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How long should I wait before accepting a PhD admission offer in the US? [duplicate]

I have been offered admission in a top-25 university, and a RA position in a lab that works on my area of interest. I am pretty happy with this offer and I would feel comfortable accepting it. However, I still have not heard back from some top-10 institutions.

I am concerned that the professor might feel upset if I take too long to answer the offer. What should I do?

I should mention that I am an international student applying to Engineering PhD's.

• graduate-admissions
• application

• 5 Contact any place that you might potentially prefer to the current offer. Tell them you have an offer and ask for the status of your application. –  Boris Bukh Commented Feb 6, 2018 at 15:47
• 1 The phrase " a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush" comes to mind... –  Solar Mike Commented Feb 6, 2018 at 16:02

3 Answers 3

You should ask both institutions.

Some institutions will fast-track deciding on if they’ll accept you if you tell them you have an outstanding offer. By contacting the outstanding offers, you can probably find out sooner.

Additionally, you should contact the department that made you an offer and tell them that you’re interested and honored by their offer, but have some outstanding applications and ask when they want you to get back to them by.

EDIT: I completely missed that the title says “in the US.” As the other excellent answers have stated, you very likely have until April 15th or later to make a decision. A large number of universities (see the 2014 list here ) have agreed to give all students at least that long to decide to respond.

It is worth noting that the April 15th Resolution applies to offers of payment and funding, not acceptance . However, since in the US virtually all engineering PhDs are funded, it de facto applies to admissions as well. If you were applying for an unfounded masters program, it wouldn’t apply.

Some schools give longer than April 15th to decide, while others will pressure you to accept on the 15th or soon after. So for now, I would advise you to wait. If in early April you still haven’t heard back from a school you really want to go to, I would advise you to contact them as I said at the beginning.

• OP also mentions receiving an RA (research assistantship), so this is an offer of funding and the April 15 resolution definitely applies. –  Nate Eldredge Commented Feb 7, 2018 at 15:12

In my field (public health), they gave us a deadline of April 15 to respond to offers. It seemed like it was perfectly acceptable to respond on that day. (And yes, I am in the US.)

A funny story: one of the universities I applied to only accepted 4 students a year, and it invited about 10 students to go interview. I figured out, after a while of not hearing back, that I was on their wait list. I had got an excellent offer from another university, and at some point in late March, I decided that further information would not change my decision, so I accepted that offer and sent my regrets to two other programs that had offered me admission. I forgot to do so to university number 1, and on April 15 I got a call from them.

As I said, I determined that further information would probably not change my decision, so I am fine, but that serves as evidence for paragraph 1.

• 4 The April 15 resolution is widely observed by US institutions, and represents a commitment not to require or pressure applicants to respond before April 15. I would be pretty surprised if there is a "top 25" university that hasn't signed on. –  Nate Eldredge Commented Feb 7, 2018 at 5:29
• Thanks for pointing out the April 15 resolution. I missed that the OP had specified the US in the title. –  Stella Biderman Commented Feb 7, 2018 at 13:52

Following on Weiwen Ng's answer:

Your offer should have stated a deadline to reply. That deadline is almost certainly April 15 . You're under no obligation to reply earlier, and should not feel pressured to do so. Nobody is expecting to hear from you before that. Neither the professor nor anyone else will be upset if you wait until the deadline.

Take as much time as you need, up until the deadline.

Stella Biderman's answer is good advice for most job search-type situations, but in view of the April 15 Resolution, I don't think it's quite relevant here. There isn't much point in contacting other schools to let them know of the offer in hopes of them speeding up their process, because they know you have until April 15 anyway, and they are certainly planning to send out their acceptances well before that date.

• Thanks for pointing out about the April 15 resolution. I missed the fact that the title of the OP says “US” and have amended my answer. –  Stella Biderman Commented Feb 7, 2018 at 13:50

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged phd graduate-admissions application .

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Personal Finance for PhDs

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How to Read Your PhD Program Offer Letter

March 7, 2019 by Emily

Congratulations on receiving an official offer of admission to a PhD program! This is truly an exhilarating period in your academic career. After celebrating your admission and letting the giddiness wear off, whip out your magnifying glass: It’s time to take a close look at your offer letter to figure out what it actually means. Offer letters can be a bit difficult to decipher (sometimes intentionally!), but this is a vital step so that you go into your PhD program with your eyes wide open regarding your financial situation. This article covers how to discern what your program is offering you regarding your stipend/salary, out-of-pocket tuition and fees, the type of pay you receive and whether it comes with a work requirement, health insurance, “guarantees,” and how your funding package evolves as you move through your PhD program.

