UW–Madison minimum graduate assistant stipends to increase by 5 percent
Minimum stipends for graduate student teaching, research, and project assistantship appointments will increase by 5% for 2026-27.
Graduate education at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
Minimum stipends for graduate student teaching, research, and project assistantship appointments will increase by 5% for 2026-27.
Minimum annualized stipends for 50% graduate student teaching, research, and project assistantship appointments will be $35,636 for 2025-26.
UW–Madison has committed to increasing minimum graduate assistantship stipends for the next four years in a stipend forecasting plan.
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).
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.
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.
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 (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 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 year’s rate, TAs a 2.5 percent increase, and LSAs a 20.8 percent increase. “Stipend increases over the past several years …
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.