Graduate Assistantships at Dartmouth College: Fully Funded.

Graduate Assistantships at Dartmouth College are paid teaching and research jobs that fund a PhD and a few master’s degrees in Hanover, New Hampshire. In return for about 20 hours of weekly work, funded students receive tuition, health insurance, and a stipend of $49,862.40 for 2026-27.

This guide to Graduate Assistantships at Dartmouth College explains the real pay, the programs that qualify, the English scores you need, the December deadlines, and how international students can apply.

Graduate Assistantships at Dartmouth College work differently from most US universities. Dartmouth has no single assistantship office. Instead, the Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies gives funded students a package built around teaching and research work.

Quick Overview:

Host university: Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
Run by: Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies and each academic department
Funded programs: All PhD programs, Comparative Literature MA, Earth Sciences MS, and Sonic Practice MFA
Funding type: Tuition, health insurance, stipend, and relocation bonus
Funding guarantee: Five years for PhD students in good standing
Workload: 20 hours a week for the full stipend
International help: $1,200 one-time payment toward visa and other fees
Application fee: $150 (fee waivers available if you qualify before you apply)
Deadline: Set by each program (December 1, 2026 for Psychological and Brain Sciences, Fall 2027 entry)

Graduate Assistantships at Dartmouth College are part-time academic jobs. You work as a teaching assistant or research assistant while you earn your degree. The job pays a stipend, and the funding package also covers tuition.

Dartmouth’s Financial Aid Office says PhD students are fully funded by their academic departments. That makes Graduate Assistantships at Dartmouth College the main route to a debt-free doctorate here.

Master’s students get less. Most master’s programs offer limited assistance, so read your program page before you apply.

Types of Graduate Assistantships at Dartmouth College

Each role below is a separate route to graduate assistantships at Dartmouth College.

Teaching assistantships (TAs): You help the instructor of record inside and outside class or lab. The instructor supervises you and designs the course.
Research assistantships (RAs): You work in a faculty lab funded by research or national training grants.
Graduate instructors: Some students teach their own course. The union contract covers this role too.
Fellowships: Merit awards, such as the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, can replace assistantship work for a period.
Master’s assistance: The Master of Arts in Liberal Studies offers tuition assistance based on need and merit, and you must complete the FAFSA to apply.

Funded programs include Chemistry, Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Physics and Astronomy, Psychological and Brain Sciences, Molecular and Cellular Biology and more. Browse the full Guarini program list.

Best Benefits of Graduate Assistantships at Dartmouth College

These are the main benefits of Graduate Assistantships at Dartmouth College.

Tuition remission. Teaching and research assistants receive tuition funding under the union contract.
A strong stipend. Funded students receive $49,862.40 for 2026-27.
Health insurance. Dartmouth pays the premium for the group plan.
Union protection. The GOLD-UE contract from 2024 set a $47,000 stipend with 3% annual raises.
Family support. Dartmouth pays 40% of dependent medical premiums and gives childcare grants of $5,000 per child each year.
Moving help. You receive a $1,500 relocation bonus, and incoming international students receive $1,200 for visa and other fees.
Extra grants. Students can apply for research and travel funding, plus emergency funds and 24/7 teletherapy.

Are Graduate Assistantships at Dartmouth College Really Fully Funded?

For PhD students, yes. Graduate Assistantships at Dartmouth College cover tuition, health insurance, and a living stipend, and Dartmouth guarantees funding for five years if you stay in good standing.

Three limits still apply.

Master’s programs outside the funded list offer only limited help.
Awards depend on funds, satisfactory performance, and academic progress.
Stipend-supported students in the bargaining unit pay union dues or an agency fee, according to the Guarini union agreement page.

Treat Graduate Assistantships at Dartmouth College as full funding for doctoral study and as partial help for most master’s degrees.

Eligibility for Graduate Assistantships at Dartmouth College

To compete for Graduate Assistantships at Dartmouth College, you generally need the following.

