The two types of assistantships are Teaching Assistantships (TA) and Research Assistantships (RA). Both appointments require that you work an average of 20 hours per week during the period of support.
Requirements for all assistantships
Your assistantship appointment requires that you study in the Mechanical Engineering Graduate Program, register as a full-time student (10 credits per quarter minimum during the autumn, winter and spring quarters and 2 credits during the summer quarter), maintain at least a 3.0 GPA, and perform satisfactorily in the duties of your assistantship appointment.
If you are a PhD student, you must pass the PhD Qualifying Examination successfully within the time limits. You are expected to attend any orientations and/or training sessions required for your position offered by the ME department and take safety seminar/workshop/training classes offered by UW Environmental Health and Safety if you will be working in laboratories. A list of training classes and online registration can be found at EH&S Training.
Academic Student Employees (ASEs), which include the above mentioned graduate student assistantship positions, are covered by the UAW/UW Academic Student Employee union contract. The union contract governs policies and procedures for appointments, salary, job definitions and leave time. You are encouraged to familiarize yourself with this contract.
Some, but not all, assistantships provide a tuition waiver and health insurance through the Graduate Appointee Insurance Program (GAIP). Your offer letter from the hiring department will confirm the length of employment, salary and benefits eligibility.
Finding a position
At the University of Washington, ASEs are hired directly by the employing department. Each department conducts its own individual hiring process and can let you know what is required to be considered for such positions.
Many departments hire their own students. Other departments – particularly those that do not have graduate students or administrative units that hire graduate students – will recruit widely for positions from relevant degree programs across campus.
Financial information
Assistantship appointments are paid at six different monthly rates depending on how far the student has progressed towards earning their degree. The continuation of funding support to students subject to satisfactory progress toward the degree and satisfactory performance of TA/RA duties.
The specific pay rate definitions are:
- Premasters
All Master's students who have not acquired 42 graded course credits at the UW. - Predoctoral I
All direct and traditional PhD students who have not passed the General Examination. - Predoctoral II
All PhD students who have passed the General Examination and have achieved Candidate status.
Tuition and fees
Eligible graduate student employees receive payment (tuition waiver) of the operating fee (both resident and non-resident portions), the building fee, and the technology fee. Students are responsible for any remaining fees of about $500 per quarter. The tuition waiver payment will be disbursed automatically at the beginning of each quarter.
To review the tuition rates for our PhD program, please view the table under Graduate Tier III tuition category on Tuition & Fees. For Master's degree program cost, please visit Cost and Fees.
Pay dates
Pay dates are bi-monthly, on the 10th and 25th of each month.