PhD Funding

[GradSchoolTake2]

I hope everyone is having a wonderful PHD application season! Now that we are beginning to get some acceptances, I am wanting to get a sense of funding packages out there. What is the norm for funding for private vs public schools? Are packages negotiable? 

[OutdoorsEd]

School A - $20k/year stipend. Most doctoral students get summer funding for an extra ~$5k. Health insurance covered for me but no dental or vision. No family option. $500 guaranteed per year for a conference and around $750 per conference when I present. $5k fellowship to offset moving costs. Research assistantship for 20 hours a week. 

 

School B - $20k/year stipend with additional summer opportunities. Health, dental, and vision covered for family. $0 in premiums. $15 copay. $750 per conference when presenting. Teaching assistantship with two classes taught per semester. 

School C - $15k/year stipend. Student health insurance options but have to pay premium. Teaching assistantship with two classes taught per semester. Conference money only available when presenting and is determined by need. 

 

School D - Funding is not guaranteed and is competitive. Largest fellowship possible is $26k/year but is year to year. Scholarships available. Research assistantship required but undefined until on campus. 

Tuition waived at all schools.

oh and all schools are public. 

Edited February 25, 2017 by OutdoorsEd

[GradSchoolTake2]

1 hour ago, OutdoorsEd said:

School A - $20k/year stipend. Most doctoral students get summer funding for an extra ~$5k. Health insurance covered for me but no dental or vision. No family option. $500 guaranteed per year for a conference and around $750 per conference when I present. $5k fellowship to offset moving costs. Research assistantship for 20 hours a week. 

 

School B - $20k/year stipend with additional summer opportunities. Health, dental, and vision covered for family. $0 in premiums. $15 copay. $750 per conference when presenting. Teaching assistantship with two classes taught per semester. 

School C - $15k/year stipend. Student health insurance options but have to pay premium. Teaching assistantship with two classes taught per semester. Conference money only available when presenting and is determined by need. 

 

School D - Funding is not guaranteed and is competitive. Largest fellowship possible is $26k/year but is year to year. Scholarships available. Research assistantship required but undefined until on campus. 

Tuition waived at all schools.

oh and all schools are public. 

Awesome info! Were you able to negotiate any of these offers? Also, did you receive funding information when you received your acceptance notification or was it a separate process? 

[OutdoorsEd]

Funding at school A wasn't really negotiated in a traditional sense. They asked me when I was visiting about what concerns I had about transitioning into grad school. My field brings in a lot of teachers, so many of us are taking paycuts and making lifestyle changes to make this work. I told them that I was worried about moving my family across the country and that moving trucks were expensive. They offered the $5k in the same email they sent when accepting me. 

I knew about schools B, C, and D ahead of time. I didn't even think to negotiate. I'm not sure that's really possible for grad students. 

[Michelleyk]

I currently do not have any guaranteed funding from UT. I guess the 1st year they want to see if you last before they even grant you a stipend of any kind. I may be eligible for some financial aid/scholarships, and I'm hoping I am. That's going to be a tough decision whether to go without funding. Most fellowships and scholarships are for continuing doctoral students, not first-year. 

[haveuever22]

14 hours ago, OutdoorsEd said:

School A - $20k/year stipend. Most doctoral students get summer funding for an extra ~$5k. Health insurance covered for me but no dental or vision. No family option. $500 guaranteed per year for a conference and around $750 per conference when I present. $5k fellowship to offset moving costs. Research assistantship for 20 hours a week. 

 

School B - $20k/year stipend with additional summer opportunities. Health, dental, and vision covered for family. $0 in premiums. $15 copay. $750 per conference when presenting. Teaching assistantship with two classes taught per semester. 

School C - $15k/year stipend. Student health insurance options but have to pay premium. Teaching assistantship with two classes taught per semester. Conference money only available when presenting and is determined by need. 

 

School D - Funding is not guaranteed and is competitive. Largest fellowship possible is $26k/year but is year to year. Scholarships available. Research assistantship required but undefined until on campus. 

Tuition waived at all schools.

oh and all schools are public. 

Thank you for the detailed info!

I'm currently waiting for funding at two schools to which I was admitted. Helps me get a sense of fundings!

I'm curious if tuitions are normally waived for PhDs! (I see that all the four schools you mentioned waived their tuition)

Plus, I'm an international applicant. Would that make much difference in terms of tuition waivers and funding..?

[Levon3]

Tuition is often waived for PhDs, but certainly not always. I tried to negotiate my scholarship for my master's program (had some leverage with offers from competitor schools), but was unsuccessful. For my PhD program, there is no negotiation on stipend--everyone gets the same amount. 

[emilb34]

On 2/26/2017 at 4:08 PM, Michelleyk said:

I currently do not have any guaranteed funding from UT. I guess the 1st year they want to see if you last before they even grant you a stipend of any kind. I may be eligible for some financial aid/scholarships, and I'm hoping I am. That's going to be a tough decision whether to go without funding. Most fellowships and scholarships are for continuing doctoral students, not first-year. 

@Michelleyk I would try to negotiate on UT. I applied last year, initially got a scholarship and eventually received more funding, so it's not that they don't grant money for 1st years...although it could depend on which doc program you applied to. 

[haveuever22]

I received a graduate fellowship! It's a state university.

2 years of full tuition+health insurance including vision&dentistry+ $28750 stipend!

The program coordinator says the fellowship is normally prolonged for a third year, and after that many other assistantships are possible. 

Really thankful!!

Waiting for funding info from other schools too.