or partial tuition waiver, remission or scholarship. Others don’t. Ask exactly which charges are covered.
• Fees. Mandatory university fees may or may not be covered, even when tuition is.
• Health insurance. Some institutions provide or subsidize health coverage for graduate assistants. Check what’s included and for whom.
• Appointment length. One semester, one year, or a multi-year package that renews if you make satisfactory progress.

Taxes

In the United States, the IRS explains in Publication 970 that the part of a scholarship or fellowship representing “payment for teaching, research, or other services required as a condition for receiving the scholarship” can’t be excluded from income. In other words, pay for TA work is generally taxable. The same publication describes a qualified tuition reduction for graduate students who perform teaching or research activities for their institution, which can be treated differently. How these rules apply depends on your situation. This is general information, not tax advice, so check with your institution’s payroll office or a qualified tax professional.

Workload and your own studies

Assistantships are usually described as a fraction of full-time work or as an expected number of hours per week. That figure is set by your institution, and sometimes by a collective bargaining agreement, so check your offer rather than relying on what’s common elsewhere.

Hours are an average. Grading spikes around exams, and lab courses can be front-loaded with preparation. If you’re also taking courses or starting research, ask current TAs how they manage the busiest weeks.

International students should check with their international student office how an assistantship interacts with their visa. Rules on campus employment are specific, and this guide doesn’t try to summarize them. This is general information, not immigration advice.

Finding and applying for a position

At many universities, assistantships are offered alongside graduate admission. You may be considered automatically, or you may need to tick a box or submit a short statement. Elsewhere, TA positions are advertised by departments each term. Look at:

1. The admissions and funding pages of each program you apply to.
2. Departmental postings for TA positions, including in other departments that need TAs for large introductory courses.
3. The graduate school’s website, for any university-wide rules on assistantships.

If a department interviews TA candidates, our guide to teaching assistantship interview questions covers what to expect, and the TA interview prep sheet helps you prepare examples.

Evaluating an offer

Before you accept, make sure you can answer each of these from your offer letter or from the department in writing.

Teaching assistantship offer checklist

Teaching assistantship offer checklist

Question	Why it matters	Where to find the answer
What are the duties?	Sections, labs, grading and instructor-of-record roles differ greatly in workload	Offer letter; ask the department or current TAs
How many hours are expected?	Affects your coursework and research time	Offer letter; graduate school policies
What is the stipend, and for which months?	Summer may not be included	Offer letter
Which tuition and fees are covered?	Uncovered fees can be substantial	Offer letter; bursar or graduate school
Is health insurance included?	A major cost if not covered	Offer letter; benefits office
How long is it guaranteed, and what are the renewal conditions?	Multi-year packages often depend on academic progress	Offer letter; program handbook
What training is provided?	Good preparation makes the first term much easier	Department or teaching center

You can work through these questions, and record the answers, with the teaching assistantship offer checklist.

If you’re also weighing a research assistantship or a fellowship, see teaching vs research assistantships and scholarship vs fellowship vs assistantship. Our pillar on scholarships and fellowships covers other funding.

Timing your decision

The Council of Graduate Schools publishes the April 15 Resolution, an agreement among its signatory graduate schools. It says students admitted for the upcoming fall term “are under no obligation to accept or decline offers of financial support prior to April 15.” It covers offers of full tuition support, fellowships, traineeships and assistantships, not offers of admission alone. Only schools that have signed it are bound, and CGS asks signatories to include a copy or link with their offers, so check whether yours does. Accepting an offer is treated as an agreement both sides are expected to honor. If you accept and later change your mind, the resolution says you must inform the program in writing that you’re withdrawing.

Building teaching skills

Many universities run a center for teaching and learning with workshops for new TAs, and some departments require training before your first term. Use them. Keep a simple teaching record as you go: the courses you supported, what you did and any feedback you received. It’s useful if you later apply for teaching roles.

When it may not be the right fit

An assistantship may not suit you if your research needs your full attention at a critical stage, if another source such as a fellowship or research assistantship funds you without teaching duties, or if the duties on offer don’t match your skills. It’s reasonable to ask a department whether other funding is available. It’s also reasonable to accept a TA role as one stage of a longer funding plan.

Common questions

Will I be teaching on my own?

Usually not at first. Most TAs support a faculty member’s course. Some departments later offer experienced graduate students their own course to teach.

Can I negotiate an offer?

Sometimes. Departments differ in how much flexibility they have. A polite question about a specific item, such as summer funding or fees, is more likely to get a useful answer than a general request.

Are teaching assistants unionized?

At some universities, graduate assistants are represented by a union, and a collective bargaining agreement sets some terms of the appointment. Whether that applies to you depends entirely on your institution. The graduate school or the union itself can tell you.

A practical next step

Take each assistantship offer you’ve received, or each program you’re applying to, and fill in the offer checklist above. Any row you can’t answer is your list of questions for the department.