Apply to the Research Assistantship Program by January 25, 2020.

The NIJ Research Assistantship Program (RAP) offers highly qualified doctoral students the opportunity to bring their expertise to NIJ to work across offices and program areas to obtain a practical and applied research experience. RAP is a research focused professional development opportunity for doctoral students.

We welcome students from all academic disciplines to apply who wish to connect their research to the criminal justice field. This unique assistantship is an opportunity to learn and contribute to the breadth and depth of science research in which NIJ engages. Universities nominate enrolled students for these assistantships, and NIJ selects from the nominees based on their background and expertise. NIJ provides funds to participating universities to pay salaries and other costs associated with research assistants who work on NIJ research activities.

The cost of tuition remission is calculated based on the university’s standard tuition (such as in-state rates for public schools) per credit hour. There are maximum amounts for tuition remission:

• Up to 20 credits per academic year for full-time graduate research assistants who work for NIJ during the academic year only.
• Up to 24 credits per calendar year for full-time graduate research assistants who work for NIJ throughout the calendar year.

Please note that NIJ determines the number, type and length of research assistantships that it will support, if any, based on the quality of applications, NIJ research priorities and the availability of funds. Research assistantship appointments last for one year, following the home university's academic calendar. There is the possibility of reappointment depending on mid-year reviews, funding availability, and agreements between NIJ and the research assistant’s university.

Research Assistantship Duties: Research assistants perform a range of research-related duties and must work effectively as part of a larger research team. Research assistants plan and schedule their work based on defined objectives, tasks and priorities with the review and approval of the RAP manager, relevant NIJ staff and the university’s Graduate Program Director (GPD).

All required elements must now be submitted by January 25, 2020.

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Learn about NIJ’s Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF) program that also supports doctoral students interested in criminal justice research. 

Learn about NIJ's Native Student Travel Scholarship Program that supports American Indian or Alaska Native students in attending criminal justice conferences.