If your offer letter doesn’t answer all the following questions (and you’re seriously considering taking it), turn to the offering department’s administrative assistant (for official answers) and/or current graduate students (for this-is-how-things-actually-work answers).

Gross Stipend/Salary

Right away your eye might be drawn to a phrase like “Your total financial aid package is worth…” and some huge number like $50,000 or $90,000. Don’t be distracted by it! You need to know what your actual pay will be – what is usually referred to as your stipend. The letter should delineate between your stipend and the cost of the tuition and fees paid on your behalf. The important take-away is what’s going into your pocket (before taxes) as this is the money that will pay your living expenses and fund your financial goals.

Tuition and Fees (Your Responsibility)

If your offer letter includes funding, it should say that some aspect of your tuition and/or fees will be paid on your behalf. However, when determining how much money you actually get to keep at the end of the day, you have to know: Are you responsible for paying any (partial) tuition and fees out of your own pocket? For example, perhaps your tuition is being paid on your behalf, but out of your stipend you are expected to pay a relatively small fee. Don’t be impressed by huge numbers in tuition and fees being paid for you! What matters is how much you have to pay out of your own pocket; ideally $0 or close to it!

Source of Stipend

Your offer letter will likely tell you the source(s) of your stipend: an assistantship or fellowship. One of the key differences between these two types of funding is whether there is a work requirement.

Fellowships do not have “work requirements,” and to maintain them you are generally just expected to make satisfactory progress toward your degree with respect to your coursework and dissertation progress.

Assistantships do have a work requirement; you are technically an employee of your university. Research assistantships with your dissertation advisor usually allow you to combine your work requirement with your dissertation research (with some exceptions). Teaching and graduate assistantships require you to teach or perform some other kind of service for your university (most often officially capped at 20 hours/week), after which you are free to work on your coursework and/or dissertation.

It’s vital to know whether you have a work requirement in your first year or really any requirements to maintain your funding (e.g., attending a seminar series, submitting progress reports). If you don’t meet those requirements, your funding could be revoked. Your stipend offer letter should clearly state what your work requirement is or whether you need to secure one prior to the start of the school year. For example, you might be offered funding from a teaching assistantship, but it could be still up to you to actually arrange with a professor to TA a certain course.

Knowing about a work requirement will help you properly envision how you’ll spend your time during your first year in your PhD program.

Duration of Stipend

Your offer letter should tell you over what period you will be paid your stipend. Ideally, the answer is 12 months, although carefully note if the source of the stipend changes during that time. (For example, I was paid in my first 9 months of graduate school by a training grant and in the next 3 months by a research assistantship, and this was all spelled out in my offer letter.) If the offer letter says the stipend lasts any period shorter than 12 months, you need to follow up: Does that mean you actually won’t be paid (you’ll have to plan financially for that, obviously) or that you are going to have to secure other funding after the initial period?

Who Pays What for Health Insurance?

Health insurance is a huge issue for graduate students, and universities handle it differently. The key answers you need from your offer letter are:

• Will you have an opportunity to buy student health insurance through the university? (Almost certainly the answer is yes.)
• What is the yearly premium for the student health insurance?
• If you sign up for student health insurance, is the premium paid on your behalf (similar to tuition and fees) or do you pay (part of) it out of pocket?
• Are dental and vision insurance bundled along with health insurance, or would you have to buy them separately?

Even if you plan to stay on your parents’ insurance for some years at the start of your PhD, it’s important to understand what you may be paying for premiums once you switch to insurance through your university.

Is There a Guarantee?

Does the word ‘guarantee’ appear anywhere in your offer letter, e.g., is your funding guaranteed for 2 years, 5 years? A guarantee is nice to have, but it shouldn’t necessarily be a deal-breaker. If you don’t have guaranteed funding throughout your PhD (which might very well go beyond 5 years!), find out from current students whether students all pretty much stay funded or whether funding becomes tight/competitive in later years.

What Happens after the First Year?

Probably of the most important things to know about funding during your PhD is what happens in later years. A PhD is long, after all, and your offer letters might only discuss funding in the first year. Your offer letter might include hints of funding changes in the future, such as by saying you received a first-year fellowship or one-time bonus, or saying that your funding source will change starting in your second year.

