The most common forms of financial support for graduate students at Arizona State University are graduate research and teaching assistantships. Assistantships carry a monthly compensatory stipend for services rendered, include activities that are relevant to each student’s own program of study, and contribute to ASU’s teaching and research effort. Each department publishes assistantship opportunities. Assistants must be enrolled for a minimum of six credit hours each semester (audit hours do not count towards the six hour minimum); appointments can range from ten to twenty hours a week. Stipend amounts can vary according to the responsibilities of the position. Students who are non-residents and hold an assistantship normally pay tuition at the resident rate.

There are two assistantship categories:

Teaching assistants (T.A.) have a primary responsibility in an instructional capacity. Services provided by a graduate teaching assistant may include lecturing, leading discussion groups, serving as assistants to laboratory classes, and grading tests and papers.

Research assistants (R.A.) are selected for excellence in scholarship and promise as researchers. They perform part-time research as a portion of their training under the direct supervision of regular faculty members.

Applications for graduate teaching/research assistantships are available at the Graduate College.

T.A./R.A. Out-of-State Tuition Scholarships The Graduate College may award tuition scholarships for eligible, nonresident graduate students regularly admitted and enrolled for at least six credit hours in master’s and doctoral programs and who hold teaching or research assistantship positions of at least 25 percent time each semester. Please contact Heather Freireich at 480-965-5096 of heather.freireich@asu.edu for further information.

Graduate Assistantships for master's students and Graduate Associateships for doctoral students may include a stipend for the academic year. These packages may also include a waiver of out-of-state tuition, a partial remission of in-state tuition and health insurance.