Grad Stipends (First year vs Continuing) & Health Insurance / Fees

[KaffeeCafe]

Hi I have two financial award questions I'd like to get some feedback on :

When schools initially present their offer in the acceptance letter, I've noticed language like "your first year stipend" or specifying the 2016-2017 year with followed up vague details about continuing support for 4-5 years (tuition remission, stipend etc) but this amount is never specified. In one case that I did some research on, the initial stipend was 1-2k higher than what information on the website said is the 'base stipend' for all students. Should I be legitimately worried this initial offer is made to look better and may drop in the following years after acceptance ? I'm not necessarily implying they are being sneaky ; I've been awarded supplemental fellowships at some schools as well which do specify amount/duration but I just wanted to take in the whole (true) financial package into consideration.

And, how common is it for schools to not pay/reimburse the 1-2k/year University fees and health insurance. Some schools totally waive the fee and also offer insurance valued ~4k in addition to the stipend. When comparing schools, suddenly some seem much less attractive because of the ~4-5k out of pocket costs other schools seem to cover.

Side Note : This question is purely to understand more the financial aspects. Certainly $$$ is not my main decision, but I'm just curious if having students pay fees etc is indicative of the department's funding status etc etc.

Thanks !

[Horb]

You should always get, in writing, an agreement of what your base pay will be before you accept a position.

In my case, my 1st year fellowship was 20K, but I had to pay taxes on it which weren't taken out. Currently, I'm getting about 1k more per year (they want to get us up to 25k to be competitive with local universities). I do not have to pay for health insurance, but I do have to pay for dental and eye care, if I want it (which I do). Additionally, I have to pay a $25 fee per semester.

Most schools, if there is a health fee that you are charged, will not reimburse it. They either cover all of your insurance, they provide a subsidy, or they don't provide any financial support for health care. Thus, if you find you're getting charged 1-2K for insurance, than you probably won't be reimbursed.

 

[rising_star]

The rules about whether or not fees and health insurance are covered are typically university-wide and not up to individual departments. So, I wouldn't see it as an indication of the department's funding status. I had a university-wide fellowship as a MA student and still had to pay fees and part of health insurance just because that's how it works at that institution. Everyone there had those expenses whether on fellowship, TA, RA, etc., unless they had an external fellowship which paid those. *shrug*

Stipend amounts can vary for a lot of reasons. At many schools, you get a pay bump once you complete the MA/MS and again once you advance to candidacy (after comps/quals). In that case, they aren't being shady or intentionally deceptive. But, they also can't say exactly when those increases will happen since it depends on individual progress toward the degree, you know?

[TakeruK]

Unless you are getting a special top-up award or other fellowship-like award, it would be weird if your stipend decreased after the first year. However, you are right that this is something to be legitimately worried about and at every school visit, I asked about how the stipend changes from  year to year. Often, this information (for future years) is not specified in writing in your offer letter because it might be too "binding" for their likes. So, it's a good idea to ask e.g. the dept head and also other grad students when you visit.

As for insurance & fees being covered, this depends on each school. This is why, in my opinion, you cannot just compare the stipend salary number. Like any other job, the total compensation package is your salary/stipend and also the benefits. So, be sure to factor in what benefits you receive as a student/RA/TA/GRA/etc. when comparing offers, such as leave policies, childcare, etc. if they are applicable to you. I would especially be concerned about the quality of each school's health insurance plan if you have needs where you visit a medical professional often, or if you have regular prescriptions etc. I've seen plans vary wildly from place to place. 

[Emily Roberts]

You're definitely noticing the right details, but these various pieces of the financial offers do vary widely by university and department. I don't think that specifically what fees are paid by the university and which aren't is an indicator of financial viability; the bottom line of the total package is better. If you are unsure about how your stipend might change in the future or exactly what fees will be paid, you should talk with the departmental admin assistant or older grad students. They're not going to be able to lay out a fixed schedule for you, but you should at least be able to find out if you were offered a disappearing top-up award.