A bachelor’s degree or equivalent in a related field, as the Psychological and Brain Sciences admissions page shows.
Admission to a Guarini School degree program.
Three recommendation letters, and you may submit up to four.
Unofficial transcripts from every degree-granting institution.
Any program extras, such as a code sample for Computer Science or a lab experience list for Molecular and Cellular Biology.
GRE scores only where your program asks for them. Mathematics makes both GREs optional.

English Requirements for International Applicants

Non-US citizens who want Graduate Assistantships at Dartmouth College must submit an English test unless an exemption applies. Guarini accepts TOEFL, IELTS, and Duolingo.

The recommended scores are:

TOEFL iBT: 100 or higher
IELTS: 7 or higher
Duolingo: 135 or higher

You are exempt if you earned, or are earning, a degree from a US institution, or a bachelor’s degree from a non-US school where English was the only primary language of instruction. Self-reported scores are fine at application, but admitted students must send official results. The ETS code is 3351.

After admission, Dartmouth starts your visa process through the Office of Visa and Immigration Services.

How to Apply for Graduate Assistantships at Dartmouth College.

Follow these seven steps to apply for Graduate Assistantships at Dartmouth College.

Choose your program. Read its requirements on the Guarini programs page.
Shortlist faculty. Many PhD programs ask you to name faculty you want to work with.
Open the application. Use the Guarini application portal, which opens each September.
Write your own essay. Dartmouth bans using generative AI to outline, draft, or write your statement.
Request three letters. Ask professors or supervisors who know your work, and tell them your deadline.
Pay the fee or claim a waiver. The fee is $150. Check the fee waiver criteria first, because waivers cannot be added later.
Submit and prepare. Upload unofficial transcripts, submit before your program deadline, and get ready for an interview.

For further Inquiry:

Email guarini.graduate.admissions@dartmouth.edu or read the admissions FAQ.

Deadlines for Graduate Assistantships at Dartmouth College

Each program sets its own dates for Graduate Assistantships at Dartmouth College. The Fall 2027 application opens in early September 2026.

December 1: application deadline for Psychological and Brain Sciences.
December 1: supporting documents for Molecular and Cellular Biology.
Late December to early January: interview invitations in Psychological and Brain Sciences.
Mid-January: typical graduate recruiting weekend.
Late January onward: rolling offers.

Programs review applications only after their deadline, so applying early gives no advantage. Dartmouth repeats this cycle every year. Always confirm dates on your own program page.

Graduate Assistantships at Dartmouth College vs. Fellowships and Loans

A fellowship is a merit award with no assigned work. An assistantship is a job with duties. Guarini says fellowships are generally merit-based awards that support full-time study, and the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship is the best-known example.

Loans are the fallback. The Dartmouth Financial Aid Office manages federal and private loans for most graduate programs, but PhD students do not complete its aid checklists. International students generally cannot use US federal loans, so Graduate Assistantships at Dartmouth College matter even more.

Read the Guarini fellowships page and the institutional financial aid page to compare options.

If no position is open, pair your admission with outside awards in addition to Graduate Assistantships at Dartmouth College.

How to Increase Your Chances of Getting Graduate Assistantships at Dartmouth College

Match a lab. Name faculty whose research fits yours and explain why.
Show research experience. Highlight lab work, code, papers, or a thesis.
Write it yourself. Your essay must be in your own words.
Choose strong referees. Professors who know your work beat famous names.
Hit the test targets. Aim for TOEFL 100, IELTS 7 or Duolingo 135.
Apply for fee waivers early. Confirm you qualify before you submit.
Prepare for the interview. Practice explaining your research in plain language.

Final Thoughts

Graduate Assistantships at Dartmouth College combine tuition, a $49,862.40 stipend, health insurance, and a five-year guarantee for PhD students. They are competitive, and each program sets its own deadline, so start early and confirm every detail with your department.

Check the official Guarini funding page and admissions information page before you apply, because rates and rules change each year.