Texas A&M University Graduate and Professional School

Graduate Assistantship

Assistantships include a stipend, coverage of tuition and fees, and health insurance. Most assistantships are awarded by the department to which you are applying, but some are offered on Jobs for Aggies.

Benefits of a Graduate Assistantship

Professional Development
Provides essential skills and career-relevant experience based on assistantship type​
Health Insurance
Available to graduate students working at 50% FTE (20 hours/week) for a minimum of 4.5 months are eligible to participate in a TAMUS employee insurance program
Tuition and Fee Coverage
University-mandated payment of tuition and required fees for PhD students in GAT, GAR, and GAL positions
Non-Resident Tuition Waiver (NRTW)
Covers Graduate Assistants (GAT, GAR, GAL, GANT) and their spouse/dependents. Allows payment of in-state tuition rates​ (must be requested each semester).

Types of Assistantships

Graduate Assistant Teaching (GAT)​ With a Graduate Assistant Teaching (GAT) position, you have the opportunity to administer or assist with instructional assignments and interact directly with students.

Depending on the needs of your advisor, you might:​

  • Offer classroom and laboratory instruction​
  • Assist a faculty instructor in teaching sessions​
  • Tutor or hold office hours​
  • Grade student work​

These assistantships are typically extended by your department along with your offer of admission.​

Graduate Assistant Research (GAR)​ As a GAR, you'll be hired by a research supervisor or Principal Investigator (PI)—usually a faculty member—to assist on a research project.

 The research you perform will likely be related to your own research focus, dissertation, or thesis, and may or may not be externally funded.​

This position is ideal if you excel at:​

  • Conducting research​
  • Collecting, coding, and analyzing data​
  • Writing materials for review or presentation​

These assistantships are typically extended by your department along with your offer of admission.​

Graduate Assistant Lecturer (GAL)​ GAL positions are available to doctoral students whose credentials qualify them to serve as instructors of undergraduate courses.

GALs are typically in the final years of their graduate program and report to the department head or supervisor of instructors.​

GAL responsibilities may include:​

  • Full classroom instruction of courses​
  • Generating, proctoring, and evaluating assignments and examinations​
  • Evaluating student performance and assigning grades​
  • Holding office hours and consulting with students​
  • All other instructional duties as assigned by the supervisor​

These assistantships are typically extended by your department

Graduate Assistant Non-Teaching (GANT) The GANT position is the most flexible type of graduate assistantship.

GANT responsibilities do not involve teaching, instructional support, academic programs, or primary research assistance.​

Instead, GANT duties vary widely and may include:​

  • Performing programmatic duties in non-academic units​
  • Assisting with administrative tasks in various settings​
  • Other non-teaching and non-curricular responsibilities​

Most assistantships are awarded by the department to which you are applying, though some positions are posted on the Jobs for Aggies employment site.

GA Registration Requirements

Learn about the registration requirements related to graduate assistantships.

GA Tuition & Stipend Support​

Learn about the tuition and stipend support related to graduate assistantships.

An instructor lectures from a podium while students take notes in a full classroom with a projected slide visible.

Graduate Assistant Benefits and Requirements

For more information on GA titles and their corresponding requirements and benefits, visit the Graduate Assistant Requirements and Benefits page.

Graduate Assistantships FAQS

Where can I learn about Graduate Assistant opportunities?
Graduate students can contact their faculty or advising office for assistantship inquiries within or outside of the department. In addition, graduate students can visit Jobs For Aggies for additional employment opportunities across campus.  Employers are not required to post Graduate Assistantship positions on Jobs For Aggies but many departments still use this as a mechanism for sharing open positions.
I am a prospective Graduate Student looking at Graduate Assistantship opportunities. What are some questions I should ask employing departments?
What are the requirements to hold a Graduate Assistantship?
  • All Graduate Assistants must meet the Graduate Assistantship registration requirements by the census date. Texas A&M University does not mandate assistantships be terminated upon failure to maintain GA enrollment requirements after the census date. However, assistantships may be terminated by the employer/supervisor upon failure to maintain enrollment requirements after the census date.
  • In addition, students serving in a Graduate Assistant Teaching (GAT) capacity for the first time must participate in the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) Teaching Assistant Institute (TAI) which is a component of the Teaching Assistant Training and Evaluation Program (TATEP).
  • Finally, the State of Texas requires that international graduate students demonstrate English Language Proficiency (ELP) before serving in a teaching capacity. At TAMU, this requirement applies for an international student employed at any percent effort in a GAT or GAL title. In some cases, international students can submit an Emergency one-time semester deferral of ELP certification.