Student Research Assistant Funds (SRAF)
Purpose & Use of Funds
A pool of funding has been created to provide support for faculty research by hiring student Research Assistants; eligible faculty members are invited to apply for this support. These funds can be used to hire matriculated New School students, registered at least half time, as Research Assistants for work directly relevant to the faculty member’s research, creative activity, or professional development. This funding is intended for hiring students in the formal title of Research Assistant*. The work must provide experience of academic value to the student, and should relate directly to the student’s own course of study. Eligible faculty can receive a maximum award of $7,036 which must be expended within the fiscal year (July 1 - June 30). The funding pool is limited and applications are not guaranteed fulfillment. Reviews will consider both the faculty review cycle and proposal’s quality.
*Research Assistants are among the student positions included in the SENS-UAW unit and are subject to the terms and conditions (including compensation) of the collective bargaining agreement. As such, Research Assistants may not begin working until they have received 1) an offer letter from Parsons and 2) an Appointment Letter from Human Resources confirming they have been successfully on-boarded.
Use It or Lose It
The Provost Office used FY25 award usage data provided by the colleges to determine FY26 funding allocation. The principle behind this use it or lose it policy is not to punish faculty, but to ensure we are maximizing the distribution of these funds to students as intended.
Since the Provost Office did not communicate the use it or lose it policy during the FY25 application cycle, they decided to compromise on the usage eligibility criteria for this year only as they transition to a hard line use it or lose it policy. Please note that all cycles going forward will not be flexible with award usage data.
This year's breakdown and details are as follows:
- 75%-100% of FY25 award spending = 100% award eligibility for FY26
- 50%-75% of FY25 award spending = 75% award eligibility for FY26
- 50% or less FY25 award spending = 50% award eligibility for FY26
Full Time Faculty
Student Research Assistant Funding (SRAF) for regular full time faculty members (tenure, tenure-track, EE, EE-track, probationary, RTA, and term*) is provided by the Provost Office. Full time faculty are required to apply for this funding each year. Applications open in early April each year.
*"Term" faculty do not include fixed-term, visiting appointments, or post-docs.
Fixed Term Faculty
Student Research Assistant Funding (SRAF) for fixed term faculty members is provided by Parsons School of Design. Fixed term faculty are required to apply for this funding each year. Applications open in late August each year.
Hiring a Research Assistant (RA)
- Please see How to Hire a Research Assistant.
Please reach out to parsonsops@newschool.edu with any questions or to check the balance of your current SRAF.