GRAs are generally supported by the student's supervisors' research grants. The duties usually constitute part of the students’ graduate degree requirements. The entire stipend is considered to be a scholarship, the conditions of which may be specified by the granting agency. GRA appointments may be for any specified period satisfactory to the grantee. The stipend must be paid monthly or for a specific period. The conditions of the appointment may be specified by the granting agency.

Many professors are able to provide Research Assistantships (RA) from their research grants to support full-time graduate students studying under their direction. The duties constitute part of the student's graduate degree requirements. Research Assistantships are coordinated and administered at the graduate program level. The stipend amounts vary widely, and are dependent on the field of study and the type of research grant from which the assistantship is being funded.

• The entire stipend is considered a fellowship, the conditions of which may be specified by the granting agency.
• For tax purposes it is considered to be a fellowship rather than payment for work.
• Appointments may be for any specified period satisfactory to the grantee.
• Conditions of the appointment may be specified by the granting agency.
• A Research Assistantship is a form of financial support for a period of graduate study and is, therefore, not covered by a collective agreement.
• Research Assistantships are rare in the humanities and social sciences.

Unlike other forms of fellowship support for graduate students, the amount of a graduate Research Assistantship is neither fixed nor subject to a university-wide formula. The amount is determined by those who administer the funds, including grant holders, and granting agencies. Individual faculty members should ensure that payments from grants are consistent within the graduate program and disciplinary norms.

All letters to students offering funding through a graduate research assistantship should clearly state the period to which the offer applies. Study Permit students, in particular, require such letters in order to enter Canada. Such letters should also indicate that the offer is subject to satisfactory academic progress and to demonstrated competence in laboratory duties and/or other procedures relevant to the student's area of study.

Transfers from one degree program to another, or from one supervisor to another, may affect the payment of Graduate Research Assistantships. Transfers between degree programs are subject to approval by the graduate program and the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies. The continuation of a research assistantship is always contingent on the student's maintaining satisfactory academic standing in his or her graduate program.