On some campuses, the TA community is demanding greater compensation and benefits essentially asking to be treated as employees rather than students. Recently, TAs at the University of California Berkeley unionized to negotiate better working conditions. Research assistantships give students the opportunity to work under the direct supervision of a professor as part of a research project. Duties can include lab, clerical, or computer work and generally involve working a maximum of 20 hours a week. RAs receive a salary and benefits as if they were university employees.
Professors leading the research team handpick RAs based on their potential.
Schools offer assistantships to attract the best and brightest students to their programs, so they tend to be very competitive. Back to the top Grants Fellowships and scholarships are available to students in all disciplines, and they are sponsored by colleges and a broad range of organizations and institutions. Grants, which are based on merit and financial need, never have to be repaid. Colleges award them to attract the smartest and most talented students. Fellowships offered by organizations are often allocated in monthly stipends and can usually be used at any university.