Financial Assistance

TEACHING ASSISTANTS, COURSE ASSISTANTS, RESEARCH ASSISTANTS & GRADERS

The generic term teaching assistant includes a variety of positions defined by the university. Almost all appointments for Teaching Assistants in the EE Department are officially "Course Assistants" as defined by the university. A Course Assistant (CA) is a graduate or coterminal student who works part time helping an instructor with a class. The CA's responsibilities can include office hours for individual student assistance, review or study sessions, occasional lectures, preparation of assignments, grading exams and projects, and solutions. A CA for a laboratory class may also be responsible for laboratory supervision, equipment, or demonstrations.

Eligibility

By University regulations a CA must have graduate standing or be a coterminal student with at least 180 units completed. The CA appointments are not restricted to EE students, but priority is given to EE and CS students.

A student with TGR status can be appointed as a CA; however no matter which percent appointment is held ONLY the TGR fee will be paid. Any units taken will be at the CA's own expense.

The position of CA usually refers to a students deemed fully qualified by the department in terms of background, experience, language skills. In some cases, CA appointments may be made at lower salaries for students without full qualifications for limited responsibilities in assisting courses.

Matriculated Stanford graduate students may be appointed as Research Assistants. Co-terminal students who have completed 180 units in prior quarters are also eligible and may receive the accompanying tuition grant. Honors Co-op students are not eligible for CA/TA/RA appointments. Students must be registered during any quarter in which they hold an appointment

Non-matriculated students, graduates-at-large and undergraduates are not normally eligible for CA and RA appointments and are never eligible for tuition credit. Information on CA, RA, and grader appointments can be obtained through the EE Student Servives Office. 

Registration

All students holding assistantships must be registered for a minimum of 8 units and not more than 10 units in every quarter in which the assistantship appointment is held. The Department will not distribute assistantship checks until registration has been verified by a current-quarter student body card.

Percentage of Appointment

The normal assistantship appointment is for 25% or 50% time. Appointments for more than this percentage, or two concurrent appointments totaling more than 50% during the academic year, require the PRIOR approval of each of the following:

1. Department Chair
2. Dean of the School of Engineering

Recommendations for such appointments should indicate academic progress of student and anticipated degree completion date; students must have been admitted to candidacy. Approval will be granted only when such an appointment will not interfere with progress to their degree and will normally not be granted for more than a one-year maximum.

Summer Appointments

The maximum summer quarter assistantship provided is 90%, and this appointment includes three units of tuition allowance (or TGR). Unless they are TGR, students with a 90% assistantship must enroll in 1-3 units of research, directed study, or course work.

Students with 90% appointments who are eligible to register TGR should enroll in the usual TGR course; 801/802.

Work in Addition to Appointment or Fellowship

Students on full fellowship or 50%-time assistantship may work only an additional 8 hours a week. NOTE: International students on F or J visas may not work more than 50% time.

Graders

Grader assignments are available with payment on an hourly basis. Graders are appointed by the Instructor with the approval of the EE Student Services Office. There are no tuition grants available with grader jobs. The hourly rate of pay for graders is as follows:

The number of hours per week depends on class size. It is the department's policy to provide 15 minutes of support per student per homework assignment.

A list of classes needing graders is posted each quarter to the EEWeb site. Contact the instructors listed directly regarding appointment. See http://www-ee.stanford.edu/ta/grader.html for Grader Applications. Contact the course instructor listed on the application regarding the appointment.  Submit completed and approved grader applicaiton form to the EE Student Services Office.

Teaching Assistants

Most teaching assistants carry a 50% appointment and work about 20 hours per week. The Department also offers 25% (10 hours per week) and 10% (4 hours per week) appointments.

2012-2013 Academic Year TA Rates: Quarterly Salary (Effective October 1, 2012)

The rates for Course Assistants deemed fully qualified by the EE department are listed below. In a few cases students not having full qualifications may be appointed for limited duties at a lower salary determined by the department. The quaterly salaries are subject to withholding tax.

Because of the shortened summer quarter, summer Assistants receive 80% of the listed stipend.

Research Assistants

A typical Research Assistantship appointment is from October 1 to June 30. A 50% RA is expected to work 20 hours per week on research, averaged over each three-month quarter. Breaks between quarters can be used as vacations as long as the RA maintains an average of 20 hours per week during the appointment. The salary and tuition scale for EE Research Assistants is listed below. The scale for RA's employed by other departments may vary.

2012-2013 Academic Year RA Rates (Effective October 1, 2012)

Maximum units of tuition per qtr 8-10 Maximum units of register per qtr 8-10 Percent of Time on RA 50% Pre-Quals ($/mo) $8,208 ($1,368/per pay period) Post Quals* ($/mo) $8,808 ($1,425/per pay period) *Students must first be admitted to candidacy, as outlined in the EE Graduate Handbook, in order to receive the Post-Quals rate. During the academic year, a maximum appointment is 50%.

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