Minimum stipends for graduate student teaching, research, and project assistantship appointments will increase by 5% for 2026-27, continuing UW–Madison’s commitment to investing in graduate assistantships. The new minimums for graduate assistants appointed at 50% will be $30,614 per academic year for teaching assistants and $37,417 annually for research and project assistants.
Graduate Assistantships
UW–Madison minimum graduate assistant stipends will increase, consistent with multi-year commitment to stipend growth
Minimum annualized stipends for 50% graduate student teaching, research, and project assistantship appointments will be $35,636 for 2025-26, up from the current minimum of $32,396. This is part of a four-year stipend forecasting plan announced …
Four years of graduate assistantship minimum stipend increases planned
UW–Madison has committed to increasing minimum graduate student teaching, research, and project assistantship stipends for the next four years in a stipend forecasting plan sent last week to schools, colleges, departments, and graduate programs. Rather than setting minimum rates year-to-year, the new approach gives students, principal investigators, departments, programs, schools, and colleges the ability to budget for minimum salary increases several years into the future.
UW–Madison increases minimum graduate assistant stipends by 14 percent for 2024-2025
Minimum stipend amounts for graduate student teaching, research, and project assistants will increase by 14% for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Over the past 10 years, campus investments in graduate assistant stipends have resulted in a 79% increase in the minimum stipend for teaching assistants (TAs), a 52% increase in the minimum stipend for annual research assistants (RAs), and a 76% increase in the minimum stipend for annual project assistants (PAs).
UW–Madison to increase minimum graduate assistant stipends by 10 percent for 2023-24
Minimum stipend amounts for graduate student teaching, research, and project assistants will increase by 10% for the 2023-2024 academic year.
“This increase continues our investment in graduate assistants, who are integral to the university’s teaching and research missions,” said Graduate School Dean William J. Karpus.
UW–Madison to increase minimum graduate assistant stipends for 2022-23
Minimum stipend amounts for graduate assistants at UW–Madison will increase by three to four percent for the next academic year.
Changes to the minimum stipend rates for 2022-23 reflect a 4% increase for research assistants (RAs) and a 3% increase for teaching assistants (TAs), project assistants (PAs), and lecturer student assistants.
Minimum stipends for graduate assistants, fellows to remain the same in 2021-22
Due to budget challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s minimum stipend rates for graduate assistants and fellows will remain unchanged for the 2021-22 academic year.
Employment policy for research assistants available
Employment policy for research assistants (RAs) has been added to Graduate Assistantship Policies and Procedures (GAPP). Published in May 2019 with initial focus on teaching assistantships (TA) and project assistantships (PA), GAPP outlines policies for appointment letters, orientation and training, leave benefits, grievance procedure, and more.
UW–Madison increases minimum stipends for TAs, PAs, and LSAs
UW–Madison has announced another round of pay increases for graduate student project assistants (PAs), teaching assistants (TAs), and lecturer-student assistants (LSAs). PAs will see an 11.7 percent increase in minimum stipend levels over the current …
UW–Madison formalizes graduate assistantship policy, continues investment in graduate assistants
A new policy document provides formal guidance on employment-related matters for graduate student teaching and project assistants and their supervisors. Consistent with university values of shared decision making, the document comes out of a two-year collaborative process involving graduate students, faculty, staff, and administration.