Misty PhD Funding

[zjppdozen]

I was accepted into a doctoral program in my dream school a month ago. Before I submit my application, the program said they would try their best to fund every student. But today I received notification from the graduate school to ask me to submit my financial statement for my graduate education because the department did not provide financial support to me. Then I emailed the program coordinator, and he says: 

"At this time, I do not have any updates on funding opportunities for you. I would suggest that you submit a financial statement that shows you will be paying for your graduate education. We will continue to help you find funding, of course. We have found that the search for funding can take time, but the majority of our Ph.D. students have secured funding either by the start of the fall semester or by the start of the spring semester."

Is this common? Should I accept this offer? Studying at the doctoral level without sufficient funding is almost a nightmare but this is the program I really want to go. What should I do next? What should I tell the department?

 

[ticktick]

I would reach out  to current students in the program to get more information on how accurate it is that the "majority" of the Ph.D. students have secured funding by fall or spring semester. You will get a better picture on that from current students rather than the program coordinator. You can also ask current students on whether funding sources are continually changing, if they can rely on consistent assistance, and how much responsibility falls on students to find funding versus the faculty to find funding for the students. 

With that information, you can better see if the program fits your needs and if you are able to commit financially. 

[juilletmercredi]

This happens, especially in certain fields. That doesn't mean that it's a tenable solution, and yes, I'd be keenly interested to know what "majority" means. That could mean 51% or 91%.

The other question is, as ticktick alluded to, how stable are these sources they are finding you? Are they one-year scholarships that mean you have to renew the hunt for money every year? Are they teaching assistantships that require a lot of hours of teaching?

In my opinion, funding that starts in the spring semester is unacceptable for a doctoral program if they expect you to begin in the fall. I think this is especially the case if you don't know when you start that you'll be funded in spring (e.g., you start in the fall, and don't know whether you'll be funded until after you begin).