My PhD Student Stipend: Monthly Income and Budget | Millennial Money 

Oh wow! Next year mine will go down to 19k so that seems really high, but cost of living will always get you!!

Hey @Colleen, do you mind sharing what your budget is ? Similar predicament

@@KatherineWeiss why it goes down?

@@nabilkhatib9134 I was on a fellowship my first year, but am just a regular student this year with a grading position as my salary

Thank you so much for watching and this comment!! I'm glad this has been helpful for people.

I'm glad this has eased your mind a bit! Finances always seem so elusive with grad school, so I'm happy to provide some insight!

Thanks, I think it's important to keep academia accessible! Yes I can! Given the application cycle won't start until the fall, I will probably wait a month or two for that when people are thinking a bit more about next steps in preparing for applying.

@Fdoctor how did that all work out? Did you end up finding a job that helped?

Ah no way! Hi !! 👋🏼👋🏼

Haha yes we love RHAP!!

Hi, I'm so glad you found this helpful! I know when I was applying it was hard to find anything. Some schools automatically put you up for a fellowship, so there is no application process on your end. I would first look at schools you want to apply to that align with your research, and then compare the funding for each school - a lot of it is public on their websites if you dig around, but you can also email current students to see their experience with funding at that school (which I did). I'd be happy to do a longer video about this though! LOVE that you are a survivor fan!! It is truly my favorite show and I love delving into the mechanics of the game.

@@KatherineWeiss Thanks for the advice! I would love to see a video about it too, since no one ever really talks about how to reach out to students and such! Much appreciated!

​@@KatherineWeiss thank you for your videos 🙏, i wish to ask as an international student can i write my own phd project and apply for phd in USA ?

@@BokandaFrankline Hi! Yes you can definitely apply for a PhD as an international student - we have many international students at OSU in PhD programs across the university

@@KatherineWeiss can i write up my own PhD project? And find a suitable supervisor on it

Oh gosh I can imagine the cost of living is so high!

Hi! I can try and make another video about this but it probably won't be until next year! This year on fellowship our taxes don't get taken out automatically. I have someone help me out with my taxes, and I don't have the information yet about if/how much I will owe. In the fall, I can make a new video about how much is taken out when I am working as a grader each month!

@@KatherineWeiss Thank you so much!! Best of luck with the last few weeks of your semester ✨

Ahh haha I love that!! Currently listening to one right now 😂

Haha I prefer to think of myself as "frugal" but... yeah prepare for that lol

😅 I wouldn't say I'm the best at tracking my budget, but I think everyone should try! Yes, generally students can/do also apply for external scholarships. I will likely apply in my second and third year. Sometimes if you get external scholarships/funding, you do not have to teach. Also there are some schools that have teaching assistantships every year! It just depends. - others, like my best friend getting her PhD in political science at a private university, are only required to teach for two semesters. So , there is no standard in the US when it comes to funding/responsibilities.

@@KatherineWeiss You Budget looks so scary to me : ( Its so tight

@@sahanbandara3326 it is pretty tight - some schools/departments have larger stipends, but it's certainly not a glamorous life

Wow, this makes us neighbors then!!

Oh that's a great idea! Are you more interested in seeing the academic books I read, or the books I read for personal interest/growth?

@@KatherineWeiss I'd be interested in both tbh haha

@@rez3762 Noted!!

Thanks for watching!!

Thanks, I'm glad it was helpful! I don't think there are any deductions, but I'm not sure. Someone is helping me with my taxes this year and we haven't filed yet.

Hi! I am actually planning on doing an updated version tomorrow that will be posted on Sunday! And the reason for not calculating taxes is because I genuinely didn't know what they would they would be. And last year I had to file in two different States, so it was all just a bit up in the air.

Ahh fellow RHAP listener aha I love it!

Hi Kaelin, congrats on your acceptance that's awesome!! In my initial email notification of acceptance I was told about the general GTA, but didn't get notified of a scholarship until April 9th. I imagine it is very program specific though, so my best advice is to go ahead and contact the Director of Graduate Studies in your program to ask about funding!! They'll have all the information about when you can expect to hear back on funding :)

@@KatherineWeiss Thank you! I look forward to hearing about funding in the next few months! Good luck with your studies and finishing off your first year of your PhD!!!

Congrats on your recent offer! I'm glad this could help. Good luck with your decision making!

@@KatherineWeiss Thanks!

Hi! I'm not sure what that would be as I only have insurance myself, but you could contact a graduate admissions officer at OSU and get that information!