You should be particularly wary of your stipend decreasing after your first year due to a one-time/first year-only bolus of money (a promotional offer, so to speak). It would be quite painful to find out at the last minute that your stipend is going down and have to scramble to adjust your living expenses. Better to build your life and budget around your ongoing stipend amount and use the first-year increase for one-time expenses or savings.

If you are seriously considering accepting an offer, you should definitely inquire about what funding looks like in the second and following years. The departmental administrative assistant may not be able to say for sure what will happen in your case, but he/she and current students can tell you the precedent.

• What will my after-tuition/fees stipend (and its term) be in my second and subsequent years (lower, higher, pretty much the same)?
• What will the source of my funding be in later years, and am I responsible for securing it? (For example, in your first year you might be funded from a training grant so you can rotate among potential advisors, but starting in your second year you must secure a research assistantship with your dissertation advisor.)
• Are yearly cost-of-living raises typical?

Don’t be dazzled by a pumped-up first-year offer if the reality behind it is a department where students compete with one another for limited funding and you’re paid the same stipend in your fifth year that you were in your first!

You can see that to properly understand your funding during your PhD you need a lot more information from your stipend offer letter than just the number that will hit your bank account each month! Again, you only need to investigate beyond the offer letter to the degree that you are considering accepting the offer (most likely based on other factors). But even if you don’t care about money at all, I strongly encourage you to find answers to these questions for the program that you ultimately accept before you commit to a lease or move.

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Reader Interactions

December 26, 2019 at 10:54 am

I got an offer letter of Ph.D. with no scholarship and no stipend. I have to pay the tuition fee and manage the living expenses myself. I do not know what to do.

March 10, 2020 at 7:12 pm

Just don’t do it. Paying for a PhD is never to be done. Tell the school that you won’t attend it without a tuition waiver and a stipend.

March 31, 2020 at 1:15 pm

You can attempt to negotiate. There are very few fields where unfunded PhDs are typical or acceptable. Even if other people do unfunded PhDs, you still have to decide for yourself if it’s worth your time and money. Unless you are already wealthy, I don’t see how it could be.

[…] Read on for a look at the different parts of a typical offer letter, or check out Emily’s website for a full description and companion worksheet! […]

[…] Further Reading: How to Read Your PhD Program Offer Letter […]

[…] Further reading: How to Read Your PhD Program Offer Letter […]

[…] Finance: How to Read Your PhD Program Offer Letter […]

[…] How to Read Your PhD Program Offer Letter […]

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• June 11, 2023
• University of Nottingham
• After accepting an offer , Applications and Funding , Experiences , First Year Student , Getting started , Motivational , PhD Applications , The PhD Place Team

  Congratulations ! You have been accepted into your PhD program and are about to embark on one of the greatest academic challenges of your life. This journey will be a rollercoaster of emotions, providing you with lots of opportunities for personal and professional growth. It will be both rewarding and challenging, and it’ll be an enormous part of your life for the next few years.

After accepting your offer, however, you might feel lost and underwhelmed, unsure of what steps to take next. Should you dive in and start laying the groundwork for your research? To help guide you through this exciting yet daunting time, I’ve compiled a list of advice that was given to me before I began my own PhD, as well as a few lessons I’ve learned along the way.  

1. Celebrate your acceptance.

Firstly, recognise the achievement of being accepted into a doctoral program. This is a huge acco mplishment and you should definitely take some time to celebrate. After all, it can take months or even years of preparation to get to this point. So go ahead, celebrate and acknowledge your hard work and dedication. It’s official, you’re going to be a PhD student! This is just the first step in your postgraduate research journey, so start as you mean to go on by celebrating your first milestone.

2. Rest up!

You’ve put in a lot of time and effort into researching and writing your applications, not to mention the anticipation of waiting for a response. Now it’s time to take a break and rest. When my current PhD supervisor told me to do this, I thought he was joking. He was not.  

Pursuing a PhD is likely to be the most difficult academic journey you’ve ever taken, and it requires consistent attention and effort. Although you will have opportunities to take breaks, you may not have the same level of freedom to rest for quite some time. So, take some time off to sleep, spend quality time with family and friends, and recharge. You deserve it, and there will be plenty of time for hard work later.

