Assistantships

Assistantships are paid positions that provide opportunities to gain valuable research, teaching, or administrative experience while helping offset the cost of graduate study. Depending on the position, compensation may include a salary or hourly wages and, in some cases, tuition credits or tuition exemption.

Assistantship responsibilities, time commitments, and compensation vary by position. The following guidelines apply to most assistantships at Teachers College.

Assistantship Basics

You may work up to 27 hours per week across all assistantship positions.
If your assistantship includes tuition credits or tuition exemption as part of your compensation, the amount will be reflected in your financial aid offer.
You will receive regular paychecks according to the Teachers College payroll schedule.
Tuition credits included as part of your assistantship cannot be converted to salary or added to your wages if you do not need them.
Salary and wages earned through an assistantship are taxable income and must be reported on your tax return, unless otherwise specified.
Research Assistants (RAs) and Teaching Assistants (TAs) may not hold other non-exempt student employment, such as Administrative Fellow (AF), Course Assistant (CA), Interim Student (IS), or Federal Work-Study (FWS), during their appointment as an RA or TA. If you are offered an assistantship, you must discontinue any non-exempt employment for the applicable period.

Research Assistantships (RA)

Research Assistants (RAs) perform academically relevant research under the direction of faculty or instructional staff in exchange for salary and tuition credits.

You must be enrolled at least half-time during the semester(s) in which you hold an RA position.
Fall and Spring RAs generally work 115-20 hours per week for 15 weeks.
Summer RAs generally work 18.75-25 hours per week for up to 12 weeks.
Compensation generally ranges from $3,712 to $4,950 per semester, depending on the level of work required. Grant-funded positions may range from $4,500 to $9,000 per semester.
You may receive up to nine tuition points per academic year, with a maximum of three points per semester.

Teaching Assistantships (TA)

Teaching Assistants (TAs) support faculty with instructional activities in exchange for salary and tuition credits.

You must be enrolled at least half-time during the semester(s) in which you hold an TA position.
Fall and Spring TAs generally work 115-20 hours per week for 15 weeks.
Summer TAs generally work 18.75-25 hours per week for up to 12 weeks.
Compensation generally ranges from $3,712 to $4,950 per semester, depending on the level of work required.
You may receive up to nine tuition points per academic year, with a maximum of three points per semester.

Administrative Fellowships (AF)

Administrative Fellows (AFs) perform administrative services in exchange for a bi-weekly paycheck and tuition exemption credits.

You must be enrolled at least half-time during the semester(s) in which you hold an AF position.
Fall and Spring AFs generally work 15–20 hours per week for 15 weeks.
Summer AFs generally work 18.75–25 hours per week for up to 12 weeks.
Compensation is $18 per hour.
You may receive up to nine tuition points per academic year, with a maximum of three points per semester, through tuition exemption.
AF positions may be held concurrently with other non-exempt student employment positions, including Course Assistant (CA), Interim Student (IS), and Federal Work-Study (FWS) positions, as long as the combined hours across all positions do not exceed 27 hours per week.

Federal tax regulations generally require employees to pay taxes on graduate tuition exemption benefits exceeding $5,250 per calendar year. Employees using tuition exemption benefits for their own graduate-level education at Teachers College should refer to the Tuition Exemption for Employees policy for additional information.

Course Assistantships (CA)

Course Assistants (CAs) work closely with faculty members to provide academically relevant support for individual courses.

You must be a Teachers College student enrolled at least half-time in TC courses during the semester in which you hold a CA position.
During the Fall and Spring semesters, you may work a maximum of 4.5 hours per week per course.
During the Summer semester, you may work a maximum of 10 hours per week.
Compensation is $18 per hour.
Course Assistant positions do not include tuition credits
CA positions may be held concurrently with other non-exempt student employment positions, including Administrative Fellow (AF), Interim Student (IS), and Federal Work-Study (FWS) positions, as long as the combined hours across all positions do not exceed 27 hours per week.

Visit the On-Campus Student Employment website to search and apply for available assistantship positions.

You can also work with TC Next for career coaching services, including career exploration, résumé and cover letter reviews, and mock interviews.