Ph.D. Assistantships

Graduate School Ph.D. assistantship stipends (“service stipends”) are merit-based stipends provided in return for service. Recipients of assistantships are appointed as either research assistants, teaching assistants or teaching associates.

Students may be appointed to a Graduate School Ph.D. assistantship for a full academic year (August through May) or for a single semester. Students holding a Graduate School assistantship appointment in one semester of an academic year may be appointed to a Graduate School fellowship in the other. Students are not permitted to receive both a Graduate School assistantship and a Graduate School fellowship award concurrently in the same semester.

Please review the Recipient Obligations Statement posted on the Financial Support Policies page for detailed information on policies and procedures for assistantship awards.

Topics covered:

Stipend Details

Ph.D. Stipend Rate (Academic Year 2023-2024): $38,000

  • Fall Semester (August – December): $19,000
  • Spring Semester (January – May): $19,000
  • Summer Semester: Assistants who are appointed as instructors of record during summer school sessions shall receive a minimum rate of $5,150 per course*

*Some academic programs may independently provide a summer stipend. Please contact your program for more information.

Restrictions

  • Ph.D. assistantships occupy up to 15 hours per week. Students may assume a secondary hourly role or clerical student position up to 5 hours per week. Graduate students may not exceed a combined total of 20 hours a week working at Georgetown.
  • Students may exceed the 20 hour weekly cap* only during periods when classes are not in session (e.g., Winter Break, Spring Break, etc.)
    • Winter Break begins Thursday, December 21, 2023 and ends Tuesday, January 9, 2024.
    • Spring Break begins Saturday, March 2, 2024 and ends Sunday, March 10, 2024.
    • Summer Break begins Thursday, May 16, 2024 and ends Sunday, August 18, 2024.

* Students may exceed the 20 hour weekly cap unless there is a visa-related restriction applicable to international students. International students should meet with the Tax Department to complete their tax forms.

Requirements

  • Students must make satisfactory progress toward a Graduate School degree, as determined by their academic program and the Graduate School.
  • Ph.D. students are required to be enrolled full-time as a condition of their assistantship award.
  • Ph.D. students commit to 15 hours of service per week for their assistantship award.

Unsatisfactory degree progress or violations of academic integrity may result in termination of your assistantship stipend and retroactive revocation of any scholarship for the current semester. In other words, you may become responsible for the full tuition and fees for that semester.

Payment Schedule

Pay cycle: Biweekly

Payment Dates: See the Biweekly Payroll Calendar here.

  • Fall-only stipend: biweekly payments between the months of September and the beginning of January
  • Spring-only stipend: biweekly payments between the months of January and the beginning of May
  • Full academic year: biweekly payments between the months of September and the beginning of May

Taxes and IDs

  • All Ph.D. assistantship recipients must have a valid U.S. Social Security number. If you do not have one, you must apply for one in order to receive payment.
  • International students should go to the Office of Global Services (OGS) website to learn about obtaining a social security number.
  • International students should also meet with the Tax Department to complete your tax forms. See the Tax Office website to prepare for the meeting.
  • Assistantships are reported each year by the university to both the recipient and to the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as taxable income on Form W-2.
  • W-2s are distributed by the Payroll Office. Electronic W-2s are also available in the Georgetown Management System (GMS).

Paperwork

All students must complete the following when starting a Ph.D. assistantship for the first time (and have not worked at Georgetown). Georgetown University cannot hire and pay students without Form I-9 and a valid social security number.

Form I-9 (with appropriate documentation)

Federal Tax Information

  • The student should submit this information in GMS.

Direct Deposit

  • The student should submit this information in GMS.