Funding

[SeanDDavies]

Would you reject an offer (if it's the only offer you have) based on funding? My field is Clinical/Counseling Psychology. I was offered $7k first year and $15k years 2, 3, and 4. Tuition is covered partially at $5k per year (it'll probably end up being around $8-10k a year). No insurance.

 

This is my only option this year. The program is okay but the adviser is great. Is it worth the gamble to try again next year or just take this offer? 

[rising_star]

I would turn that down because you'd be trying to live on $7K/year, so you'd be reliant on either savings or loans or a combination of those two.

[SeanDDavies]

rising_star: Do other programs in Counseling or Clinical offer more? Does COL factor into this? ?How much debt is typical for graduate school?  

[rising_star]

I'm not a psychologist so I can't answer that, though I think there's a poll over there where people are reporting on their highest/best funded offer. Definitely go look for it. I'm accustomed to seeing funded offers which include full tuition remission as well as a stipend of at least $14K. 

[juilletmercredi]

I'm a psychologist (although not in clinical or counseling, but I am familiar with the fields) and the answer is YES, many clinical and counseling programs do offer more funding. The best programs offer full tuition coverage, health insurance, and livable stipends in the $20-30K range.

 

With that said I would totally reject an offer based upon funding, and I would definitely reject that offer. $7K is not enough to live on, and neither is $15K - and that's not even accounting for the fact that you will have to borrow money to cover tuition for 5-6 years. There's no reason to go into serious debt for a PhD.

 

So I would turn them down, and try again next year. When you apply next year, do some deeper investigation into the funding mechanisms of these programs. There's more variability in clinical/counseling; some lower-tier programs offer virtually no funding at all, and some mid-ranked programs offer some but inadequate funding. Because of this, most programs in clinical/counseling offer some information about their typical funding structure on their websites. Even if they don't, you can write the departmental secretary and ask how students in the program are typically funded. What you want to hear is that every student receives a full five-year funding package with tuition coverage, health insurance, and a stipend of at least around $20K. I wouldn't attend any psych PhD program that didn't offer this at the very least.

[SeanDDavies]

Juilletmercredi thank you. That's what I'm leaning towards. There are to many questions about this program. Funding is a big part of it. I also got into a Master's at an ivy league school which would also put me in debt but at least then I think that would increase my chances of getting into a PhD program afterwards.