Range of funding for PoliSci Programs

[saltlakecity2012]

I don't. I'm assuming 4 classes total (since that would be 1 per semester...) But it didn't say outright and I haven't been able to find info online.

Thank you! I'm really really excited, but now I have an even harder decision in front of me!

No joke on the decision. What's Stanford's package, if you don't mind my asking?

[shavasana]

Stanford was:

$28,000 x 5 years

$3,500 for 2 summers

$1,000 yearly "Professional development" funds

Health insurance

Tuition waiver

(As a note, the department doesn't provide funding past year five according to their website...)

[PickMe!]

A few days ago I got an email saying my Princeton admission offer was revised and I freaked out because I thought they had changed their minds and revoked my admission. Turns out they just revised my funding package to include the following:

"In addition, the Center for the Study of Democratic Politics is offering you the option of working with a CSDP faculty member on a project of mutual interest for which you would be paid up to $2,000 each year for up to five years at an hourly rate."

Did this happen to any other Princeton admits? Obviously there's no mention of what the hourly rate is so I don't know how many hours per week I'd be working, but I imagine it can't be too much in my first year, right?

[Ironheel!!]

A few days ago I got an email saying my Princeton admission offer was revised and I freaked out because I thought they had changed their minds and revoked my admission. Turns out they just revised my funding package to include the following:

"In addition, the Center for the Study of Democratic Politics is offering you the option of working with a CSDP faculty member on a project of mutual interest for which you would be paid up to $2,000 each year for up to five years at an hourly rate."

Did this happen to any other Princeton admits? Obviously there's no mention of what the hourly rate is so I don't know how many hours per week I'd be working, but I imagine it can't be too much in my first year, right?

Congrats! However, do you have other responsibilities year 1 beyond your own class work? Seems like a lot to take on semester 1...but maybe thats why I'm not Princeton material!

[PickMe!]

Congrats! However, do you have other responsibilities year 1 beyond your own class work? Seems like a lot to take on semester 1...but maybe thats why I'm not Princeton material!

Thanks! The thought of having to work while adapting to grad school definitely worries me. I know that the teaching requirement doesn't kick in until the third year and I don't think there are any other expected duties in my first year. This seems like a great offer (i.e. more money, working with faculty right away) but it looks like I'll really have to ask about the details and the experiences of other students when I visit since I don't want to overburden myself right out of the gate.

[ginsburg]

Sorry to revive an old thread, but Yale's offer looks like this:

Guaranteed $27,300 x5 years

Option of 6th year at $27,300 through University Dissertation Fellowship

Full tuition waiver (Valued at $35,500)

Health Insurance

(Includes teaching in the 3rd and 4th years)

I just wonder how this University Dissertation Fellowship works, since the admission letter said it will be awarded in fifth or sixth year for eligible students. What if people finish in 5th year, do they get both this fellowship and the regular stipend at the same time?

[saltlakecity2012]

I'm assuming like any other school all additional funding gets considered when they put together your fellowship offer, so even if you were awarded the UDF you wouldn't make out like a bandit (or rather, like a reasonably well-paid person).

Edit - I don't mean fellowship offer, I mean the amount disbursed for each year. If you get NSF grants, for example, normally your school's funding drops (and your school will eat most of your NSF grant anyway ).

Edited March 1, 2012 by saltlakecity2012

[RWBG]

Something I've found to be a useful exercise recently is to consider the total amount of money offered you by a school over five years. Given that for many schools, stipends vary between years (especially when dependent on TAships), and given that summer funding is often offered separately and for a limited number of years, I've found this to be a useful (if perhaps obvious) exercise for comparing schools. One can also divide the total amount by five to get an effective annual rate for easier comparisons between schools. See below:

Wisconsin: 10.5k/year (after fees) going up to 12.2k/year after comps. => $55938 total => $11187/year.

Michigan: 17k fellowship first year, TA ship years 2-5 that goes up 3% each year. 3k summer funding first two summers. => $100976 => $20195/year

UCLA: 24k fellowship first two years, TA ship starting at approx 17k going up to approx 20k after comps => $104761 => $20952/year

Rochester: 22k/year (two years of teaching commitments) => $110000 total => 22000/year

Also, I've been using this to compare living costs:

http://www.bestplaces.net/col/

Edited March 5, 2012 by RWBG

[potbellypete]

Something I've found to be a useful exercise recently is to consider the total amount of money offered you by a school over five years. Given that for many schools, stipends vary between years (especially when dependent on TAships), and given that summer funding is often offered separately and for a limited number of years, I've found this to be a useful (if perhaps obvious) exercise for comparing schools. One can also divide the total amount by five to get an effective annual rate for easier comparisons between schools. See below:

Wisconsin: 10.5k/year (after fees) going up to 12.2k/year after comps. => $55938 total => $11187/year.

Michigan: 17k fellowship first year, TA ship years 2-5 that goes up 3% each year. 3k summer funding first two summers. => $100976 => $20195/year

UCLA: 24k fellowship first two years, TA ship starting at approx 17k going up to approx 20k after comps => $104761 => $20952/year

Rochester: 22k/year (two years of teaching commitments) => $110000 total => 22000/year

Also, I've been using this to compare living costs:

http://www.bestplaces.net/col/

Hate to also add this into the equation but those are gross numbers. Don't forget about those dreaded taxes -- CA and NY likely have higher taxes than MI.

