I was offered funding for 3 years by my PI but I haven't received committee decision yet, what does it imply regarding my chances of being admitted?

[BrutalBrain]

Hi everyone,

I'm applying for a PhD (Biomedical Eng.) and was offered funding for 3 years by a professor I want to work with. He wrote me a rec letter wherein he states that he wants me to work in his lab with him providing full funding. Quick explanation; I've worked with him on a project for which he has been granted funding.

Should I expect to be admitted (more than usual), considering this? I heard that funding is the key especially for international students.

For the record, I am an international student, my application is fairly decent with a M.S. in Bioengineering and another one in Human Movement sciences.

As the context of my application is quite specific (and my experience with the US system, low) I want some insight from you guys!

What do you think ?

Thank you!

 

 

 

[fuzzylogician]

Sounds like you have a good chance at acceptance, but I'm not sure what more you want us to tell you. If you're in some kind of hurry, you could email the prof directly to ask about the status of your application and when official admissions decisions will be made. Otherwise, you might just have to sit tight and wait. 

[BrutalBrain]

On 28/12/2016 at 3:20 AM, fuzzylogician said:

Sounds like you have a good chance at acceptance, but I'm not sure what more you want us to tell you. If you're in some kind of hurry, you could email the prof directly to ask about the status of your application and when official admissions decisions will be made. Otherwise, you might just have to sit tight and wait. 

Thanks for replying. My poor phrasing might have affected the clarity of the question. 

I wanted to know whether this specific context (being offered funding by a professor, before the committee's decision) is something common for a PhD application in US. I ask that because, in Europe for example, being offered funding for a PhD basically means you're good to go (because the decision is up to the lab's director and not a committee).

In any case, I guess I'll have to wait ah ah..

Edited December 29, 2016 by BrutalBrain

[fuzzylogician]

It varies by field and to some extent by department. In some fields/departments you're accepted directly into a professor's lab, and in that case you need to have their consent to take you on as a student. If you have that, you're basically set. In other cases, you are admitted and funded by the department as a whole, and admissions decisions are made on a department level. In that case, having a particular professor support your application and discuss the details of funding with you would be a very good sign and would most likely mean acceptance, but it's not yet a guarantee. Either way, it's a big step in the right direction, and I'd expect that you'll get your official acceptance soon enough (but no promises!). Good luck!