Assistantships

The George Washington University has two types of assistantships for graduate students: Graduate Assistantships (GAs) and Graduate Research Assistantships (GRAs).

  • Graduate Assistants (GAs) are graduate students appointed to carry out activities such as teaching, light research, or administrative duties directly related to their programs of study. 
  • Graduate Research Assistants (GRAs) are graduate students who are employed by the university to assist professors with their research. 

Assistant­ship awards are usually made for the full academic year (but can also be one semester only). Responsibilities vary among departments, but work must average no more than 20 hours per week and may include assisting teaching, grading papers, or teaching laboratory sec­tions, assisting with writing grants, and some research or administrative assistance related to the students’ academic programs, as examples. 

All Graduate Assistants (GAs and GRAs) are paid a graduate salary. Assistant­ship salary payments may vary by school, department, or sponsored project and include: payment for providing teaching, research, or administrative assistance related to the awardees’ academic program. Some GAs also receive stipend fellowships and/or tuition fellowships. These fellowships do not require additional service and are merit awards.

How to Obtain an Assistantship Position

All assistantships are offered and managed directly by departments. If you are interested in obtaining an assistantship, please reach out to your department to inquire about current assistantship availabilities.

Assistantship Policies