Research Assistant & Grad Assistant Request Electronic Form
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Research assistantships and graduate assistantships (administrative or technology) are intended to enhance the student learning experience while studying at Boston University, by providing them with an opportunity to work under the guidance of a BU full‐time faculty in the areas of research, course development, scholarly, or departmental/program/technology support activities. Assistantships are competitively awarded for one semester to outstanding degree candidates who may be newly entering students or continuing their program of study at BU, and may be renewable based on the recommendation of the supervising professor and available funds. Students selected for these roles must be MET graduate degree candidates in good academic standing. Full-time professorial faculty may request up to 20 hours per week of research assistance.
Due to the university’s current fiscal situation and recent budget cuts, the total funds available for graduate research assistantships have been reduced for the 2025-26 academic year. Requests for GRAs will be reviewed based on available funding and the anticipated contribution of each project to our research mission. While we cannot guarantee 20 hours per week of research assistance to all our faculty, we aim to support as many qualified proposals as possible. The number of hours awarded and the types of projects funded may vary. For Fall 2025, we ask that faculty submit their requests by Tuesday, September 2.
Applications should include:
1. A 1-2 sentence description of the project;
2. Justification of the need for an RA support; the responsibilities/duties they will be given;
3. The proposed output and assessment of their work (paper, report, documentation, data, presentation, article in submission, etc.);
4. The impact of the project on the department or college.
Submitting Requests:
Please use the App for any new requests:
Please note that this app is for research (MET-funded and grant-funded) and departmental graduate assistants only. Requests for Teaching Assistants should be entered into the Teaching Assistant Request Electronic Form.
If you have any questions about your request, or would like to make any adjustments to an existing request, you can contact Lyn Ariyakulkan, Manager of Faculty Actions: lyna@bu.edu.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Can I split my hours per week up among more than one student?
Yes, faculty may select up to two students to split their allocation. To preserve the integrity of the student’s academic and work experience, we generally recommend that no individual student is assigned fewer than 10 hours per week. When you’re submitting the form, please be sure to complete one entry per student that you are hiring, and indicate how many hours that student should be assigned.
Any requests that exceed 20 hours per week for a specific faculty supervisor will be considered alongside other ‘special project’ requests after our regular allocations have been assigned. Those special projects are reviewed competitively and only approved if funding is still available.
Has my request been received or processed? How do I check the status of a request?
You will receive email notifications to your BU email address once a GA/RA request has been submitted and as it moves through the approval process. These email notifications contain the latest status update on your request. If you have not received a notification that your GA/RA has been approved, a decision is pending.
What is the hourly rate for RAs?
As of September 1, 2025,
MET Research Assistants are paid $20.60 per hour.
What do I need to know about working with domestic versus international students?
All students must be eligible to work in the United States and reside in the U.S. while working in this role. GA/RAs may not work remotely from a non-US location.
International students who are enrolled part-time must generally be in their final semester of study in order to be eligible to work.
My GA/RA has been approved! What’s next?
After your GA/RA has been approved, their information will be verified in the system. They will then receive an onboarding email detailing next steps and contract at their BU email address. Depending on their current employment status (e.g. new hire or returning student worker) and visa status (if applicable), they may need to complete onboarding forms and other employment paperwork to fully process their hire. This contract outlines the start and end dates of the position, number of payments expected to be received, maximum weekly hours, and other details pertaining to their GA/RA position. Students are required to review their contract and return a signed copy of the agreement to the Dean’s Office prior to starting work.
When can my GA/RA start working?
GAs/RAs may begin working only after the requests have been approved by the deans, appointment letters have been received, the selected GAs/RAs have completed the
required employment paperwork, and a signed copy of their appointment letter is returned to the Dean’s Office. For students who are working at BU for the first time, this means completing various onboarding forms (i.e. Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) Non-Disclosure agreement, Student Employment Confidentiality agreement, and International Form – only for international students), as well as an I-9 form within the first three days of their start date. Please refer to the
Student Employment Office’s website for information on hiring policies and procedures.
Students are not permitted to start working before these steps have been completed or before the start date listed on their contract.
Did my GA/RA get a contract?
All supervising faculty are copied on contracts sent to GA/RAs via Adobe Sign. Please be sure to check your BU email address. If your GA/RA has not received a contract, their position has not yet been processed.
My GA/RA is no longer available or needs to resign, and I need to assign a new student. How do I update my request?
Please email Lyn Ariyakulkan (
lyna@bu.edu) with the replacement/new student’s information if work has not yet begun.
If the student has already started working and resigns from the position, please complete the MET RA & TA Resignation Form and return it to lyna@bu.edu and metfac@bu.edu. Please then submit a new request, noting it is for a replacement student.
I don’t have access to the request form. Who do I contact?
If you continue to experience any difficulties in accessing the request form, please reach out to Lyn Ariyakulkan at
lyna@bu.edu.
When will my student get paid?
Students must complete the required employment paperwork (I-9 form) in a timely manner in order to be set up in payroll and receive payments. As of Spring 2025 , Research Assistants (RAs) are hired into hourly positions and are required to submit weekly timesheets in order to be paid.
Full pay periods run from Mondays through Sundays, and students are paid on Fridays in the week following. Student employees who have not yet set up direct deposit are mailed physical paychecks on the Friday after payroll runs. Supervisors should note that it may take up to a week for mailed checks to reach the students.
What is the difference between a GA and a RA? Who is part of the union (BUGWU)?
Graduate Assistants (GAs) only perform administrative or IT work. They receive weekly salaries and are not in the union.
Research Assistants (RAs) —both MET-funded and grant-funded— are currently matriculated students engaged in research work, are paid hourly, and are represented by BUGWU.
Where can I find more information on the implementation of the BUGWU collective bargaining agreement?
(Updated August 18, 2025)