3. Talk with your supervisor.

After you’ve rested, and only after you’ve rested, you may progress onto step three. Now, there are a few different ways of starting a PhD, and nearly all of them require that you have some form of communication with your supervisors. Building a good relationship with your supervisor is crucial in a PhD program, and it is likely that you have not had much time to get to know them yet. Like  Mercedes Gómez-López  considers, ‘a good supervisor teaches you ’. Introduce yourself and share your expectations for the PhD, as well as any concerns or specific needs you may have. It is also important to discuss your personal life and responsibilities, such as caring for others or childcare. This will allow you to collaborate on a plan before you start the program.

4. Network with your peers.

Building a network of peers is an important step in starting your doctoral program.   Steven Zhou  suggests that pursuing a PhD is like launching a startup business; starting a business requires networking, and so does academia. While your supervisors can certainly help you with this, it’s also important to take the initiative yourself. You can start by searching for other students who are also starting the program. You can reach out to them via email, LinkedIn, Twitter, or other networks. It’s also a good idea to connect with current and former students in the program. This can give you a sense of what to expect and help you feel more comfortable as you begin your studies. By building a network of peers early on, you’ll have a support system to turn to as you progress through your doctoral program.

5. Plan your move.

You’re likely going to have to move to study at a new university, so be sure to chat with your newfound connections about it. Find out where the best spots are, where the other doctoral students live, and how far away this is from university. There’s going to be a lot of planning here, so be sure to start early. Remember that there will be a lot of undergrad and masters students moving in around the same time, so there might be a rush on accommodation.

If you’re not moving, or have decided to live at home, be sure to consider your new schedule. Doing a PhD is unlike any other degree you’ve done before, and you’ll need a dedicated space to work with minimal distractions. If you’re distance learning, find out whether there is a university near you and whether you can gain access through your institution. There are various schemes available which will let you use different academic libraries, or have books sent to public libraries near you. Ask your library team – they’ll be more than happy to help.

6. Check out the local area.

It’s important to familiarize yourself with the area you’ll be living in during your doctoral studies. Take some time to explore the local area and get a feel for the community. If possible, visit your institution before starting the program to become more familiar with the campus and surrounding areas. The environment in which you live can have a significant impact on your overall happiness and wellbeing, so it’s worth taking the time to ensure that you feel comfortable in your new surroundings. Don’t hesitate to reach out to current students for recommendations on things to do and places to explore.   If you’re staying at home, then make a list of all the places you already love and discover new ones as well. Look for local libraries and coffee shops for places to write when your desk at home isn’t doing the trick.

7. Check out any additional course requirements.

Read the handbook! There will be plenty to red during your doctoral studies, and your student handbook should be the first. Now, it is very tempting to skip this one at the beginning of your journey, but it’s definitely worth taking a glance at. The handbook will contain the administrative aspects of your studies, including crucial deadlines and dates to remember, but it could throw up some surprises. You may be required to complete specific modules or earn extra credits during your PhD, and it’s important to learn about these early on so you can create a plan.

8. Get organized.

You don’t have to be too intensive at this point, but it could be a good idea to start putting together some resources. Buy yourself a diary. Create an ongoing reading list with relevant literature in your field, and maybe even start reading some of it. Create a study schedule and think about how you’re going to separate your time. Think about what extracurricular activities or trips you might want to do, and look at how you might go about applying. Consider making a sleep schedule, or how you will stick to regular working hours. You don’t have to do all of these, but thinking about some of them can help.  Shivani Sickotra  shares some great practical advice on managing your PhD, including creating a Gantt chart as a way of mapping about your project timeline. 

9. Find out about professional associations in your field.

You can join professional associations in your field to aid your professional development. For instance, if you study sociology then you might be interested in the  British Sociological Association.  These offer brilliant opportunities to learn more and keep up to date with the latest findings in your field by giving you access to resources and networking opportunities. There will be a cost involved (usually with a discounted student rate) so be make sure you do your research before you sign up. You can always ask your supervisors and peers about which of these they’re already a member of.

10. Look after yourself.

The problem with these types of articles is that they risk making a PhD sound easy. Anyone can tell you create a sleep pattern as if they’ve stuck by one every day of their doctoral studies. I haven’t. I’ve had more journal rejections than I’ve had acceptances. I’ve had difficult supervisions and missed deadlines. I’ve also had great supervisions and handed work in early. I’ve worked many, many weekends. Of course, you’re much more than your PhD and your life outside of your research will challenge you too. Show yourself kindness at every stage of this journey. It is unique to you, and you may have to adapt your approach as time goes by. Prioritize yourself in the process by looking after your mental and physical health. Make time for things you like to do outside of academia.