I paid off my car within a year, as I aggressively paid down the loan with any money I had! Oof that is a pricey mortgage ! We theoretically could work part time jobs - I often pick up extra grading jobs within the department (3 semesters in a row) for extra cash, but it can be difficult considering we already have to work 20 h a week when we are not on fellowship. - I filmed this video on fellowship, but the last two years I have just been on a Graduate Teaching Associateship

I suppose it depends on the school, and if you mean in school or on your own time. Generally you would not be able to teach anything on campus for extra income, but you could do some work on the side for yourself if you find yourself needing more money

@@KatherineWeiss thank you so much... This clarifies a lot of my doubts.... I will be applying for 2022. Thanks again

😅😅 I've always been quite frugal with my food and don't eat out much haha

I can't in good conscious give any recommendations, as I have not been able to explore the city at all outside of my house! But I know many grad students live in the Old North neighborhood.

I would suggest joining some Facebook pages, or schools usually have housing resources on a webpage with a database of apartments and a search function to find roommates!

L O L lived mostly on sandwiches for lunch and pasta for dinner. Wasn't the healthiest life style, but I had to make it work!

Hi! Yes I got my MA in French Studies! I don't know as much about PhD programs there, but I'm happy to answer any questions you have

@@KatherineWeiss Thanks a lot you're very kind

The stipend is given as a "salary" for being a research assistant (or a teaching assistant)

Often you get a stipend for having some sort of graduate position on campus, whether it be a research assistantship, grader, TA, etc.! Sometimes, there are possibilities to take on additional jobs like that outside of your assigned position, though

Yes,sometimes

unfortunately I do not know tax laws in different places, nor do I really understand taxes- I pay someone to do that! I would suggest finding a tax person who could help out.

Yup Go to Germany

I had 4 back log history in my degree and cleared it with 60 percentage but I have good GPA (3.5) is this back log history in degree affect scholarship

Hi Evan! Sorry, I'm just now seeing this. Yay for RHAP and survivor! Happy to answer any questions you have. I think you can find my school email address on the OSU History department website, so feel free to shoot me an email.

I definitely agree! It's something I'd like to start doing this year!

Real estate?

Ugh that does sound horrible!! Definitely not livable out in LA. It is certainly one of the most negative parts about grad school, but I'm trying to make it work! I hope you are able to get that tutoring job and make it work!

@@KatherineWeiss yes it’s ridiculous. And I got the job lol. It’s with a private school associated with my university. They offered me a salary o almost double my stipend. and I only would work 4 hours a week. I’m in negotiation with my department. The problem is the fellowship I’m on. But honestly to hell with the fellowship if I have to😂🤷🏽‍♀️

@@Breonaleonard Oh wow - that is insane! Makes you rethink grad school for sure wow haha

@@Breonaleonard How did it go?

I don't have any student loans actually!

@@KatherineWeiss that’s awesome!!

I’m not sure how else you would buy a car… I paid it off in less than a year so it worked out for me.

Lol I bought it because it looked pretty and was an affordable option for me to buy, not for it's accuracy as a map.

You can always ask and try to negotiate for a bigger scholarship - I did that for my MA program, and attempted to do that and wait around for a better funding package for my PhD! They can always say no, but definitely won't raise it if you don't ask. It can help if you have other offers to negotiate against, but I didn't and was still able to get better funding both times!!

@@KatherineWeiss Hey! Thank you for your response. I am going back and forth whether to ask or not, do not wanna leave the first impression of me being all for money. Should I talk to my PI directly? Or go through the Program Director? I only want them to cover my insurance, and I don’t need anything else after that. I do not have any other offer at this point, and hence the hesitation is all the more high!

@@tanyasingh8729 I would talk to whoever made you the offer - whether that was the Program Director/Director of Graduate Studies, etc.. You could frame it like "I would love to come here and think it would be a great fit, but right now it is tight feasibly with money etc.. would you be willing to cover my insurance?"

@@KatherineWeiss Okay! This sounds good. Actually, I’m directly joining a lab without rotation, so the offer came from the PI directly for a RAship. I think talking to them would make more sense. Thank you for the help!

For a fellowship year, no. If you are getting paid a salary from the university in exchange for work (grading, teaching, etc... it will be taxed).

It depends what job market you end up going into (academia vs alt-ac), but i honestly don't have a good idea on averages as it changes considerably based on school, location, etc..

Oof that is a tough city to live on a stipend on!

​@@KatherineWeissThat must be the most adorable accountant I have ever seen!

must be nice!! I'm not sure what they make!

There's always that one person in the room 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Lol sorry, don't watch then