Earning a PhD requires a huge commitment. Indeed, it typically takes four or more years to earn a doctorate degree, and most programs require candidates to complete lengthy dissertations in order to earn their degrees. Furthermore, candidates must often forgo lucrative opportunities in order to pursue their PhD degrees. Given all of the sacrifices that PhD students make, it is important to recognize that PhD programs without funding are usually a bad idea.
Most people who pursue graduate degrees understand how PhD programs typically come with a significant amount of funding. I first found this out when I was a Master’s candidate during my senior year of college, and all of the other people in my cohort were PhD students. Essentially, PhD students do not need to pay for tuition costs and other fees while they are pursuing their degrees. This is a welcome reversal from most other educational programs (including law school) that require students to shell out a significant amount of money to attend the programs.
PhD programs without funding are usually a bad idea, since most programs also include living stipends for students. Although the amount of money provided to PhD students varies, it is usually not enough money to live lavishly while a student is pursuing a PhD. However, most schools provide students with enough money to live comfortably, so long as they have roommates and make other compromises that are usually done by individuals earning their degrees.
Furthermore, most schools also provide students with teaching opportunities that may allow these students to earn extra cash. In addition, many schools also have work-study opportunities specifically for PhD students. These opportunities allow students to live even more comfortably while they earn their degrees.
It should be noted that there are typically limits to the amount of funding that is available to PhD students. Indeed, most programs only provide students with a certain amount of guaranteed funding and then students need to apply for additional funds. However, guaranteed funding is usually provided for the time that a student can reasonably expect to work toward a degree, and this usually encompasses several years of study.
However, some PhD programs do not provide funding, and PhD programs without funding are usually a bad idea. Typically, PhD programs provided by for-profit universities do not provide funding. In addition, PhD programs in certain fields, such as psychology, may be more likely to not offer funding to students.
A while ago, I communicated with a PhD graduate who had earned her PhD from a for-profit school. This person thought that she was getting a deal by attending a for-profit school, since tuition costs were much lower than the expenses that are charged by traditional universities. However, when compared to the fact that many PhD students receive funding rather than paying for their educational costs, this person was not getting any type of deal.
The person I communicated with had some very negative outcomes since she attended a PhD programs without funding. This person had six figures of student debt after completing her program. This debt was due to the fact that she had to pay tuition and fees herself, and because she has to borrow loans to pay for living expenses while she was a student.
In addition, this individual was not able to secure work that was commensurate with someone who had a PhD. Many employers did not think that her degree should be held in the same esteem as a PhD from a traditional university, and she was not able to secure interviews for a number of different positions. This person ended up taking a job that did not even require an undergraduate degree, and she struggled to pay off her loans.
This story illustrates why PhD programs without funding at pro-profit universities may be a bad idea. Students will need to pay for living expenses, which may cancel out the savings of attending a for-profit university over a traditional school. In addition, employers may not take you as seriously if you do not obtain a degree from a more traditional university.
Furthermore, even if students are accepted to PhD programs at traditional universities, they should carefully consider whether PhD programs without funding are worth it. Students can borrow significant sums of money to attend a PhD program, and this is on top of debt that students may already have from prior educational pursuits. Even though PhD graduates from traditional universities may have a better chance at securing good jobs, these positions may still not provide enough income to comfortably pay off student debt.
Of course, some people have dreams of obtaining a PhD, and the allure of being called “doctor” is pretty awesome as well. As such, it might be difficult to turn down the opportunity to obtain a PhD simply because that student was not able to secure funding. I have previously written how student loans should not keep you from pursuing your dreams.
However, not receiving funding might be a sign that pursuing a PhD is not in the cards. In addition, students may be able to obtain a Master’s degree at a lower cost or make other arrangements to pursue their goals rather than borrowing substantial sums of money to earn a PhD. In any case, PhD programs without funding need to be considered with caution, and there are only a few situations where it might make sense to pursue a PhD without financial support.