By: LevelUp

So you’ve recently graduated and you’re considering graduate school, that’s exciting! You may have heard that some graduate programs are funded, but what does that exactly mean?

STEM

Go onto the website of your prospective school and do some searching. With a little bit of luck, you will easily find the stipend. It’s usually going to be in a section like FAQs or in the graduate student handbook.

While you’re poking around in the handbook, you may want to look for information regarding student fees and health care. Some schools will charge you the same type of fees that they charge undergrads. Those schools may not be very up front about those costs. In my case, I didn’t know until I arrived on campus that I would be paying fees, which was pretty alarming for a broke student that just moved across the country. Graduate students may also have their health care covered through a Teaching Assistant (TA) or Research Assistant (RA) position.

Also while in the handbook, you should generally be a bit nosey about the program. What is the outline of the program like? One popular STEM PhD format is 1–2 years of classes, qualifying exams, research for the next 2–4 years, dissertation, and finally the defense.

non-STEM

I’ve always found the non-STEM funding situation to be more difficult. Usually you should start with a thorough scouring of the program site and graduate handbook. Typically a text based search for the words ‘stipend’, ‘funding’, ‘assistantship, or ‘fellowship’ is going to be the most efficient. Some schools may say they fund all incoming students, but what you’re really looking for is a dollar amount and whether or not it is livable.

One important thing to keep in mind is that just because fellowships are offered, they are not always merit based. I personally know doctoral students, entering programs with an MS and experience, that have been passed over for departmental fellowships. Those fellowships were subsequently awarded to recent grads with a BS or BA. This particular program was attempting to fund all incoming students. However, what it meant was that some students were scraping by and having to fight for funding each semester. While others had guaranteed funding through the fellowship, for the duration of their program, at a rate 3x greater than their peers. Can you imagine someone sitting next to you, doing the same job as you, making 3x your salary?

Other times funding can really be up to the individual labs’ discretion. Are you doing work for a professor that has a grant? They may extend you an appointment, but this typically comes after working with them and proving yourself.

Besides the department sponsored approach, your school should have graduate assistantships available. These are typically housed in departments other than your own, and they fill up really quickly so you’re going to have to hustle to get them.

Even with programs that are funded you may want to try and dig into the fine print. Some programs will only fund you for a certain credit load, time period, and come with expectations such as remaining in good standing with the department. Anything past 9–12 credits per semester may be on your dime. This is also where you’ll be wanting to think about in vs. out-of-state per credit hour costs. Other programs may redirect you to the standard graduate school financial aid page, but typically this isn’t a good sign.