Typical Funding Percentages for PhD

[Kosmosis707]

Hi all,

 

I have a general, quick question to those of you have been admitted or are "in the know" about PhD funding.  What percentage of the total annual cost of living is paid on the average?  I have seen some people talk about full funding but I am assuming this is reserved for the very top applicants? 

 

I'm interested in possibly pursuing a PhD in Political Science after I complete a Masters degree, but it seems it would only be achievable if I get some hefty funding from a program. 

 

Also, any advice on how to put yourself in a position to receive full funding would be much appreciated! Thank you much for your time.

Edited February 25, 2015 by Kosmosis707

[c m]

Research programs!

 

I only applied to PhD programs that fully funded their students.  It isn't necessarily for "top applicants," but for the students that are admitted, which, granted, can mean top applicants.

 

I think you will find many people on here who would discourage accepting an offer that is not fully funded.  Now full funding can mean a variety of things, depending on if it is awarded via assistantships, fellowships, scholarships or some combination, so I do not know if a fully funded program would always/necessarily equate to your definition of "hefty."  I would look at your programs-of-interest's website and perhaps email to clarify if unsure.

 

So what to do to get fully funded is about the same thing as what to do to get into your program of choice. And that is discipline specific, but a strong SOP, great LORs, and a POI of interest with closely aligned research interests will probably factor in there.

[GeoDUDE!]

It depends on the field, program. For example, every student (masters or PhD) is accepted with full funding in my department. We do not take students that are not funded by the school/department/grants/fellowship/external funding. You are not allowed to self finance. 

[ritapita]

Yes, I agree with the others... it is very dependent upon the program as to what ''fully funded'' means.  For instance, I have an admit to a fully funded program, which for them means I cannot attend unless I am fully funded by a project at the university...I have to find that project/lab/professor.  Yes I would attend fully funded - and well funded for sure, but they (my department/advisor) do not assign that funding, I have to find it.  My other current admit is also ''fully funded'' but for them that means all my tuition is fully covered and I have a 9 month stipend- which is the typical package most places. That stipend, while rather decent for my field, doesn't cover the cost of living for that location unless I have a roommate or two. So while I am technically fully funded, I need to get some additional external funding to ensure I am not sleeping in my car...because I have pets/life outside of school/'older' student and don't do the roommate situation.

[perpetuavix]

Most PhD programs in most disciplines fund students. In political science, students are mostly funded through teaching and maybe some research fellowships. Generally, your tuition is covered (although some fees might not be) and you're paid a stipend (the amount varies a lot; the highest I've seen for humanities is $32,000 and the lowest is $11,000). If you have a teaching assistantship, you'll probably work as a TA for some large lectures and eventually teach your own classes. You also might do research with a professor or do department service to 'earn' your stipend. In political science, there are probably some external sources of funding you could apply for, but most non-science disciplines don't require that you have any external funding. 

Usually, if you're strong enough to admitted to a program, they will fund you. If the schools you apply to have university-wide fellowships, having high GREs and GPA helps with those, since someone outside your discipline will make those decisions. But putting yourself in a good position for funding basically is the same as putting yourself in a good position to be admitted. 

[Cpt Jo]

Hi all,

 

I have a general, quick question to those of you have been admitted or are "in the know" about PhD funding.  What percentage of the total annual cost of living is paid on the average?  I have seen some people talk about full funding but I am assuming this is reserved for the very top applicants? 

 

I'm interested in possibly pursuing a PhD in Political Science after I complete a Masters degree, but it seems it would only be achievable if I get some hefty funding from a program. 

 

Also, any advice on how to put yourself in a position to receive full funding would be much appreciated! Thank you much for your time.

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