RAs, TAs and Fellowships

If you accept an assistantship, you should understand that you are expected to exhibit a professional attitude toward your work and to take seriously your responsibility to ensure the proper conduct of the department's research and/or teaching functions. Each semester the faculty will evaluate your performance as a research assistant or teaching assistant. Poor performance may result in a warning or in termination of your assistantship. In addition to the satisfactory performance of your assigned duties as an RA or TA, your academic performance and progress are considered in the award/continuation of your graduate assistantship.

MIT Holidays

Research and teaching assistants observe normal Institute holidays and are entitled to two weeks of vacation with pay if their RA or TA appointments are for the full calendar year. RA and TAs must have their vacation schedules approved by their supervisors.

Stipends for RA, TA and Fellowship Appointments

If you are supported with a research assistantship, a teaching assistantship or an MIT fellowship, you will be notified by e-mail when your appointment has been processed. The Payroll Office and the Bursar's Office receive the same information at the same time.

The 2008-2009 School of Engineering monthly stipend rates for full-time research assistants are $2,077 (master's level) and $2,273 (doctoral level-after passing the general examination). The monthly stipend rate for a teaching assistantship is $2,100 (S.M. level) and $2,329 (doctoral level-after passing the general examination). Fellowship rates vary.

If you are receiving funding through MIT for the first time, you will need to complete several forms available from MIT's Human Resources Payroll Service Center website:

• W4 Tax Form-send by campus mail to the Payroll Office, Room NE49-3131
• Direct Deposit Form-send by campus mail to the Payroll Office
• I-9 Form-return to CEE headquarters, Room 1-290

Paychecks

Fellowship, RA and TA paychecks are issued at the end of the month. MIT requires all people receiving paychecks to use direct deposit for payroll payments. Fellowship students must also arrange for direct deposit. Unlike RAs and TAs, taxes are not deducted from fellowship awards, although the income is taxable.

If you do not already have direct deposit, please compete an authorization form available in the Student Services Center (Room 11-120) and return it either to the Payroll Office or to Student Services. If you do not have a bank account, we encourage you to open one at the MIT Credit Union.

The Institute recognizes that not all new students will have signed up for direct deposit in time for the first paycheck. Graduate students who have not yet signed up for direct deposit as of the Sept. 30 pay date must pick up their paychecks from the Payroll Office, NE49-3131, Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Graduate Student Policies and Procedures

The online "Graduate Student Policies and Procedures" publication will provide additional information.

Questions

Contact academic programs administrator Kris Kipp in Room 1-281 with questions about your RA or TA appointment.