History Graduate Program Funding Package Spreadsheet

[gnossienne n.3]

3 hours ago, TheHessianHistorian said:

@FrankJEspin, I can't help but admire (be in awe of, actually) all of your acceptances to top-notch history PhD programs this year! UNC, UMN, UM, UCSB, and Brown are not a "walk in the park" to get into. Would you mind telling us a bit about your background and academic progression, and if you have any wisdom or words of advice for crafting killer applications (which you have clearly done)?

May I suggest that you elaborate in one of the other threads? Just so that this one remains easy to use for the intended purpose.

[anon4578]

Added my offers! 

[MastigosAtLarge]

I can't access the spreadsheet for some reason? 

EDIT: I see that you posted updated links, but they seem to have mostly old information.  Is that right?

Edited February 26, 2018 by HayleyM

[gnossienne n.3]

Use this link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10XIYhIw4fCbUend2WkA3iujfftu9TrXwR-YKcgr3JKo/edit#gid=693576939

DO NOT detach or unlink from Drive, as this will result in altering the permissions for the document and revoking public access to the file.

[MastigosAtLarge]

Thanks!  Updated with my UC Irvine offer.

[lordtiandao]

Updated with my USC offer.

[AGingeryGinger]

I want to post but the link doesn't work, anyone have an updated link?

[TessaraD]

17 hours ago, AGingeryGinger said:

I want to post but the link doesn't work, anyone have an updated link?

The updated link is just a few posts up from yours, but here it is again: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10XIYhIw4fCbUend2WkA3iujfftu9TrXwR-YKcgr3JKo/edit#gid=693576939

[AGingeryGinger]

21 hours ago, TessaraD said:

The updated link is just a few posts up from yours, but here it is again: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10XIYhIw4fCbUend2WkA3iujfftu9TrXwR-YKcgr3JKo/edit#gid=693576939

As soon as i typed in my post I realized the correct link was a few posts above.

[TheHessianHistorian]

I have added the funding offer that I received today along with an acceptance off the wait list from Washington University in St. Louis: 

$23,360 per year up to 6 years, 90%-subsidized comprehensive health insurance, and a 100% tuition waiver. Attached to a 6-semester teaching assistantship with teaching duties in years 2, 3, and 4. Year 5 devoted to archival research and year 6 devoted to dissertation.

 

The last couple of months, as I got rejected from all of the PhD programs I applied to, I had begun to grow accustomed to the idea of doing a Master's degree and have even begun to think that focusing on a Master's degree first would be for the best.

However, I now have a fully funded PhD offer to consider. Do I jump straight into a WUSTL PhD, or do I do a Master's degree and then in 2 years try to get into a PhD program with even better job-placement rates than WUSTL? (I already know what @telkanuru would say... What does everyone else think?)

[dr. t]

18 hours ago, TheHessianHistorian said:

$23,360 per year up to 6 years, 90%-subsidized comprehensive health insurance, and a 100% tuition waiver. Attached to a 6-semester teaching assistantship with teaching duties in years 2, 3, and 4. Year 5 devoted to archival research and year 6 devoted to dissertation.

You summoned me, so...

This is a pretty decent package for this tier school, actually. I like that 6th year funding is becoming a standard.

Some questions: 

• Quals are at then end of year 4? That seems very late.
• What is the actual teaching load? Will you be IOR?
• What's going on with year 1?
• How much are you actually expected to pay for insurance? Is dental covered?
• Your archive is in Europe. How will you get there?

I'm not sure what you would gain from an MA, particularly not from an MA at any of the particular universities to which you've been admitted. So yeah, take it.

Edited April 5, 2018 by telkanuru

[TheHessianHistorian]

1 hour ago, telkanuru said:

You summoned me, so...

This is a pretty decent package for this tier school, actually. I like that 6th year funding is becoming a standard.

Some questions: 

• Quals are at then end of year 4? That seems very late.
• What is the actual teaching load? Will you be IOR?
• What's going on with year 1?
• How much are you actually expected to pay for insurance? Is dental covered?
• Your archive is in Europe. How will you get there?

I'm not sure what you would gain from an MA, particularly not from an MA at any of the particular universities to which you've been admitted. So yeah, take it.

These are really good questions for me to be asking! Thanks for the thought-provoking guidance!

[TheHessianHistorian]

8 hours ago, telkanuru said:

You summoned me, so...

This is a pretty decent package for this tier school, actually. I like that 6th year funding is becoming a standard.

