turkeyteacher Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 I am hearing from many of you that you are waiting on funding before you make your decision. I had always assumed that most schools gave out their funding information with their acceptances as a package. This seems to be how it works for most other majors, even non-science ones. Is this something singular to the world of education? I applied within the funding deadlines for all of my schools and not a single one has given me specific financial aid OR funding information, even though they have had all of the necessary paperwork (FAFSA, essays, etc.). I know all of the basic information regarding assistantships at each school, but I don't see how I can make a decision not knowing how much those assistantships help with tuition. I was even nominated for a fellowship by a professor, but the school said they weren't sure of the time frame?!? Is there a trend in Education regarding when funding is released? How is it possible to decide on a school without information on funding? Last of all, when is it appropriate to ask schools about the status of the funding? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wannabeaphd Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 I think it's very appropriate to ask about funding. In terms of my own experience: I got funding info for one school with the admission letter. I got funding info (unofficial) with the unofficial acceptance from my POI And I'm still waiting on funding info from one school, even though I've recieved my official acceptance and have asked my POI. Next I'm planning to email the Chair to ask -- I've got decisions to make! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeChocMoose Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 My experience was that programs released their funding decisions with their acceptances. Since funding can vary a lot between programs, I wouldn't make a decision w/o having that information from all the schools. So yes, I think it is appropriate to ask about funding, how many years you are covered for, what is the process for renewal each year (if there is one), if they require you to apply to outside fellowships at some point, etc. Finances can have a huge impact on your quality of life during graduate school. You should know what each school is offering and what form of assistance the funding is in (TA, RA, fellowship, etc). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gigglingone Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 (edited) Probably depends on the type of funding you are receiving -- if you are nominated for a university-wide fellowship, that would be announced at a different time than a department-specific fund. Also, sometimes the admissions email comes from the department, but the funding letter comes from the university (or the reverse). Would you rather wait longer to find out you were admitted? Edited March 9, 2012 by gigglingone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildviolet Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 My funding information came with my offer of admission. A few weeks later, I received word that I had received a departmental scholarship and was being nominated for a university fellowship. The time frame for the first round of fellowship offers is slated for the beginning of March (i.e., NOW). This is all well before the April 15th deadline. However, I have heard nothing from one school--received the offer, but no personal email or funding information. So, to answer your question, I don't think education is singular about the way it distributes its funding and admissions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turkeyteacher Posted March 12, 2012 Author Share Posted March 12, 2012 Thanks for all of the advice. I have since heard back from one school about a fellowship, but nothing on TA/RA opportunities. I guess I thought that the funding process would be more transparent at the graduate level, that's all. If I don't get funding then just let me know so I can go to plan B. My husband applied to 8 schools (not in education, but not in the sciences either) and he either got funding in his acceptances or a specific date that he would hear about funding. Another thing that has put me on edge is that one of my schools even said that I had to let them know I was attending by March 2nd in order to even qualify for funding!!!! Hopefully they can also give statistics for how many 1st year grad schools give TA/RA gives, 2nd year, etc. One more question, if anyone can clarify: I was under the impression that if you get into a Ph.D. program and qualify for a TA/RA position, that they do everything they can to get you one your second year, if not your first, as long as you work your butt off. I will be paying out-of-state tuition so getting a position will be of the utmost importance! Thanks again!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeriousSillyPutty Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 At WashU (the only school I have experience with), they give students a tuition waiver and scholarship stipend for the first year, and then after that place people in TA positions that are the same amount as the first year stipend. I got the funding info in the acceptance letter. (It's also a really small department though, so I don't know how common that is.) My school was pretty good about connecting me with current students, and I was able to ask them a few questions not worth bothering the professors about -- like asking what people do over the summer. Maybe you could ask some current students? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turkeyteacher Posted March 14, 2012 Author Share Posted March 14, 2012 My school was pretty good about connecting me with current students, and I was able to ask them a few questions not worth bothering the professors about -- like asking what people do over the summer. Maybe you could ask some current students? Yes, that is what I thought that most departments did for Ph.D. students . . . at the VERY least, an out of state tuition waiver. Now that I know where I'm admitted, I can communicate with more students and that is a great idea to bounce ideas off of them rather than the professors! Question: is it presumptuous to ask my departments to help me with an out of state tuition waiver? I hope that they can help me make this work! Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeChocMoose Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Yes, that is what I thought that most departments did for Ph.D. students . . . at the VERY least, an out of state tuition waiver. Now that I know where I'm admitted, I can communicate with more students and that is a great idea to bounce ideas off of them rather than the professors! Question: is it presumptuous to ask my departments to help me with an out of state tuition waiver? I hope that they can help me make this work! Thanks again! It is a bit unusual to have to pay tuition at the PhD level especially in fields where the salaries are not high. At minimum, they should be offering a tuition waiver and a stipend. Without these two items, it is going to be difficult to get through the program and live without going into massive amounts of debt. jbriar 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gigglingone Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Question: is it presumptuous to ask my departments to help me with an out of state tuition waiver? I hope that they can help me make this work! You should check with the department to see if it's possible to qualify for in-state tuition after your first year of studies -- that way you would only be out of state for the first year (and hopefully they can provide you fellowships or grants to cover that difference) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildviolet Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 For those interested in the University of Washington: *****IMPORTANT PLEASE READ: At the direction of the UW Regents the below waiver program will be discontinued effective July 1, 2012. That means that the waiver will no longer be available for any graduate or professional student who is admitted to the University and begins enrollment Autumn Quarter 2012, and after. This is an annual waiver of the differential between resident and nonresident tuition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pourtant Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 For those interested in the University of Washington: *****IMPORTANT PLEASE READ: At the direction of the UW Regents the below waiver program will be discontinued effective July 1, 2012. That means that the waiver will no longer be available for any graduate or professional student who is admitted to the University and begins enrollment Autumn Quarter 2012, and after. This is an annual waiver of the differential between resident and nonresident tuition. Well that's worrisome! Just from anecdotes on these forums it seems like UW has some funding issues... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluebunny Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Well that's worrisome! Just from anecdotes on these forums it seems like UW has some funding issues... More info here about UW's budget problems, although to be fair many other public institutions like the UCs are facing similar issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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