Honestly, though, after all is said and done, the petty differences (minus the WI offer) over 5 years will hardly be noticeable and if you get a good job after, will likely be moot. One other thing to consider it is the possibility of finishing in fewer years. If you think you can complete a program that offers less money but in a shorter time, then your "5th year" could actually be as an assistant professor pulling in more than 2X what you are making as a TA.

[Helix]

I also wanted to mention fees. I have two really well-funded offers, but one has some component of fee remission and the other doesn't, and I was shocked to see just how expensive fees for "student activities" and "enrollment" are, even for graduate students. It made my better funded offer look slightly less so, so it's worth looking into the fine print of things, especially at the private schools that don't appear to lay them out for you in the letter very explicitly.

[RWBG]

Hate to also add this into the equation but those are gross numbers. Don't forget about those dreaded taxes -- CA and NY likely have higher taxes than MI.

Honestly, though, after all is said and done, the petty differences (minus the WI offer) over 5 years will hardly be noticeable and if you get a good job after, will likely be moot. One other thing to consider it is the possibility of finishing in fewer years. If you think you can complete a program that offers less money but in a shorter time, then your "5th year" could actually be as an assistant professor pulling in more than 2X what you are making as a TA.

This has been an interesting opportunity for me to learn about the intricacies of the US tax system (I'm Canadian). I agree that one should consider both income and sales tax when making precise comparative calculations. I also agree that the minor differences should not be pivotal in terms of decision-making; approaching it this way just had the advantage of showing me that the differences are, in fact, minor.

Does anyone actually finish in four years?

[3221]

Harvard's offer is:

years one through four: 24,500

summer research award for four summers: 4900

dissertation completion year: 24,500

years three and four assume teaching two classes a semester

[bauhaus]

Question: does a summer research award imply that you are expected to stay during the summer? In general, how long time can one spent on a summer holiday?

G

[Eudaimonia]

Brandeis: $20,400 x 5 years

Penn: $23,700 x 5 years + $3,915 x 3 summers

[PickMe!]

Question: does a summer research award imply that you are expected to stay during the summer? In general, how long time can one spent on a summer holiday?

G

I'm also curious about this.

[shavasana]

Question: does a summer research award imply that you are expected to stay during the summer? In general, how long time can one spent on a summer holiday?

G

I'm going to assume that most Harvard deals are the same. I have a good friend at Harvard who definitely does NOT have to stay at Harvard during the summer and that she has used that money towards language programs overseas.

[chibuku]

Just to provide some comparison to Canada, my package at York (Toronto) is 33,000 for the first 4 years and 23000 for the last two.

Mind you, tuition and fees only amounts to $5000 a year.

wow, that seem pretty good - what responsibilities does that include?

U of T offered $15k + tuition for 5 yrs, based on TAing. RA work is paid on top of this, but not sure how easy it is to get.

[puddle]

wow, that seem pretty good - what responsibilities does that include?

U of T offered $15k + tuition for 5 yrs, based on TAing. RA work is paid on top of this, but not sure how easy it is to get.

Yeah... I saw this offer too. U of T is skimpin on the dough! UBC's offer is much better (18,000 a year for 4 yrs + a full tuition stipend and TAs + RAs available for additional funding at any point).

[AuldReekie]

Yeah... I saw this offer too. U of T is skimpin on the dough! UBC's offer is much better (18,000 a year for 4 yrs + a full tuition stipend and TAs + RAs available for additional funding at any point).

I thought Toronto had a 'no PhD student will receive less that $20,000' rule?

[CooCooCachoo]

Question: does a summer research award imply that you are expected to stay during the summer? In general, how long time can one spent on a summer holiday?

G

Not at Cornell.

[chibuku]

I thought Toronto had a 'no PhD student will receive less that $20,000' rule?

They probably include the $8k tuition, bringing it to $23k annual. For what it worth McGill (sociology) does the same, giving an average of $20k over 4 years, minus tuition = ~$16k

I'm waiting to hear back from York (Soc), seems like the offer might be one i need to consider, although McGill and Toronto's offer deadlines are March 15th and 21st so not sure I'll get a response by then. Anyone who want to chat about these programs feel free to drop me a PM.

[bauhaus]

Not at Cornell.

I'm going to assume that most Harvard deals are the same. I have a good friend at Harvard who definitely does NOT have to stay at Harvard during the summer and that she has used that money towards language programs overseas.

ok, but then why do schools list stipend and summer grant separately?

[Megan]

ok, but then why do schools list stipend and summer grant separately?

I've always assumed it's because some places don't guarantee all 5 summers...Also, my understanding was that it implies you are doing research (or something relevant like language study), as opposed to just having a summer off. That was entirely assumption though, not based on any information. Also, based on friends in PhD programs who never seem to take more than a week or so off in the summers, but that could very well be by choice for all I know.

[Max Power]

i would assume its because most schools pay their faculty lines over 9 or 10 months and its a book keeping issue

[Megan]

i would assume its because most schools pay their faculty lines over 9 or 10 months and its a book keeping issue

That's so much more logical and likely.