How Long To Wait?

[aaustin]

I was admitted to a PhD program unfunded. My acceptance letter explicitly mentions that it is relatively common that funds cannot be offered initially, but often funds are available for at least the first year of the program. 

I have other applications I'm waiting on, as well as some other options I'm weighing. 

How long should I wait to find out if I'm going to receive funding or not before declining admission? 

How did you make the decision on when to decline based on funding (or acceptances to other programs)? 

[high_hopes]

Sometimes universities will match offers you receive elsewhere. So I would wait until you hear back from the other schools. If you have a decent guaranteed funding package somewhere else, you could ask this school if they will match it. 

I would be very hesitant to agree to do a PhD without multiple years of guaranteed funding. 

[Adelaide9216]

Usually, decisions about scholarships come out in the Spring.