Some questions: 

• Quals are at then end of year 4? That seems very late.
• What is the actual teaching load? Will you be IOR?
• What's going on with year 1?
• How much are you actually expected to pay for insurance? Is dental covered?
• Your archive is in Europe. How will you get there?

I'm not sure what you would gain from an MA, particularly not from an MA at any of the particular universities to which you've been admitted. So yeah, take it.

So, here is what I found out about WUSTL's situation, which may help provide a kind of benchmark for what may be normal for similar-sized programs:

• Quals: qualifying exams at WUSTL take place at the end of year 3
• Teaching Load: the teaching load at WUSTL is six semesters of Mentored Teaching Experiences (MTEs); for the first 5 semesters of MTE, it is duties like grading papers, leading discussion groups, giving an occasional lecture (not IOR); for the final 6th semester of MTE, you deliver a 200-level course as IOR
• Year 1: students do not normally teach in their first year, as they are adjusting to the rigors of graduate coursework; a normal course load is three 4-credit courses per term (during terms with GTA responsibilities, a normal load is two courses + GTA responsibilities)
• Insurance: health insurance is $1630 annually, so with a 90% subsidy I would pay $163 a year; dental has not historically been covered, but the plan for the 2018-2019 academic year onward is to include dental, although this decision has not been finalized yet
• Archival Research: the average amount of financial support received by a student for summer research is $2000; other funding is also available for language training, conference presentations, professional development, etc.

Edited April 5, 2018 by TheHessianHistorian

[AP]

It's fun to see how packages have evolved (or not!) in the past 5 years!

[Procopius]

Some packages seem disturbingly low (unc), others seem disturbingly high (notre dame, Stanford).

[TMP]

On 5/17/2018 at 4:01 AM, Procopius said:

Some packages seem disturbingly low (unc), others seem disturbingly high (notre dame, Stanford).

Remember, COL in California is ridiculously high.  Private schools can also afford to offer highly competitive stipends.  Public schools do not as some of its budget is constrained by the state legislatures (*cough*NC*cough*).

[psstein]

27 minutes ago, TMP said:

Remember, COL in California is ridiculously high.  Private schools can also afford to offer highly competitive stipends.  Public schools do not as some of its budget is constrained by the state legislatures (*cough*NC*cough*).

To add onto your comment, most state universities have a stipend floor, but some departments will supplement it.

[Procopius]

3 hours ago, TMP said:

Remember, COL in California is ridiculously high.  Private schools can also afford to offer highly competitive stipends.  Public schools do not as some of its budget is constrained by the state legislatures (*cough*NC*cough*).

Ah i see now. After digging through the unc graduate funding website, they explicitly say that their city’s lower cost of living is a significant advantage for graduate students. They even compare their funding with other schools. I realize now that most grad programs will provide you with just enough or more than enough money to survive. Of course, some packages will be better than others, which seems inevitable in some cases. Like notre dame can afford to give their students six years of funding or Stanford will pay for four summers at $7000 a piece. I think, ultimately, it pays to go to a top school at a high COL location. But ymmv.

[time_consume_me]

Was the document culled to reflect only 2018 offers?

The chart is much, much shorter than I remember.

[Warelin]

28 minutes ago, hojoojoh said:

Was the document culled to reflect only 2018 offers?

The chart is much, much shorter than I remember.

It appears that the original 2013 file is no longer available. =(

[time_consume_me]

On 8/1/2018 at 10:20 AM, Warelin said:

It appears that the original 2013 file is no longer available. =(

Is there a reason for that?

 

Maybe I will try to make a copy out of the changelogs.

[Warelin]

1 minute ago, hojoojoh said:

Is there a reason for that?

 

Maybe I will try to make a copy out of the changelogs.

It seems like the original owner of that document deleted it.

[TGCA]

It does appear you can go through the change logs and recover the data.

A question would be...is there a need for a tool on the site that would take in:

- university

- field

- funding package data(offer year, scholarship, stipend, grad assist, health insurance, etc)...any/all perks broken out

- comment

- forum username(optional)

And then...

- create searchable reports by school, year, filters above, etc.

=============

Who would be willing to enter data into the tool?

Who would use it for research?

[Sigaba]

12 hours ago, TGCA said:

Who would be willing to enter data into the tool?

Someone on the payroll of this BB.

[TGCA]

 

21 hours ago, Sigaba said:

Someone on the payroll of this BB.

My question was aimed at future entries. There is a fair amount of 2018 data, but trying to gauge a wider interest to determine if the tool is justified. 

We'll add the tool to our list of ideas to develop as I think it would serve the community well. Historical data would be loaded with the development of the tool.