Important Information:

• TAs may be asked to attend lectures, lead discussion or lab sections, and proctor midterm and final exams. You should be available to do so for any classes you mark as TA preferences. The general expectation is that instructional assistants may be expected to be physically present for hybrid course offerings.
• Readers assist a course instructor by grading homework, papers, or exams and may also hold office hours to answer students’ questions about such assignments. 
• You must remain enrolled in at least 12 units all quarter to be hired at 50% (~20hrs/week). You must be enrolled in at least 6 units to be hired at 25% (~10hrs/week) . 
• ONLY the department makes the official job offer through the IA System. Advisors or course instructors often encourage students to apply to TA for a specific course, but this is not a job offer.  However, we do use faculty input to determine who should be assigned to each course.
• You should not start preparing to TA for a course until you have received an official appointment letter from the department and accepted the position.  
• The TA application is for submitting requests only.  There is no guarantee that you will be given a TA position or that you will be assigned to TA one of your preferred courses.
• Students may not be a TA for courses in which they are concurrently enrolled.
• TAs must complete DSC 599 (Teaching Methods in Data Science) with a grade of S concurrently with their first TA position. We will pre-authorize first-time TAs via TEA to book DSC 599 after they have accepted their TA assignment in the IA System. The goal of DSC 599 is to give you the skills and knowledge needed to be an effective and successful TA.
• We will assign you to TA a course only if you already have a solid command of the material to be taught in the course.  In other words, only request to TA a class if you have taken the equivalent course or have comparable other experience. For information about our DSC courses, please see the Undergraduate Courses webpage and the Graduate Courses webpages.
• The 2026-2027 compensation for a TA is detailed here, and partial tuition & fee remission and health insurance subsidy, detailed here.  *Note for FA26 only: from 9/24 – 9/30, pay will be aligned with 2025-2026 compensation, as the 2026-2027 update begins 10/1.
• If you are applying for other campus employment (i.e. you think a faculty may support you on research funding, or you applied to TA in more than one department), please remember that your total UCSD employment may not exceed 50%. 
• Link to apply: https://academicaffairs.ucsd.edu/Modules/ASES/Apply.aspx?cid=6644

All international graduate students at UC San Diego are required to demonstrate a high level of oral and aural competence in the English language before they are appointed as a TA. Full details about English Language Competency are outlined here: https://extendedstudies.ucsd.edu/international-programs/courses-programs/english-language-certification-exam-elce-for-ucsd-international-graduate-students 

• If you are an international student, please do not apply if you are not eligible to take the ELCE. Students who do not meet the minimum requirements will have their applications automatically removed after the application deadline. 
  • Students who fall into this category may acquire the required English language proficiency skills via courses offered in the English Language Institute and the English as a Second Language (ESL) Program. 
• Students who are required to take the ELCE before accepting a position:  we will schedule an ELCE test on your behalf if you are slated to hold a TA position. Please contact us if you need to take the ELCE.