Accepted but haven't heard about funding?

[anthrostudentcyn]

Hi, I'm in a pretty common situation. Accepted but haven't heard about funding and was just informed that (contrary to the school's handbook) not all people are admitted with funding. This is my top top top choice, one of the best in the field, and I'd be devastated if they didn't give me funding, because it would feel like a rejection. 

This is all they've told me:

-occasionally students are admitted unfunded, but the department tries to "make funding package" however they can after acceptance

-BUT they really want me so I should tell them my other offers so they can match/beat them (I haven't gotten any others offers though so this is a problem)

 

I'm speaking with the department chair this week. I'm a normally super unassertive person, so any tips on how to phrase my needing to be funded (though I don't have the leverage of another offer)? From what they've said, does it seem like they're not going to fund me or are they just working stuff out?

[rising_star]

It sounds like they are just working stuff out internally. At this point, many colleges and universities are still figuring out what their overall budget for next year will be. Consequently, they may not yet know exactly how many people they can fund. 

I think the department chair knows that everyone needs funding to be able to attend. Rather than trying to figure out a polite way to say that you need funding, ask when funding packages will be announced and what the typical package is.

[ElmerAB]

I think it would be tacky to tell a school your other financial offers. In all honesty, if it's as great of a program as you claim, they may really want you but there would certainly be plenty of applicants they really want as well, so don't try to play the special snowflake card to them or it could potentially backfire if perceived as a character flaw. If what you say is true, they will give you the aid they allocated to the top candidates, and, if you deny it, they will simply shift the list up one spot.

[ChrisTOEFert]

20 hours ago, Bootsie69 said:

I think it would be tacky to tell a school your other financial offers. In all honesty, if it's as great of a program as you claim, they may really want you but there would certainly be plenty of applicants they really want as well, so don't try to play the special snowflake card to them or it could potentially backfire if perceived as a character flaw. If what you say is true, they will give you the aid they allocated to the top candidates, and, if you deny it, they will simply shift the list up one spot.

Every offer I've received this year has asked for my other offers (if I choose to give it) so they could try and match it or get close to it.  It would be tacky to offer it up without asking first, but I think it's generally seen that if a school really wants you they will do what they can to try and keep competitive in your choices.

[pterosaur]

On 2/23/2016 at 1:34 AM, ChrisTOEFert said:

Every offer I've received this year has asked for my other offers (if I choose to give it) so they could try and match it or get close to it.  It would be tacky to offer it up without asking first, but I think it's generally seen that if a school really wants you they will do what they can to try and keep competitive in your choices.

That's interesting - none of mine have asked about that. One just told me a number straight off the bat (and I'm not sure if it's consistent within the program/university), and another has a fixed stipend amount for all PhD students, posted on the website. It seems like that would be hard to have them compete with each other when costs of living can be so wildly different.