How to Apply for a CSE TA Position

Updated April 8th, 2024

BEFORE APPLYING, REVIEW THIS DOCUMENT for Instructor Contact Preferences.

Below, you will find information about how to apply for a CSE TA position, as well as our eligibility requirements, to help you decide whether you wish to TA in the CSE Department. Please read this information carefully. We understand that there is a LOT of information on this page, so questions that have already been answered here will not be responded to.

Important Notes for Summer 2024:

Classes may still be added to the Summer 2024 schedule, so please continue to check back on the application portal to see if there are new courses that you would be eligible to work for.
To be eligible for employment as a TA in the CSE department, you must be available and eligible to work the first day of the quarter through when eGrades is closed for submission. For Summer 2024, instructional assistants working for in-person classes will be expected to be physically present on campus between:
Summer Session from July 1st through August 6th.
Summer Session 2 from August 5th through September 10th.
Some Summer 2024 courses may be offered remotely. If you are interested in working for a remote class, please indicate that on your application.
Late applications will still be considered past the priority deadline, which may be found here. (Please note, however, that if you add a class to your preference list after the instructor has reviewed the list of applicants, your new addition may be overlooked.)
You MUST select course options to show up on an instructor's list of applicants. Please do not leave any preference blank or left as "Any" or you will not appear on instructors' applicant lists.
Employment paperwork must be completed in person BEFORE you start working. Please refer to the quarter dates and plan accordingly. DO NOT CONTACT THE DEPARTMENT about paperwork. A representative will reach out to you directly if you need to complete hiring paperwork.

If you have any questions, please contact us at cse-ta-info@ucsd.edu.

General Information

The TA application is for submitting requests only. We will make every effort to accommodate them, but there is no guarantee that applicants will be given a TA position or that they will be assigned to TA one of their preferred courses.

We do NOT know that enrollments will be high enough to warrant a TA in all the classes listed on the application each quarter. In other words, just because a course is listed as an option does not mean a TA will be assigned to it.

Doctoral students, please talk to your advisor ASAP about whether you will need to TA and, if so, at what percentage (25% or 50%).

Advisors or course instructors often encourage students to apply to TA for a specific course, but this is not a job offer. ONLY the Department makes the official job offer.

Applicants should not start TAing a course until they have received an official appointment letter from the department and replied to it to accept the position.

If you accept a TA position and later decide to decline, this is considered reneging on the position. If you choose to renege on your position, you will not be permitted to hold future TA positions in the CSE Department.

The 2023-2024 compensation for a TA is $3,236.11/month for a 50% appointment (20 hrs/week), and $1,618.05/month for a 25% appointment (10 hrs/week) *subject to change*.

In addition to the TA salary, 25% and 50% TAs receive tuition, fee, and health insurance remission during the academic year. After the remission, TA fees for 2022-2023 were $250.33. The amounts for the 2023-2024 academic year are not yet available, however, students can visit this website for more information. Students classified by UC San Diego as nonresidents must also pay nonresident supplemental tuition of $5,034/quarter. Regardless of remission, Master's students must pay their total fees and nonresident supplemental tuition (if applicable) by the deadline to avoid a late fee. If remission is given after the payment deadline, the amount will be credited to your student account and you can request a check by visiting this website. Fees are not charged or remitted during Summer Session.

For TA Duties and responsibilities, please refer to: https://academicaffairs.ucsd.edu/Modules/ASES/Admin/Reports/DescriptionsOfDuties.aspx

Eligibility Requirements

Students may not be a TA, Tutor, or Reader for courses in which they are enrolled.

Graduate students holding appointments above 25% as GSRs or TAs/tutors must enroll and register for twelve units of upper-division and/or graduate course work and research during the academic year. Students working at or under 25% must enroll in at least six units. Students working as TAs over the Summer do not need to be enrolled in coursework.

TAs must complete CSE 599 during the same quarter as their first TA position (preferred). The goal of CSE 599 is to give TAs the skills and knowledge needed to be effective and successful in their teaching. Students who TA for the first time during the Summer will enroll in CSE 599 the next time they hold a TA position (unless stated otherwise in the application).

TAs may be asked to attend lectures, lead discussion or lab sections, and proctor midterm and final exams. Applicants should be available to do so for any classes marked as TA preferences. It is wise to plan your enrollment in your own classes before choosing your TA preferences, and to note the time of CSE 599 if you are a first-time TA.

We will assign applicants to TA a course only if they already have a solid command of the material to be taught in the course. In other words, only apply to TA for a class if you have taken the equivalent course or have comparable other experience.

International students must take and pass the English Language Proficiency Exam before they are eligible to receive a contract. Below is more information to determine if this requirement applies to your situation:

Students with a spoken TOEFL score of 26 or above/spoken IELTS score of 8 or above are exempt from this requirement and may be considered for a CSE TA position immediately.
A regionally accredited U.S. college or university where English is the sole language of instruction, or
A foreign college or university which provides instruction solely in English. You may verify whether your institution meets this requirement by looking up your institution in the IAU World Higher Education Database (WHED).
Students with a spoken TOEFL score of 23-25/spoken IELTS score of 7-7.5, or students who did not need to submit language scores for admission must pass an in-person English Language Proficiency Certification Examination (ELCE) requirement prior to being hired as a TA for the first time. All students in this category may apply to TA through the IA System, however, they will not receive an offer letter until they have satisfied the ELCE requirement. We will schedule a remote ELCE test on your behalf if you are slated to hold a TA position.
Students with a spoken TOEFL score of 22 or below/spoken IELTS score of 6.5 or below will not be permitted to take the certification exam until they have completed formal English proficiency training. All students in this category will have their TA applications marked as ineligible until they have satisfied the requirement. Students who fall into this category may obtain the required English language proficiency skills through courses offered in the English Language Institute and the English as a Second Language (ESL) Program. Conversely, students in this category may choose to retake the TOEFL or IELTS exam and score within the eligible range for testing (≥ 23 for TOEFL; 7 for IELTS) or for employment (≥ 26 for TOEFL; 8 for IELTS). For more information, please see the Graduate Division's policy here, and a helpful FAQ guide from the Teaching + Learning Commons here.

Doctoral students have three attempts to pass the ELCE in order to qualify for employment. If they fail, students are encouraged to utilize all language resources available to them prior to retesting. Master's students are not able to retake the exam after failing. If a student has failed and is no longer eligible to take the ELCE to qualify for employment, the student would need to take the TOEFL exam and score ≥ 26 in order to be considered for a TA position in the CSE Department. For more information, please see the Graduate Division's policy here, and a helpful FAQ guide from the Teaching + Learning Commons here.

International students who are being hired for the first time and who do not yet have a social security number must apply for one through the International Students & Programs Office. If you have any questions about this process, please contact cse-gradsupport@ucsd.edu for assistance.

If you are applying for other campus employment (i.e. you think a faculty member may support you to do research, or you applied to TA in more than one department), please remember that your total UC San Diego employment may not exceed 20 hours/week (50%) during the academic year. During the summer, students are able to work up to a total of 40 hours/week (100%).

Application Links

By clicking the links below to apply for a position, you are signifying that you have read and agree to the information on this website and on the Teaching Assistantships website. Again, please BEFORE APPLYING, REVIEW THIS DOCUMENT for Instructor Contact Preferences. To apply for a TA assignment, complete the online TA application for the quarter and program you wish to TA for: