Are there any universities in the US that pay very good RA/TA salary?

[oqowa]

Hey guys, so my American dream started in 2015 when I was admitted as PhD student and ended in 2019 when I left the US with Master's degree in Petroleum Engineering:( Now, 3 years later, I so much regret about not trying hard enough to stay and now I'm thinking of ways of what I could do to go back. But now my situation is different, I'm not on my own, I have a wife and 1 kid. So, I was wondering let's say I decide to go back to funded PhD again, are there any universities in the US that pay actually pretty good RA or TA salary which would be enough to cover monthly expenses of a family of 3 people? I have a full-time job in my country that pays higher than average, so if I make that decision, I need to make sure I'm not getting myself into financial risk.

[Hugh_]

On 6/5/2022 at 9:42 AM, oqowa said:

Hey guys, so my American dream started in 2015 when I was admitted as PhD student and ended in 2019 when I left the US with Master's degree in Petroleum Engineering:( Now, 3 years later, I so much regret about not trying hard enough to stay and now I'm thinking of ways of what I could do to go back. But now my situation is different, I'm not on my own, I have a wife and 1 kid. So, I was wondering let's say I decide to go back to funded PhD again, are there any universities in the US that pay actually pretty good RA or TA salary which would be enough to cover monthly expenses of a family of 3 people? I have a full-time job in my country that pays higher than average, so if I make that decision, I need to make sure I'm not getting myself into financial risk.

The funding is pretty meager for RA and TAships...It might be very difficult...Location and cost-of-living should definitely at the top of your priorities if you intend to move forward with the PhD. Pick small towns over big cities!

[lkaitlyn]

From what I know, there is no school where you will be able to comfortably live with 3 people on solely a TA or RA salary, especially with one of those people being a kid. (Kids are expensive!) Frankly, it's very hard in many less-rural places in the U.S. now to live comfortably with only one member of a household working, though obviously many do it. Since you're in a situation in which it sounds like you have another adult in the house, if they are able to work, that would significantly help the situation.

On the bright side, many schools will allow you to have a spouse and child on the grad student health insurance, so make sure you look into that when deciding between places. Some schools also have housing for graduate students and their families that is cheaper than normal area housing.

[Boolakanaka]

In some instances at the most elite and prestigious of programs, it can be, well not lucrative, but substantial. I know someone currently, that in addition to covering tuition, health, etc, their living stipend is plus 65K.