Research Assistant (RA), Teaching Assistant (TA), and Instructor-G (IG) appointments are often part of a graduate student’s financial support. Full details about these funding types are available under Graduate appointments.
Only full-time graduate students who are candidates for advanced degrees may be appointed. A Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is required for all teaching assistants who are US citizens or permanent residents.
Employment eligibility
Student employees are not permitted to engage in RA, TA, or IG work without fully completing the I-9 process and must have an active appointment in MIT’s systems. This is visible to the student within the Atlas system.
Maximum units for Research Assistants and Teaching Assistants
A department or program may set a maximum number of units for which its student employees may register each term. As an exception, research and teaching assistants may register for one language subject, or in other subjects as listeners, without the units being counted against the maximum.
Military service members
Graduate students on active duty in the military are not permitted to receive salary through MIT. Active service personnel who are admitted to MIT for graduate work continue to receive their full military pay and are ineligible to receive additional payment.
