Funding for dissertation--how does it work?

[nerdspeak]

Assume a student passes their exams and starts their dissertation. They're at somewhere like UChicago or Harvard where all of the PhD students receive funding for the first five years.

After those five years of funding expire, how does one go about getting funding to finish the dissertation? I know that lots of ABDs get adjunct jobs, but I don't think teaching two classes at $3,000 each is enough to support oneself in Cambridge or Chicago.

Is failure to get funding for the disseration a common reason for leaving?

[Simple Twist of Fate]

I'm not at Harvard or Chicago, but I am at a school with five years of funding for PhD students. With the usual caveat that every school is different, there often are a number of options. First, many schools will continue to offer teaching opportunities. Some will be "adjunct" roles, while others will be TA roles. These are just not guaranteed - they're competitive. Second, one can often find alternative work at the university, college or department level. This might involve working on an academic journal that's based at your university, for example. Third, students usually apply for fellowships of various kinds. In my field, there are numerous organizations, libraries and archives that offer dissertation fellowships. So you might spend your 6th year on fellowship at a particular archive, far away from your campus -- if you're lucky. Or your school (and institutions within it) might offer competitive internal fellowships of various kinds. Fourth, I do know of students who just get jobs that aren't related to academia and continue to work on their dissertation. This is not preferred, as people are looking to build their CV, but it's not the worst thing in the world.

I'm certainly overlooking some other alternatives, but maybe someone else can chime in.

Different departments support their students differently in this way. Some have a reputation for being unhelpful in this regard, and that's an important thing to determine in deciding where to go.

[Riotbeard]

I think simple twist hit the nail on the head for the most part. Outside of writing fellowships, which are difficult to get but not impossible, most places expect you to work in some capacity. There is also always the folks' basement...

[nerdspeak]

better start saving then. thanks.

[Bearcat1]

Most universities have offices and staff specifically to assist with finding outside funding. It's definitely something to ask about when you are making your decisions on where to go. Depending on the university, those offices may be very science-centric, but some aren't. And you can also ask your particular POI what kinds of funding their students have been awarded in the past, which is often a good indication of that professor's connections and willingness (and/or ability) to assist with such things.

[kyjin]

I do know Princeton has sixth-year funding available if you show "significant work" on your dissertation. (New chapter, etc.) Other students and professors will know about outside fellowships and grants that may help out in your particular field of study. (For example, I'm in Japanese History, and most people I know in the field get an extra year of funding for writing and travel through Fulbright or the Japan Foundation.)