Negotiating Funding Without Other Offers as Leverage

[EnfantTerrible]

Hi, All.

 

I have received an offer which I am very keen to accept, but the funding is not sufficient to live on. Both the DGS and the POI at this university have encouraged me (in writing and in phone conversations) to negotiate for improved funding if I have another offer because they say they want me to be able to attend.

 

I feel like they are assuming that because I'm a good candidate I've received more generous offers of funding from programmes elsewhere when in reality I applied to very few schools - I had very limited funds for applications - and I don't actually have another offer to leverage them with. Nonetheless, funding is still a serious obstacle to me being able to attend.

 

Do you reckon I should email the DGS with my concerns about costs of living and ask whether there is any possibility that they could guarantee me more teaching work/find some extra incidental funding? Clearly there is some room for manoeuvre or they wouldn't have advised me to negotiate.

[MathCat]

Even without other offers, funding can still be the difference between attending or not. If this is honestly the case, I would explain it to them. Don't lie that you have other offers, but if you can truthfully say that you can't attend without better funding, it is appropriate to discuss this. Good luck!

[TakeruK]

I agree with MathCat, there's no harm in asking (especially since it sounds like they are practically inviting you to ask). Of course, having another offer helps the DGS make the case for you but perhaps something can still be done without another offer. Never know until you try.

[EnfantTerrible]

Thanks for your encouragement! I sent an email yesterday, but someone on another thread has said the department in question has no freedom to increase funding without a concrete from another university to bring to the administration. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but I'm not very hopeful. I'll update you when I know!

[blubed]

On 3/27/2015 at 4:15 PM, TakeruK said:

I agree with MathCat, there's no harm in asking (especially since it sounds like they are practically inviting you to ask). Of course, having another offer helps the DGS make the case for you but perhaps something can still be done without another offer. Never know until you try.

I know this is from a while ago, but I wanted to ask your opinion on calling vs. emailing when you ask for more funding. I'm asking that my partial tuition waiver be increased to a full tuition waiver at my top choice program. I really prefer not to call, but my mentor suggested it and the forums send mixed messages. I have until April 15 to decide, and should hear back about a fellowship by the 1st, but I'm getting antsy. Please let me know what you think!

[TakeruK]

On 3/22/2016 at 8:53 AM, blubed said:

I know this is from a while ago, but I wanted to ask your opinion on calling vs. emailing when you ask for more funding. I'm asking that my partial tuition waiver be increased to a full tuition waiver at my top choice program. I really prefer not to call, but my mentor suggested it and the forums send mixed messages. I have until April 15 to decide, and should hear back about a fellowship by the 1st, but I'm getting antsy. Please let me know what you think!

A lot of the advice/information regarding calling vs. email for more funding comes from the job negotiation process (in both academia and int he "real world") and then this is applied to grad school stipends. I don't think it's a perfect analogy, which is why you can get mixed messages/advice. For example, grad students don't usually have the same level of bargaining power as someone they are going to hire for a permanent position.

The reason the advice says to call is to keep it "off the record". Eventually, both parties will want something written for the final offer, but it seems like the world prefers to do the back-and-forth in person or on the phone instead of leaving a paper record of requests. 

I think this is good advice and if you are able to make the phone call easily (e.g. if you are on the same continent as the school) then it's probably a good idea. But since this is not exactly like a job offer, an email for the type of request you are making (i.e. partial to full tuition waiver) is probably okay too. I feel like this is different than someone with a full tuition waiver + $25,000/year stipend asking for a stipend increase.