As I come to the end of these suggestions, I want to remind you that you are the most important thing about doing a PhD. You’re not alone in this journey, however it may feel at times. There is an army of us experiencing the same issues you are, so be sure to reach out.

The journey is as much a part of your PhD as the thesis. Good luck.

Nathan H. Clarke

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Landing a lecturing role after a PhD can be difficult, and rejection is commonplace. To lower the chances of rejection, it is important to focus on your career planning and gain experience as early into your PhD as possible. Therefore, if you are serious about becoming a lecturer, here are four things you can start doing now.

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Hi all, After posting several messages on here and trying to get to grips with putting together a proposal (I am 56 years old and last time I was involved in academia was 1994 when I got my Masters) I have today been made an offer to start a Phd in Law starting next October!! Be interested to know from anyone already studying a PhD (I will be part-time and home-based for most of the time) what I can expect!? Also if there is anyone in my area of the country - North Lincs - be interested to make contact... Finally, anyone studying a Law or law-related PhD out there? N

Congratulations Bignige!!!

Congrats Bignige! No idea what to expect from a Law PhD though...

Congratulations on your offer of position, NIge. Best wishes for the journey :)

Congratulations on getting your offer. I am a couple years younger at 54, and hoping to start a PhD in the 2018 year, my funding application not withstanding. Shows us oldies still have what it takes...:)

Hi Chaotic Where and what are you studying? N

Quote From bignige: Hi Chaotic Where and what are you studying? N My research topic is in the Politics/Human Geography/Sociology area, and I am based in the North East.

Hi there I just finished mine - I am on my 40s - My PhD was in history but legal aspects (historical) were present as I studied a series of Acts of the Gladstone Government, including the Settled Land Act 1882, which changed conveyancing. Sp probably nothing to do with what you are doing but do get in touch if you need to vent nevertheless. It can be a lonely journey and sometimes eroding one's self confidence so, in my humble opinion, peers and friends who have been though it/going through it are very helpful.

Hi Chaotic and Trilla Chaotic: you are likely not based far away from me. What funding have you applied for? Are you aware that there are loans coming out next year for up to £25K for PhD students? Same deal as the Masters loans - start repaying when you are earning at least £21K (or £25K as I think the threshold may just have been increased). Trilla: I may well take you up on that offer. I have nobody to speak to who is undertaking/attained a PhD and I think I will not have much contact with other researchers when I start my PhD as I am part-time and the Uni is a fair distance from my home - although I believe I will have to attend a 5 day course there at some point during the first year. I have been speaking today with a Dr of Law at a University (not the one I have been made an offer by) and he has put a whole new perspective on things - spent an hour on phone and he was largely telling me to research the people who will be supervising me - will they be around for the duration of my studies, what experience have they got, have they supervised PhD's before etc. Any comments on that Trilla (or anyone else). Was your PhD part-time or full time Trilla - and are you able to say at which Uni? N

Bignige Think I am a couple hours drive away. I do know about the new proposed PhD loan, and that was my intended route when I had the idea of doing a PhD back in January, but my then personal tutor (I did an MA at Newcastle last year, 2016-17) strongly advised against the idea of a loan for a full time PhD for various reasons. I am lucky in that I found a potential supervisor who is really interested in my ideas at Newcastle, and is helping me in my funding application to ESRC for a fully funded studentship. I have also applied to York as a back-up in case the funding application at Newcastle fails for any reason, and might also apply to Oxford as a very long shot due to their good ratio of funded DPhil places, and that would be the only place that I would consider relocating for (there's Cambridge as well, but I do not meet their entry requirements. For some reason, Oxford asks only for a 2:1 + distinction, whereas Cambridge wants a First + Distinction). But Newcastle remains very much my first choice even if I somehow get that unlikely acceptance from Oxford, as its nearly on my doorstep, and my potential supervisors (my lead supervisor has already identified a co-supervisor, with whom I have exchanged emails) seem to be leading experts in their fields. Which uni are you going to do your PhD? If everything goes well, I shall be starting my PhD at the same as you, and maybe we could grab a beer/coffee for mutual support when the weather is nice enough for a longish drive down the A1.

