Hi all,
I am currently looking into doctoral programs for criminal justice. I am noticing that most of the schools waive tuiton for all their accepted students, offer health insurance, and give a stipend (usually assuming you work as a TA or research assistant). The University of Maryland specifically offers a $17.5 stipend, but i’m not sure if this is per term or per year. I am emailing their advisor about all of this.
My primary concern is if i will have enough money to live off of while i am in school. All of the schools i’ve looked at specify that they do not want you working because it’s just too stressful to be combining a part time or full time job with grad school and working as a research assistant\TA. I agree with them. I don’t know if i could handle that. I worked part time during my MS and it got pretty freakin’ stressful.
Does anyone know if the stipends the programs provide you with are just for the year or are they per term (fall, winter, spring)? Are you offered other loans to help you survive? I mean, i know everyone handles expenses differently, but i need enough for the general things - rent, utilities, food, car payments, pets (and no, i’m not rehoming my pets - theyr’e my babies), school supplies. How does one make sure that all of this is covered? I’ve been discussing housing options with a few schools.
As a side note, i am married and my husband just got out of the army. He is waiting on possible upcoming employment, but it takes a while. If this happens, i will not be too worried about the living expenses, but it is still something to consider in case he must work where i don’t live. He’s been considering getting his PhD as well, so if this job doesn’t work out, financial aid is something we must both know about.
Thanks!
I’d be surprised if that UMD stipend was per term - that’s probably a per year quote. $17,500 is a pretty low stipend but not outside the realm of possibility. $35,000 would be above-average especially for a criminal justice PhD. Still, it’s worth asking - I could be wrong, which would be good!
Usually, when programs give you a stipend amount that is their actual annual stipend (both semesters). Sometimes the stipend is a 9-month stipend, which occasionally means that you can find summer funding or get additional pay during the summer months if you stay as an RA (although just as often it means that you have to come up with your own way to pay your bills during the summer).
You can borrow supplemental loans during graduate school. Every doctoral student is eligible for up to $20,500 in Direct federal loans and then additional Graduate PLUS loans, up to the cost of attendance. However, I wouldn’t recommend borrowing too much for a doctoral program. Maybe some transitional funding (like money for security deposits and move-in fees), or for things like a laptop or something. But you don’t want to get into the position where you’re borrowing money for living expenses - then the ROI of the PhD goes down to an unsustainable level.
Basically, you have to choose a program that actually gives you enough funding to survive in the local area. $17,500 may or may not be enough in the College Park area (doesn’t sound like enough), particularly if you are the only income. If your husband is working, then that might be enough.
Part of the "fun"of being a PhD student is having little money. Having a roommate or working spouse is common. You can find extra pay in the summer - sometimes through the department or sometimes on your own.
I just got a reply today from UMD regarding the financial aid. The advisor said that often students can live off of the stipend of $17,500 and it is for the academic year (meaning 9 months i assume). But i agree with you, it really doesn’t sound like enough to me. She also mentioned that they are able to offer a bit of scholarship money that can be used to supplement the stipend or support me during the summers. Over the last two years they were able to give all of their studends at least 5K but they “may be able to do even more than what we put in any admission letter” (emal direct quote).
I’m waiting on a reply back from Florida State and UC regarding their stipends. Florida State did mention that some students can live off of their stipend and some take out additional loans. I’m with you @juillet i’d rather take out as few loans as possible since i’ve had to do that all throughout undergrad and my MS program. I mean, you do what you gotta do to survive, but yeah. My husband will either be working (if this future job works out) or he will also be applying to programs with me. He gets additional help from the US Army if he goes to school so getting a BAH check would help!
Advisors have a vested interest in telling you this (they want you to come to their program). They also have little idea of how their doctoral students are actually living outside of the lab/department and the financial struggles their students are having, or not having, in their lives. I’d corroborate that statement by asking actual doctoral students and doing your own research on the cost of living in College Park and the surrounding area.
I know I am going to sound very cynical when I say this, but if it’s not in the admissions letter, don’t count on it. I know this from experience and experience of colleagues. Of course, you CAN get extra - it does happen, and it’s great. But plan for making what’s actually in your admissions letter and figure out if you can live with that. Treat any additional monies as a nice bonus.
Think about it this way - if they could guarantee it, they’d just put it in the letter, no sweat. They’re not putting it in the letter because they can’t and they don’t know.
Yellow flag, IMO. I’d want to know what “some” means. Does that actually mean “most”? Or is it students with certain life circumstances? In my program some students did take out additional loans, but those were primarily students with nonworking spouses or dependent children to support. Single students or students with working spouses were able to get by on the stipend alone.
Strongly disagree. PhD programs are stressful enough; having to worry about whether you can pay rent or feed yourself is not additional “fun” but just adds an extra burden. And research shows that poorly funded doctoral students take longer to finish and are more likely to drop out.
Yes, funding can be harsh (especially in humanities, and, apparently for criminal justice), and most people I know take out small loans to help them out. I’m fortunate to have a higher-than-average stipend for my MA degree, but I still am worried about money and gladly accept my mom’s food donations and coupon clippings.
If that’s what most people in your field seem to be getting, though, there probably isn’t much you can do about it. Since the contract is for 9 months, you could potentially work somewhere else during the summer to make more money (or secure extra funding through the university). While you shouldn’t expect to get rich doing a PhD degree, you should expect to be able to live off your stipend, though, which may or may not be possible depending on the cost of living in certain places.
You may be able to work a LITTLE more at the university during the year - I’m in composition and rhetoric and was cleared to work a few hours at the writing center per week, which helps with things like groceries and gas and such. Once you get accepted places, I would ask current students about things like this to get a better understanding on how things work.