Assistantships and Traineeships

Teaching and graduate assistantship appointments are typically made by individual departments, usually on an annual basis. The minimum stipend for these assistantships is established by the GSEU. Research assistant awards are provided by departments and/or faculty members holding research grants or contracts.

Assistantships can be awarded to graduate students at a full or half-time work oblication. A full-time assistantship carries a 20-hour weekly work expectation, and a half-time assistanship carries a 10-hour weekly work expectation. In return for this commitment, students are paid a stipend and may also receive a full or partial tuition scholarship. Recipients are still responsible for school fees.

• A person appointed to a half or full-time assistantship should be a full-time matriculated graduate or professional student at UB so that they can devote their full attention to their graduate program.
• Every graduate student holding an assistantship must be in, and maintain, good academic standing. However, a student does not have to be full-time in order to be in good academic standing or to receive an assistantship.
• Any graduate student who holds a full-time or half-time TA, GA or RA position and is registered for nine or more graduate-level credits, is considered a full-time student.
• Ordinarily, it is expected that assistants will not hold jobs outside the university; the department chair may grant exceptions to this policy in cases of unusual economic necessity or other extraordinary circumstances.
• Teaching and graduate assistants on the state payroll are unionized at the University at Buffalo and receive benefits through their affiliation with the Graduate Student Employees Union (GSEU), including state-subsidized health insurance and a transportation fee waiver. The GSEU represents all teaching and graduate assistants at SUNY and negotiates your contract with New York State.
• The University at Buffalo is unable to provide tax advice; each student is responsible for determining how the tax law applies to their own situation. Please consult with a tax expert or contact the appropriate tax authority for the most up-to-date guidance on your taxes. Visit the Tax Information for UB Students page for more information.

For more information about policies regarding the award and use of graduate tuition scholarships, please see the General Guidelines for UB's Graduate Tuition Scholarship policy.

Traineeships are supported by federal training grants from agencies like NIH and NSF, and typically include tuition/fee remission, stipend and health insurance. They are awarded upon admission to a doctoral program. To inquire about traineeships, check with your graduate program.

Fully funded PhD students receive an assistantship upon admission. Funding packages include tuition, fee waiver and a stipend of at least $23,690 for 10-month appointments and $30,787 for 12-month appointments, effective fall 2025. Full-time, fully funded PhD students are eligible for central funding to cover the cost of broad-based fees charged in fall and spring semesters only. Covered fees include the comprehensive fee, academic excellence and success fee, student activity fee and the international student fee, where applicable. Read more about the Broad-Based Fee Coverage for Fully Funded PhD Students policy.