There are several organizations at MIT advocating for graduate students at the institute. Most of these are focused on specific departments or groups of students. The two major general purpose advocacy organizations for graduate students at MIT are the MIT Graduate Student Council and the MIT Graduate Student Union.
The below table lists some of the main differences between the two organizations. Please feel free to reach out to either or both organizations if you have any additional questions.
Graduate Student Council (GSC) | Graduate Student Union (GSU) |
|---|---|
| Student government representing all MIT graduate students. | Labor union representing MIT graduate students who are employed as a research assistant, teaching assistant, or instructor-G. |
| Derives authority from implicit mutual agreement between MIT administration and GSC. | Derives authority from the National Labor Relations Act and is protected by US federal labor law under the oversight of the NLRB. |
| Not a formal entity beyond that granted by MIT. Officially, the GSC is a subsidiary of the MIT Office of Graduate Education. | Formally a local chapter affiliated with a national union, the United Electrical, Radio & Machine Workers of America (UE). |
| Does not have any written contract or agreement with MIT guaranteeing access or rights. Particular aspects such as student group funding are established through individual written communications. | Has a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) sometimes referred to as the contract that guarantees certain rights for the union. The CBA is in effect until May 31, 2026, at which time a new CBA may be negotiated. |
| Represents the graduate student body composed of nearly 7500 students including PhD, masters, and visiting students across all schools. | Represents around 3000 students in the “bargaining unit” who hold RA, TA, or IG appointments. Notably, students exclusively supported by fellowship awards or otherwise not employed by MIT are not represented by the GSU. |
| All graduate students at MIT as defined by the MIT Registrar are members of the graduate student body by default and are eligible to attend most GSC meetings. Council membership is by election. | Membership is defined by payment of union dues. Bargaining unit members may elect to pay union dues or agency fees. In addition, certain non-unit members (eg fellows) may elect to voluntarily pay dues for membership benefits. Note that representation rights are defined by the composition of the bargaining unit in the CBA and payment/non-payment of dues does not impact this. (i.e. all RAs/TAs/IGs are always entitled to representation, and others are not, regardless of dues/fees payment status). |
| Established in 1953. | Initiated in 2018, certified in 2022 following an election overseen by the NLRB, and ratified with the first bargained agreement in 2023. |
| Officers are elected by the council. Council members represent individual constituencies (academic programs and departments). More details about representative elections here. | Officers are elected by all “members in good standing” which includes all bargaining unit members who pay union dues as well as non-unit members who elect to voluntarily pay dues. |
| All members are unpaid volunteers. Limited part-time paid roles are advertised and open to both members and non-members. Full time staff members are paid through the Office of Graduate Education. | Most members are unpaid volunteers. A limited number of elected officers are eligible to be paid (while on “union leave” from their employment obligations to MIT). Additional non-member full time staff may be hired. |
| Representatives interface with various MIT administrators and external entities such as local and federal government to advocate for the interests of all MIT graduate students on all topics. | Representatives, often called stewards, interface with MIT administrators and faculty through the formal grievance procedure defined in the CBA. Topics are limited to those recognized in the CBA, and notably do not include any academic matters (academic as defined by MIT). |
| Funded by a portion of the mandatory student life fee collected by MIT. More details on how this is allocated here (link TODO). | Funded by a portion of union dues and agency fees (with the remaining sent to UE). |
| Budget details available here. | Budget details available to members only. |
| Constitution available here. | Constitution available here. |
| Bylaws available here. | Bylaws available to members only. |
| https://gsc.mit.edu/ | https://mitgsu.org |
| Contact email: gsc@mit.edu | Contact email: contact@mitgsu.org |
| FAQ | |
| Do I have to pay the MIT Student Life Fee? In most cases, yes. Certain fellowships may exempt someone from the Student Life Fee. | Do I have to sign the dues check off for the MIT GSU? Yes, if you are on RA or TA. It is not required if you are on fellowship, though you are only considered to be in good standing if you opt-in to dues. |
| Can I opt out of being represented by the MIT GSC? No, the GSC represents all graduate students. This is true whether or not someone pays the student life fee. | Can I opt out of being represented by the MIT GSU? Yes. If you are on RA or TA, you can opt out of representation but still must pay agency fees, equivalent to 61% of dues. If you are on fellowship, representation is opt-in. |
| What are my options if I do not want to pay anything to the Student Life Fee? In case of financial need, please view this page. | What are my options if I do not want to pay anything to the MIT GSU? If you are on RA or TA, you may file a Beck objection, resulting in payment of 61.2% of dues (0.88% salary), calculated as 79.0% of national dues, 93.6% of regional dues, and 0.0% of local dues. You may also file a religious objection, which requires equivalent payment of the full dues amount to charity. If you are on a fellowship, it is not required to pay dues. |