Can an RA or TA work above and beyond 20 hours per week at another job?

Can an RA or TA also serve as a graduate resident assistant?

I'm registered in one department but wish to teach in another, where the stipend is higher. Can I be paid the higher stipend?

I have an RA appointment. Am I eligible for vacation?

Does my RA cover my health benefits?

Can a graduate student on active duty in the military apply for an RA or TA appointment?

Can an RA or TA work above and beyond 20 hours per week at another job?

A full time (100 percent) TA or RA at MIT is defined as 20 hours of work per week. A student who is a US citizen or a permanent resident who applies to work in addition to their RA or TA will be limited to 10 hours work per week while school is in session. Usually, approval is routine for a few hours of work within the student housing system or the MIT Libraries. Other requests receive closer scrutiny by the ODGE.

Students holding RA or TA appointments (part time or full time) may not be employed simultaneously at MIT on any non-student payroll.

Regulations for international students are stricter due to US immigration laws. International students holding full time RA or TA positions are not permitted to work additional hours while school is in session. US immigration rules are very clear on this point, are highly restrictive, and permit MIT no flexibility. It should be noted that summer and Independent Activities Period (IAP) are not considered periods of regular enrollment for immigration purposes. During those times only, international students may work in addition to a full time RA or TA. Contact the International Students Office for more information.

Can an RA or TA also serve as a graduate resident assistant?

Yes, as long as you are a US citizen or permanent resident.

International students holding full time RA or TA positions cannot serve as a graduate resident assistant at the same time. Already at the legally prescribed limit for employment, international students cannot take on any other work that offers remuneration of any kind, including compensation-in-kind such as room and board.

I'm registered in one department but wish to teach in another, where the stipend is higher. Can I be paid the higher stipend?

Your department of registration has the right to insist that you be paid at its own rate. Such a policy discourages students from shopping around for higher stipends and preserves your department's prerogative to equalize graduate student stipend rates.

I have an RA appointment. Am I eligible for vacation?

All students appointed to RA and TA positions are entitled to observe normal Institute holidays. If you have a 12-month RA appointment, you are entitled to two weeks of paid vacation. However, your vacation schedule must be approved by your research advisor.

For those with shorter appointments (typically nine months during the academic year, or three months during the summer), vacation time, if any, must be negotiated with your supervisor. It is likely that stipends will not be paid for the period that you are away.

Does my RA cover my health benefits?

Students who are supported by NIH traineeships, typically in the Departments of Biology or Chemistry, have their student health insurance fee covered, but must pay extended hospitalization coverage.

Currently, students in a typical RA or TA must pay their own student health insurance fee from their stipend income.

Can a graduate student on active duty in the military apply for an RA or TA appointment?

You may apply for the appointment, but are most likely not permitted to receive the stipend. Active service personnel who are admitted to MIT for graduate work continue to receive their full military pay. Thus, they are ineligible to receive additional payment from any federally funded research contract or other federal funding resource administered by MIT. If the RA is industry funded, then it may be appropriate to negotiate a stipend supplement; however, this would be considered on a case-by-case basis.