<p><a href="Just,%20FYI%20that%20definitely%20includes%20Harvard%20Law,%20Marite">quote</a>.
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<p>I should have specified the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Funding is now provided to all admitted students, regardless of parental or personal income; in this sense, it is totally merit-based.</p>
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Students in Ph.D. programs in arts and sciences at top schools often do not have to pay tuition at all and receive a living stipend. This may vary by field, with those in math and science often being paid more than those in the humanities. But, in many fields, the "normal" time to receive a Ph.D. is seven years. The stipend may only be payable during the academic year.
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<p>Princeton provides full funding for five years and expects its students to graduate within that time. Harvard provides funding for 4 years, but with a mix of full funding for the first two years, and teaching for the next two; then some students get dissertation writing fellowships. These are supposed to be the most generous schools in terms of funding. This only applies to GSAS in the social sciences and humanities. In the sciences, grad students are usually supported through soft money procured by the prof heading their research group; some teach but most work as research assistants.</p>