XXXXXXphd2021

Yep the struggle is real but we'll survive ?  It's a good sign that your POI said you guys should come up with a plan together! 

This is sth to clarify with the POI. 
Usually the funding would be either a fellowship (which means no work requirement), TA/RAships at a certain % efforts that give you tuition waiver and a survivable stipend, or in more rare scenarios from external sources such as government scholarship. Sometimes the RAship will not be directly tied to your primary mentor, it is just a work exchange type of situation. This is very common for public health programs because many programs hope students to apply for a government training grant by year 3 to be more independent on funding, which international students do not qualify for. In many scenarios, students have to actively search for such RA/TAships and won't secure a position until close to the new semester. I am not sure how many would have to pay out of pocket. For UCLA, I knew someone who got admitted a few years ago with a clear funding mechanism because his POI had the money, he said not everyone was admitted with a funding package attached. It seems that you would need to figure it out with your POI/the department. 
I am an international student. This is my second season applying. UCSF Epi says they will not admit anyone they could not figure out a clear funding strategy. Then I was waitlisted ? . From past year stats, they would receive about half of applications from international students but enroll maybe one international student. I have a friend (international student) got admitted to UPitts Epi last season and they have to secure their own funding through searching for TA/RAships, he told me that his POI blatantly told him they were asked to prioritize US students so eventually he did not find any funding and deferred the admission. This season he reached out to a few professors at UPitts Epi and no one replied (but he got many interviews at private universities so I think he would be fine).
Well I learned my lessons and this year I applied to more PhD programs housed at private university medical schools that will have more guaranteed funding.  

This is sth to clarify with the POI. 
Usually the funding would be either a fellowship (which means no work requirement), TA/RAships at a certain % efforts that give you tuition waiver and a survivable stipend, or in more rare scenarios from external sources such as government scholarship. Sometimes the RAship will not be directly tied to your primary mentor, it is just a work exchange type of situation. This is very common for public health programs because many programs hope students to apply for a government training grant by year 3 to be more independent on funding, which international students do not qualify for. In many scenarios, students have to actively search for such RA/TAships and won't secure a position until close to the new semester. I am not sure how many would have to pay out of pocket. For UCLA, I knew someone who got admitted a few years ago with a clear funding mechanism because his POI had the money, he said not everyone was admitted with a funding package attached. It seems that you would need to figure it out with your POI/the department. 
I am an international student. This is my second season applying. UCSF Epi says they will not admit anyone they could not figure out a clear funding strategy. Then I was waitlisted ? . From past year stats, they would receive about half of applications from international students but enroll maybe one international student. I have a friend (international student) got admitted to UPitts Epi last season and they have to secure their own funding through searching for TA/RAships, he told me that his POI blatantly told him they were asked to prioritize US students so eventually he did not find any funding and deferred the admission. This season he reached out to a few professors at UPitts Epi and no one replied (but he got many interviews at private universities so I think he would be fine).
Well I learned my lessons and this year I applied to more PhD programs housed at private university medical schools that will have more guaranteed funding.  

This is sth to clarify with the POI. 
Usually the funding would be either a fellowship (which means no work requirement), TA/RAships at a certain % efforts that give you tuition waiver and a survivable stipend, or in more rare scenarios from external sources such as government scholarship. Sometimes the RAship will not be directly tied to your primary mentor, it is just a work exchange type of situation. This is very common for public health programs because many programs hope students to apply for a government training grant by year 3 to be more independent on funding, which international students do not qualify for. In many scenarios, students have to actively search for such RA/TAships and won't secure a position until close to the new semester. I am not sure how many would have to pay out of pocket. For UCLA, I knew someone who got admitted a few years ago with a clear funding mechanism because his POI had the money, he said not everyone was admitted with a funding package attached. It seems that you would need to figure it out with your POI/the department. 
I am an international student. This is my second season applying. UCSF Epi says they will not admit anyone they could not figure out a clear funding strategy. Then I was waitlisted ? . From past year stats, they would receive about half of applications from international students but enroll maybe one international student. I have a friend (international student) got admitted to UPitts Epi last season and they have to secure their own funding through searching for TA/RAships, he told me that his POI blatantly told him they were asked to prioritize US students so eventually he did not find any funding and deferred the admission. This season he reached out to a few professors at UPitts Epi and no one replied (but he got many interviews at private universities so I think he would be fine).
Well I learned my lessons and this year I applied to more PhD programs housed at private university medical schools that will have more guaranteed funding.  

Yep the struggle is real but we'll survive ?  It's a good sign that your POI said you guys should come up with a plan together! 

Yep the struggle is real but we'll survive ?  It's a good sign that your POI said you guys should come up with a plan together! 

This round I'm applying to 2 SW doctoral programs. I just got my first acceptance from UW-M. Still waiting on UChicago. I'm also applying to Dis Studies at UIC and Psych at UPenn. If anyone else is applying at UW-M, I talked with the DGS of the SW PhD program. They're looking to get official rejections/acceptances out on Feb 9th and funding info on Feb 16th. UChicago will likely reach out to people closer to March re: funding and acceptances. 

For those still waiting on Columbia’s epi PhD program, they are still sending invitations. I just got an email today

For those waiting on the UNC DrPH program I just received an interview invite for that program via email this morning. I'm over the moon I made it this far. Good luck to everyone and hope you hear something soon!

Update: Received official admission to University of Minnesota Health Services Research, Policy and Administration Ph.D a few minutes ago.
Rejections: UPenn Wharton Health Econ Ph.D
Interviews: JHU Health Econ Ph.D, Brown HSR Ph.D, BU HSR Ph.D, GWU Health Policy Ph.D
Acceptances: UMN HSR Ph.D, GWU Health Policy Ph.D
Silence: Harvard, Yale, Michigan

Columbia doesn't do interviews. Last year decisions were released mid Feb. Also many people would turn down Columbia's offers (their stipend level is horrible compared to cost of living in NYC) so they might send out another rounds of admissions after that. 

Just spoke with one of my profs at BC about their process a little bit. (I did not receive an interview invite.) This prof used to serve on the ad comm in years past. He said essentially that BC offers invites for interviews in only 2 scenarios. The first scenario involves international graduate students for whom POIs or the ad comm might want to test English language proficiency. The second scenario involves any student, whether international or domestic, who might be competing with another student for a spot with a certain POI. That POI might want to interview one or both of those students to see who they might want to recommend to the ad comm for admission. I hope this is helpful for any/all BC applicants.

Just received an interview invite from UCSF epidemiology and translational sciences.

Just received an interview invite from UCSF epidemiology and translational sciences.

Just received an interview invite from UCSF epidemiology and translational sciences.

Just received an interview invite from UCSF epidemiology and translational sciences.

Just received an interview invite from UCSF epidemiology and translational sciences.

Just received an interview invite from UCSF epidemiology and translational sciences.

Just received an interview invite from UCSF epidemiology and translational sciences.

I had a program that wrote my last name wrong in an interview invite. Maybe it's nothing to some, but to me details really matter. 

I know I love that! They included specifics about my experience and my interests. Pretty awesome program

Saw some interest in UCLA HPM PhD earlier in the thread, so wanted to update that I got the recommendation for acceptance this evening, with further information to come in the next two weeks.

I received interview invites at Yale Chronic Disease Epi, Brown BSHS, and UNC Health Behavior 

I just got invited to interview for UW's Global Health, Implementation Science program!

Considering this a good sign-- my POI at Harvard Health Policy (dont know if they are involved in my interview because the names have not been disclosed yet) just followed me on Twitter.