40 Graduate Assistantships in the USA for International Students 2026/2027

Want to study in the United States without carrying the full cost of graduate tuition? A Graduate Assistantship could be one of the best funding routes to explore.

Graduate Assistantships (GAs), Research Assistantships (RAs) and Teaching Assistantships (TAs) can provide international students with valuable financial support while completing a Master's or PhD degree in the United States.

Depending on the university, department and type of appointment, an assistantship may provide a stipend, tuition waiver or tuition reduction, health insurance, and valuable teaching or research experience. But there is one important thing to understand: a university offering graduate assistantships does not mean that every admitted student will automatically receive one.** Assistantships are normally competitive, and funding arrangements can differ considerably between departments.

What Is a Graduate Assistantship?

A graduate assistantship is essentially a funding-and-work arrangement between a university and a graduate student. In exchange for working a set number of hours each week, the student may receive financial support toward graduate study.

The three most common types are:

Graduate Assistant (GA): Students may support a department, laboratory, student service, academic programme or administrative unit. Teaching Assistant (TA): Students assist professors with teaching, tutorials, laboratories, marking, discussion sections or undergraduate courses. Research Assistant (RA): Students work with professors or research groups on funded research projects. These positions are particularly common among PhD students and research-focused Master's programmes. For international students, these positions can be especially attractive because some universities explicitly make assistantships available to eligible international graduate students.

40 US Universities to Explore for Graduate Assistantships

Here are 40 universities and departments worth investigating for graduate assistantship opportunities for international students for the **2026/2027 admission cycle.

1. Texas Woman's University — Graduate Assistantships

2. University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education — Graduate Assistantships

3. University of Louisiana at Lafayette — Graduate Assistantships

4. **University of South Florida — Graduate Assistantships

5. State University of New York (SUNY) — Graduate Assistantships

6. West Virginia University — Graduate Assistantships

7. University of New Orleans— Graduate Assistantships

8. **Madonna University** — Graduate Assistantships

9. **Western Illinois University** — Graduate Assistantships

10. **Penn State University** — Graduate Assistantships

11. **Towson University** — Graduate Assistantships

12. **University of New Haven** — Graduate Assistantships

13. **University of Houston** — Graduate Assistantships

14. **University of Arkansas** — Graduate Assistantships

15. **Eastern Michigan University** — Graduate Assistantships

16. **University of Tennessee at Chattanooga** — Graduate Assistantships

17. **Bowling Green State University** — Graduate Assistantships

18. **Cornell University** — Graduate Assistantships

19. **Wilkes University** — Graduate Assistantships

20. **University of Nevada, Reno** — Graduate Assistantships

21. **Cleveland State University, Ohio** — Graduate Assistantships

22. **University of Wyoming – School of Politics, Public Affairs & International Studies** — Graduate Assistantships

23. **University of Washington** — Graduate Assistantships

24. **Texas State University – School of Journalism and Mass Communication** — Graduate Assistantships

25. **University of North Texas – Department of Economics** — Graduate Assistantships

26. **University of Nebraska–Lincoln** — Graduate Assistantships

27. **Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences** — Graduate Assistantships

28. **Mississippi State University** — Graduate Assistantships

29. **Georgia State University** — Graduate Assistantships

30. **University of Oklahoma – Department of Mathematics** — Graduate Assistantships

31. **University of Memphis** — Graduate Assistantships

32. **University of Tampa, Florida** — Graduate Assistantships

33. **Michigan State University** — Graduate Assistantships

34. **Northern Illinois University** — Graduate Assistantships

35. **University of North Carolina at Charlotte** — Graduate Assistantships

36. **Duke University** — Graduate/Research Assistantship opportunities

37. **University of South Alabama** — Graduate Assistantships

38. **Montclair State University** — Graduate Assistantships

39. **University of Toledo** — Graduate Assistantships

40. **University of Northern Colorado** — Graduate Assistantships

A Few Opportunities Worth Examining Closely

 1. Texas Woman's University

Texas Woman's University offers graduate, teaching and research assistantships to qualified graduate students.

An important point for prospective applicants is that you must first be admitted to the Graduate School before you can be appointed to an assistantship. Students are encouraged to contact their academic department, related departments and university support-service offices to identify available positions. TWU also advertises opportunities through its university career systems.

This is particularly useful because it means applicants shouldn't simply submit their graduate application and wait for somebody to offer them funding. **Actively searching for the assistantship is part of the process.

2. University of South Florida: the University of South Florida specifically provides information about assistantships for international students.