5.0
14 Apr 2026
Current employee, more than 3 years
West Lafayette, IN
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook
Pros
Tuition coverage (often full or majority) – Many RA positions cover most or all tuition costs Monthly stipend/salary – You get paid regularly (biweekly or monthly depending on department) Reduced student fees – You usually only pay a small portion of fees (~$1000/semester or less)
Cons
Officially ~20 hours/week, but in reality it can be more during deadlines Experiments, coding, or papers don’t follow a strict schedule Busy periods (conference deadlines, grant deadlines) can get intense You may feel like you're working more than a part-time job sometimes.