Hi Chaotic Great idea. I have been offered a place at UCLAN and I am also waiting on decisions from a few other places - nearer to where I live - Hull/Sheffield/Lincoln to name but three. Hull or Lincoln would be ideal - but I am pretty sure Lincoln don't have a suitable supervisor - whereas at UCLAN they have a supervisor with around 30 years experience in the field I am researching - in fact they have allocated two supervisors to me (which I believe is par for the course?). I have the impression that being close to the Uni is not that important as I will be part-time and I believe most of the contact with supervisors will be via email and Skype. There is also a 5 day course to attend at UCLAN - which is a 2 hour drive from home so not too bad. N

Quote From bignige: Hi Chaotic Great idea. I have been offered a place at UCLAN and I am also waiting on decisions from a few other places - nearer to where I live - Hull/Sheffield/Lincoln to name but three. Hull or Lincoln would be ideal - but I am pretty sure Lincoln don't have a suitable supervisor - whereas at UCLAN they have a supervisor with around 30 years experience in the field I am researching - in fact they have allocated two supervisors to me (which I believe is par for the course?). I have the impression that being close to the Uni is not that important as I will be part-time and I believe most of the contact with supervisors will be via email and Skype. There is also a 5 day course to attend at UCLAN - which is a 2 hour drive from home so not too bad. N I think Central Lancaster is in Preston, which quite a journey for you. I would have thought 2 hours might be a little optimistic myself. I know being onsite isn't considered essential, but my advice from tutors is that PhDs can be a lonely business, and face to face interaction and support from peers and the department can make all the difference when the going gets hard, as it inevitably will. I did think of applying to Lancaster at one stage, but that pretty little cottage by the canal went quickly (it was cheap!) , so I gave up on the idea as I want to be campus based. Hope you have some good news from Hull or Sheffield soon. Have you considered Leeds or York, which are still nearer than Central Lancaster?

Hi there BigNige of course I can say, it was Manchester. With my chagrin I did not live in Manchester as I am based in London where my principal archives were (and also I have a family) but I think Manchester is a great city and the university is world class (I have done my undergrad and master at 4 different universities with bursaries etc. so I feel I can compare :)) - basically this is to say you do not have to live in campus at all but try to go as often as you can as oyu really learn a lot from being there, going to reading groups, seminars, bootcamps, etc. [My wish is to get a good job in Manchester and move there with all my family! Hubby, kids & cat! :D.] I did my PhD full time, fully AHRC funded but I also kept working - I had 2 consultancies that I wanted to keep, so I diminished my hours greatly (you are allowed to work only 6 hours per week if you are fully funded) - basically in the past three years I had NO social life, and everything else pretty much disappeared too - I used to be a quite decent marathon and ultra marathon runner (I placed in the top 10 of my age category at big races and once I even placed second outright at a 40 miler!!) but that had to go. Impossible to do 3+ hours training a day on top of PhD+ job + family.. Anyway, I have given up much but also gained much - have published 4 articles while writing my PhD and now just finished my book proposal for my first monograph... So... was it worth it? I do not know. I miss having friends and I miss running like a lunatic in my lunch break but I also know that writing it's something that it is in me and if I had not done this I would have neglected another big part of myself.

Just to think I thought I was too old at 41 to apply for a PHD.

Hi Chaotic and Trilla With UCLAN I have to be there for a 5 day block in the first year. Preston is 2 hours drive away. I can't move from my current location as I have 2 kids including a son at special school. Nearest Unis to me are Hull - 20 mins drive, and Lincoln, around 40mins. Lincoln don't have a supervisor. I await a decision from Hull. Nearest after the above is Sheffield which is an hour away. Trilla: social life won't bother me. Don't have one now anyhow! Lol. Lets all try and keep in touch. N

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• Decisions, Decisions

Rejecting an PhD offer after accepting

By 2bphd April 12, 2010 in Decisions, Decisions

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Dear friends,

I have a very good phd offer from a university with an awesome funding package.

But I just interviewed with my dream company for a job that I would love to do. But the problem is that they are going to give a decision in May.

My situation is:

1) If I get a job offer (I m almost sure I will) from this company, I have no doubt that I will accept it.

2)But I will have to accept the offer for phd by april 15th.

So, My plan is to accept the phd offer and if i get the job , just reject the offer. That is I want to keep it as a backup if I dont get the job.

