What to do? No guaranteed funding UW-Madison.

[zannebrain]

I just got my letter from Madison. I'm very happy to be accepted into their PhD program, however I am not guaranteed funding.

I don't know what to do now. I'm from the midwest and Madison is the best school I was accepted in to. I really had my hopes up to go there after looking into some of the research and course work.

I'm not entirely sure what to do and what this means. Would it be wise to accept anyway? Or should I not even risk the chance of accumulating serious debt?

[jjsakurai]

I guess you could email profs there whose research areas you're interested in to see if one of them would be willing to fund you. There isn't a high chance but no harm in asking.

[spark1989]

Do you have a tuition waiver? If yes, then you may have to spend ~20K from your pocket every year I think. You should ask POI, if they are ready to fund you after a sem or two. Also ask about the TAship scene at your university.

Good Luck.

[psychgurl]

Just curious, but what is the exact wording for your funding? I know some universities only guarantee one year at a time, but it's an unspoken rule that everyone gets funding subsequent years as well. Maybe this is the case with UW-Madison?

[EB456]

My understanding is that UW-Madison is in pretty rough financial shape. Lots of people in computer science have gotten offers with no guaranteed funding, and I've heard that they are losing professors because they can't afford to keep them. I have been warned to be wary about financial issues with UW-Madision. So I don't think the 'unspoken rule' of funding assumption applies here. But my information is second hand and could be wrong.

[rowlf]

How is this decision going? I am in a similar position. I was admitted off the waitlist to my second choice program without funding. It is pretty common for people to have to pay for the first year at this school, but I am not sure if I want to. This is the only acceptance, so my choice is between paying or reapplying next year and hoping funding comes through (along with acceptances, of course).

I just got my letter from Madison. I'm very happy to be accepted into their PhD program, however I am not guaranteed funding.

I don't know what to do now. I'm from the midwest and Madison is the best school I was accepted in to. I really had my hopes up to go there after looking into some of the research and course work.

I'm not entirely sure what to do and what this means. Would it be wise to accept anyway? Or should I not even risk the chance of accumulating serious debt?

[Adamah]

How much of an improvement is this school over your other options? From what I understand, funding is usually guaranteed for your second year onward. If that's the case, then I think it's better to go for it now rather than wait another year. Next year you may be in the same situation, or not admitted to the school at all. Even if you did get in again, it might not be worth waiting a whole year.

[zannebrain]

I just visited there. Yes, funding is pretty much expected in the second year since students build relationships with professors and the like. Its not to say I won't get funded my first year though as there are still several opportunities. I'm still weighing the pros and cons, but they have a very strong department in many areas. The city is nice, faculty very friendly, the prospectives and current students were all very talented as well as humble.