How big is your discipline's package?

[ukiitm]

I'm taking it to mean that you'll have to compete for your funding in subsequent years, i.e. not a guaranteed multi-year funding package.

Hmm, thanks.

It doesn't look very good for me then - being an international student it's useful to have the guarantee of atleast minimum funding. :roll:

[eriquita0115]

I am going to University of Iowa and getting a MA in French/Second Language Acquisition. I've been offered a TAship with $16.5K, health insurance, and a tuition scholarship. I am very happy about my offer

[Chchadder]

18k over 9 months for four years (adjusted annually) plus 7k over summers possible to work on my thesis. No teaching or TA required, but 20hrs/week RA. After the first year I can teach for extra $$$ as well. After 1yr of teaching they pick up my tuition, after second year they pick up health insurance (maybe the other way around).

[omarayache]

full tuition remission plus health insurance and $1600/month at UT Austin

[braingirl]

In psychology/cognitive science programs I found huge variability. At state schools like Illinois/Michigan, funding was as low as $16,000/year (not including summer), and even in ridiculously expensive La Jolla, UCSD was only offering $18k. At prestigious private schools (like WashU and Northwestern), it was $19/20k. However, at a few private institutions with special IGERT grants, I got offers of $30k (for 2-3 years, then ~$25k for the rest), and at Stanford, it was $31k, plus a kick of $5000/yr if you got outside funding. So from my experience (at least in the social sciences), funding is more dependent upon the type of school (public/private) and also where the funding comes from (i.e., the particular lab, the department, the university, etc.).

[LockeOak]

Plant Biology, $20k/year before student and health fees at a public university. After subtracting all fees it's about $18k/year, first year I had a research assistantship the second year a teaching assistantship, same amount. After taxes it's around $16.5k. My significant other at an Ivy league school (immunology) gets $26k everything except taxes accounted for. Geography seems to matter a fair bit.

[juilletmercredi]

It ranges all over the place in my field -- my package is a nice size. Tuition remission, most fees covered, health insurance, and $27,000 over 12 months (but it's counted as salary, so it's taxed. It comes out to about $25,000 after taxes, or a little over $2,100/month) and funding to go to at least one professional conference a year. But my funding is only for 3 years, so I have to find funding to write my dissertation. I go to a good program and I was only lured in my the fact that my advisors assured me they rarely have a student not finish because they can't find the funding for their last 2-3 years.

I live in NYC, but that doesn't really have much to do with the size of the package. A nearby graduate school gives $18,000 a year (I don't remember whether that's over 9 or 12 months, though) and even in my school there's a lot of variability. I guess I should mention that my funding comes partially from the NIH, so that's why it's relatively high; a lot of the students on departmental or institutional funding have slightly lower amounts. But most of the graduate students at my school that I've spoken to make around $2,000 a month.

[rinneron]

NYU's MA program in English offers absolutely nothing to every single student. Thanks guys.

I think the lowest stipend I've seen for a PhD in English (for the school's I'm applying to) is about $14k; the highest is around $25/30k.

Needless to say, I'm terrified. I've managed to live in NYC for a bit over a year now on about $2000/month very comfortably (okay, okay, I live in Brooklyn...), and my first semester lived on about $1300/month (with $850 rent! that sucked), but I'm scared to go back to that. My boyfriend will most likely be coming with me to super grad school, and he's a real working man (not a grad school nut like yours truly), so maybe we'll be able to avoid living in a cardboard box.

Somedays I struggle to remember that I lived on $1100/month in undergrad during my senior year and had an awesome apartment and never wanted for cash. How the hell did that happen?

[limeinthecoconut]

Somedays I struggle to remember that I lived on $1100/month in undergrad during my senior year and had an awesome apartment and never wanted for cash. How the hell did that happen?

Inflation?

[gadhelyn]

Univ of Kansas and Emory Univ, my top two for Bioinformatics/Genetics and Molecular Bio, will award tuition, health insurance, and $24-25,000 stipend to entering students

[GenderMediaGrad]

How is the economy affecting the packages this year?

I just received my 1st acceptance and was offered $14K a year for 5 years plus health insurance and a full tuition waiver (I'm in the humanities). The letter I got from the University explained that the packages were lower this year because the University is being hard hit by the economy and this will likely be true of many Universities. Anyone else heard something similar?

[crabchicken]

Duke neurobiology, $26650/year (6 years), $1000travel, other fees/insurance

[miratrix]

It's quite possible to live on $1100 a month, I'm doing it in a major city (not NY)...wouldn't say I'm never strapped for cash, but I'm not miserable either. Still, signing up to do that for the next 5-7 years is just kind of a sad thought, I hope I'm offered slightly more generous stipends (or just get an MA)!

