Why to be self-funded cannot rise the probability to be admitted?

[wwzzxx]

I encountered several cases that the professors said they are lacking of funding. so that they could not accept students. What if I can pay the tuition and living expenses by myself?

[idiochromatic]

It could conceivably help but being awarded funding and getting a department or prof to invest in you is part of what admission means. I think many departments would be reluctant to let a student self-fund if the student was taking on debt or anything less than a billionaire heir because of the risk that self-funding would cease halfway through the program.

[GeoDUDE!]

The biggest reason why professors are reluctant to take on self funded students is culture. There is already disparity in many departments between funding options (Fellowships, RAs, TAs), but having no funding is another thing all together. They are afraid it will create a tier system in the department: one can not help (even if they aren't) think that self funded students are inferior. That there is some reason that 1) They didn't get funding at this department and 2) they couldn't find funding at another or even worse 3) chose to go to this department despite getting funding at another department. 

 

So beyond the questions of motivation to finish.... the culture of the entire graduate program is at stake.  From the departments I have visited, there is a clear difference between the general happiness level of the graduate students in departments that fund all of their students and ones that take on self funded students, for what its worth. It might just be those specific departments, but in discussions I've had with professors about this issue they raise the same questions. 

[turbidite]

I think Geodude hit the nail on the head with this one. I go to a school where not every student is funded and I definitely feel like the unfunded students are resentful of their situation. And frankly, I would also be bitter if I wasn't funded (or more likely, not even in grad school). I would imagine that academia-oriented programs don't have this problem nearly as much as industry-oriented programs because academia-oriented programs tend to have a higher proportion of PhD students (almost always funded) to MS students (sometimes funded). Whether the school is private or public may also make a difference on funding, though I'm not totally sure to what extent.