Cover Letter Graduate Assistantship: 7 Full Samples

Entry level: Teaching assistantship, Biology (156 words)

Dear Professor Chen,

I am writing to apply for a teaching assistantship in the Department of Biology for the fall semester, as part of my admission to the M.S. program. I graduated in May with a B.S. in Biology and a 3.7 GPA.

As an undergraduate, I was a peer tutor for general biology for three semesters, working with about 15 students a week. I also led a weekly review session before each exam, which averaged 20 attendees. In my last year, I ran the lab section for a first-year course under the instructor's supervision, covering safety, setup and grading of lab reports.

I understand that a teaching assistantship takes about 20 hours a week. I have planned my course schedule so that lab hours and my own classes do not overlap, and I am comfortable with Canvas and Excel.

I have attached my resume and transcript. Thank you for considering my application.

Sincerely, Maya Johnson

Entry level: Research assistantship, Psychology lab (136 words)

Dear Dr. Ramirez,

I am applying for a graduate research assistantship in your Cognition and Memory Lab. I will begin the Ph.D. program in Psychology this fall, and your recent work on sleep and recall is the main reason I chose to apply here.

For the past two years I worked as a research assistant in an undergraduate lab, where I recruited and ran 60 participants, coded 1,200 trials in SPSS and co-authored a poster at the regional psychology conference. I also completed the CITI human subjects training.

I am comfortable with R and Qualtrics, and I would like to learn eye-tracking. I can work 20 hours a week and begin in the first week of the term.

I have attached my CV and a short writing sample. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely, Daniel Okafor

Entry level: Writing center assistantship (122 words)

Dear Ms. Alvarez,

I am applying for the graduate assistant position at the University Writing Center. I am a first-year M.A. student in English and was a writing tutor at my undergraduate institution for two years.

I held about 300 one-on-one sessions with students from first-year composition to senior theses, and I wrote a one-page handout on thesis statements that the center still uses. I take a conversation-first approach: I ask what the writer wants to say before I touch a sentence.

I have experience with multilingual writers, having worked with international students for three semesters. I am available 20 hours a week, including some evenings.

Thank you for your time. I have attached my resume and two references.

Sincerely, Hannah Brooks

Entry level: Library graduate assistantship (132 words)

Dear Mr. Patel,

I am writing to apply for the graduate assistant position at the Science Library reference desk. I am a first-year student in the Master of Library and Information Science program.

Over the past year I worked as a library page, and later as a circulation assistant, at a public library. I shelved about 400 items per shift, helped patrons with the catalog and ran the weekly children's story hour for 25 children. I have taken a database searching course, and I am comfortable with Boolean search and citation tools.

I understand that the position involves reference service, chat and some instruction. I enjoy helping people find an answer, and I can work evenings and weekends.

I have attached my resume. Thank you for considering my application.

Sincerely, Carlos Mendez

Mid level: Administrative assistantship, student affairs (131 words)

Dear Ms. Whitfield,

I am applying for the graduate assistant position in the Office of Student Affairs. I am in my second year of the M.Ed. in Higher Education and spent three years in program coordination before returning to school.

In my previous role, I coordinated orientation for 450 new students, managed a budget of $18,000 and trained 12 student volunteers. I also built a simple registration sheet that cut check-in time from about 4 minutes to under 1.

I want to work in student affairs after graduation, and this assistantship would give me daily experience in advising, events and student conduct processes. I can work 20 hours a week and take part in the training before the semester starts.

I have attached my resume and two references.

Sincerely, Priya Nair

Mid level: Research assistantship, career changer in engineering (124 words)

Dear Professor Ito,

I am applying for a research assistantship in your Sustainable Materials Group. I am starting the M.S. in Mechanical Engineering after five years as a quality engineer in manufacturing.

At my company I ran materials tests on more than 30 product lines, investigated 14 failures and wrote the corrective action reports. I know tensile and fatigue testing, and I am familiar with MATLAB and SolidWorks. I would like to apply this to your recycled composite project.

I have read your 2025 paper on fiber recovery and have two questions about the testing method, which I would be glad to discuss. I can start before the term if lab training is needed.

I have attached my CV and transcripts.

Sincerely, Michael Torres

Mid level: Graduate assistant for athletics or recreation (116 words)

Dear Coach Bennett,

I am applying for the graduate assistant position with the Recreation and Wellness program. I am a student in the M.S. in Sport Management and was a student employee at my undergraduate recreation center for three years.

I supervised the front desk and a team of 8 student staff, led the intramural basketball league of 24 teams and handled weekly schedules and equipment checkout. I am certified in CPR and AED, and I am comfortable making calls in a busy facility.

I want to work in campus recreation, and I am ready to work evenings and weekends as the program needs.

Thank you for your time. My resume is attached.

Sincerely, Laura Kim