[mia11]

Hi guys,

I'm an international student and hence have no idea about living costs etc in the US. I've been offered a funding package that covers 5 years, offering 17K stipend, which covers health + fees, and includes 3 years of TA etc.

First of all, I wondered if any of you nice people would be able to give me a sense of how living on this kind of money would be in California?

Anybody know what sort of housing situation I'd be best to look for?

Is my package a competitive one for a public institution and given that I am in the humanities? -- I only ask since I've been surprised to read on some forums that it is 'the done thing' in the US system to more or less play universities off one another (i.e.: basically ask them for more money than their original offer)... Is this really normal practice? I'd feel so awkward about doing this, especially if the package I've already been offered is competitive!

Many thanks for any opinions/advice!

[engguy]

I'm an international student and hence have no idea about living costs etc in the US. I've been offered a funding package that covers 5 years, offering 17K stipend, which covers health + fees, and includes 3 years of TA etc.

Congrats!

First of all, I wondered if any of you nice people would be able to give me a sense of how living on this kind of money would be in California?

Anybody know what sort of housing situation I'd be best to look for?

Depends on where in Cal you are, but overall it's pretty expensive. If you're single, shared housing with other grads would be the way to go. I would expect to pay anywhere from $400-600 for a room in a decent-sized house. Again, this really depends on what city you're in. Could be cheaper in a smaller town. The graduate office / your department should be able to put you in touch with someone who could help with this. Some schools may even have grad student housing for internat'l students.

Is my package a competitive one for a public institution and given that I am in the humanities? -- I only ask since I've been surprised to read on some forums that it is 'the done thing' in the US system to more or less play universities off one another (i.e.: basically ask them for more money than their original offer)... Is this really normal practice? I'd feel so awkward about doing this, especially if the package I've already been offered is competitive!

Certainly competitive. California is devastated right now economically, so especially at a state institution, you might not get more than this. It's a waiting game at this point. At some point closer to Apr 15, the DGS may get in touch with you to see what other offers you've had, and may be in a position to up yours. Good luck.

[miratrix]

I think that's quite competitive for humanities at most schools. Congrats!

[tryffelgris]

31K? WOW. I guess that school has finances in order.

Meanwhile, I was offered $15K fellowship and 2 years of TA/RAship at similar amount for Sociology at a public school with a very high COL and 23K for 5 years (2 TA) at a private school, also high COL (maybe even higher). I want to go to the public school, but the funding really seems inadequate for the city. What to do?

[Comfect]

I've been looking at 16-21k depending on the institution, for 4-6 years. WUSTL, Emory, Duke and Northwestern seem to be generous with their financial packages.

[mia11]

Many thanks engguy and miratrix for your replies and well-wishing! ...you've helped me a great deal.

Anyone else out there have anything to add to their comments about my post above? ..

Cheers folks!

[humblemumblings]

mia11 - I think we might have gotten into the same school based on those stats . I think that the package is good for a state school. I've seen more from private (28k plus tuition, health and maybe more for summer travel). I've also talked to grad students in CA and they seem to be living pretty well on the 17k deal.

[weeble]

Just wanted to revive this thread for 2009...

I'm in psychology and am getting $30k for my first year and $19k for four subsequent years. From a large state school in a city with relatively low cost of living.

[jasper.milvain]

I'm in English and got four offers this year:

- $20 000 / year

- $22 000 / year plus $7000 entrance award

- $27 000 / year plus $5000 entrance award

And the winner:

- $45 000 for my first year, $35 000 for year two, and $28 000 for three and four, with a tuition waiver (not the norm for Canadian schools, where tuition is ~$5000 a year).

[frankdux]

i got the typical $15k TA stipend, but its in an affordable college town so i should be fine. Plus, I don't plan on having a car so that'll be some money saved right there.

Unfortunately I don't have any further details on whether i'll be TA'ing the whole time, or if i'll get 'promoted' to a research position or something.

[purplepepper]

I thought mine was pretty good --

25k for 5 years +health (unfortunately the cost of living is on the expensive side)

in art history!

[jasper.milvain]

That is pretty good! Read through the admissions results posts, and you'll see lots of $13-$17 000 funding packages. Anything over twenty is worth celebrating with hard liquor, IMO. The results on this thread are probably skewed towards the high end, since swollen headed assholes like me jump on any chance to brag about good results.

Congrats on your money.