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The differences between graduate assistants and fellows can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a fellow has an average salary of $66,364, which is higher than the $31,704 average annual salary of a graduate assistant.
The top three skills for a graduate assistant include computer lab, undergraduate courses and research projects. The most important skills for a fellow are patients, professional development, and veterans.
| Graduate Assistant | Fellow | |
| Yearly salary | $31,704 | $66,364 |
| Hourly rate | $15.24 | $31.91 |
| Growth rate | 20% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 3,026 | 7,459 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 44 | 41 |
| Years of experience | - | 4 |
Graduate assistants are graduate or postgraduate students in a university who work part-time for a researcher, professor, or department in the university. They do a variety of tasks that would help expose them more to the field they are doing their studies in. Graduate assistants help researchers by conducting interviews, testing research tools, encoding and analyzing data, creating presentation materials, and managing the research schedule. They help professors in preparing for lessons, creating and updating presentation materials, and even trying their hand in teaching the professor's students. They help university departments in administrative, clerical, research, and any other task that may be needed.
A fellow's responsibility will depend on the organization or industry where one belongs. However, most of the time, a fellow's duty will revolve around conducting research and analysis, presiding discussions and attending dialogues, handle lectures while complying with the guidelines or tasks set by supervisors, and assist in various projects and activities. Furthermore, a fellow must adhere to the institution or organization's policies and regulations at all times, meet all the requirements and outputs involved, and coordinate with every person in the workforce.
Graduate assistants and fellows have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Graduate Assistant | Fellow | |
| Average salary | $31,704 | $66,364 |
| Salary range | Between $11,000 And $85,000 | Between $46,000 And $93,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Oak Ridge, TN |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Tennessee |
| Best paying company | Sotheby's Institute of Art | Peterson Institute for International Economics |
| Best paying industry | Education | Professional |
There are a few differences between a graduate assistant and a fellow in terms of educational background:
| Graduate Assistant | Fellow | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Political Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between graduate assistants' and fellows' demographics:
| Graduate Assistant | Fellow | |
| Average age | 44 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 42.9% Female, 57.1% | Male, 46.2% Female, 53.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 11.0% White, 54.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 26.4% White, 53.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 8% |