Graduate research assistant
The information on this page is a guide to help you understand and navigate UB's systems. Do not take anything here as official UB policy, nor as a commitment from UB or from Dr. Proctor.
A Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) is paid a fixed salary for the academic year, and is assigned to work 20 hours per week supporting a faculty member's research. GRAs also receive tuition coverage for nine credits per semester and a fee waiver. Generally, only PhD students are paid as GRAs. A "fully-funded" PhD student is guaranteed a GRA position for at least four years.
Funding for GRA positions comes from various sources, and salaries can vary. Some GRA positions are funded by New York State ("State") and others are funded by grants administered through the UB Research Foundation ("RF").
After the initial hiring paperwork, GRAs are paid bi-weekly through direct deposit into their bank accounts.