Are you legally bound if you accept the offer from a univ?? what complications are expected?

I think there can be a problem if I accept an offer from one univ and then want to go to another univ. Then I have to get the release form and everything. But this is a different story.

What do u guys think??

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http://www.cgsnet.org/portals/0/pdf/CGS_Resolution.pdf

"... However, an acceptance given or left in force after April 15 commits the student not to accept another offer without first obtaining a written release from the institution to which a commitment has been made. Similarly, an offer by an institution after April 15 is conditional on presentation by the student of the written release from any previously accepted offer."

Point one. Legally you are okay. The resolution clearly states that you can't go to another school, but nothing about a private job.

Point two. Ethically you are NOT okay. You are, as I'm sure you know, taking a position away from a deserving student. Perhaps they'll get off the waitlist, if your school has one. But they will know late in the game, which will cause that person undue stress. It's not fair.

Why don't you ask straight up to your employer: "Am I going to get this job? Because if not, I am going to enter a PhD program. It would help me to know so I can do the right thing and not fill up a spot I won't be taking." Maybe they'll let you know your chances, or just tell you straight up. It's worth a try. If you do this, at least you made an effort.

I understand -- you have to do what is best for you. I can't say I wouldn't follow your path if I were in your situation. But you might as well do good to everyone else in every way you can by trying to find out about your job. Even then, it's still ethically very dicey.

Well, nobody will force you to go to grad school. Handcuffed TA-s might get bad evaluations. If you do not want to do anything with academia I do not think that you should worry the tiniest bit . Now the person who would have been getting in on a waitlist may be upset, but your university will not have to pay your cost, and they will be probably getting one more student next year for your funding.

http://www.cgsnet.or..._Resolution.pdf "... However, an acceptance given or left in force after April 15 commits the student not to accept another offer without first obtaining a written release from the institution to which a commitment has been made. Similarly, an offer by an institution after April 15 is conditional on presentation by the student of the written release from any previously accepted offer." Point one. Legally you are okay. The resolution clearly states that you can't go to another school, but nothing about a private job. Point two. Ethically you are NOT okay. You are, as I'm sure you know, taking a position away from a deserving student. Perhaps they'll get off the waitlist, if your school has one. But they will know late in the game, which will cause that person undue stress. It's not fair. Why don't you ask straight up to your employer: "Am I going to get this job? Because if not, I am going to enter a PhD program. It would help me to know so I can do the right thing and not fill up a spot I won't be taking." Maybe they'll let you know your chances, or just tell you straight up. It's worth a try. If you do this, at least you made an effort. I understand -- you have to do what is best for you. I can't say I wouldn't follow your path if I were in your situation. But you might as well do good to everyone else in every way you can by trying to find out about your job. Even then, it's still ethically very dicey.

I'm not sure I would say that this is exactly ethically horrible. You aren't taking away a spot of another student. Many programs don't have waitlists and the ones that do often don't use them much. Plus, it is your spot. It is also relatively frequent for these situations to occur, at least in engineering fields. So just do what you need to do.

Also, this will just increase the number of students next year. It isn't reallly possible to deny a student a spot since they will just let more in in the future.

Exactly, that is how I feel. The department is one of the top 5 programs in the country and I was accepted by a professor for this project. I am already doing some literature study on the project and we are sharing emails all the time. He has stopped looking for any other student.

But the job offer will be a very difficult one to say no.

I believe I will have to be a little selfish and decide what is good for me.

I think I can talk to grad school for some more time to decide, but that will definately affect my relationship with my prof.

I can ask the company to decide early, but that might make me look desperate which I am not. If I tell them I have to accept phd offer by 15 april, they will think I am not sure of what I want to do.

Even if I get a phd, I will love to work for this company. I might get a better profile, but at the same time if I start now I might even grow to a better job profile.

tough decision.

I'm not sure I would say that this is exactly ethically horrible. You aren't taking away a spot of another student. Many programs don't have waitlists and the ones that do often don't use them much. Plus, it is your spot. It is also relatively frequent for these situations to occur, at least in engineering fields. So just do what you need to do. Also, this will just increase the number of students next year. It isn't reallly possible to deny a student a spot since they will just let more in in the future.

Perhaps my wording was strong. I still think transparency is the best option here. Be as open as you can while protecting your interests and that's the right thing to do.

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How to properly reject a PhD offer

Post by FandG » Sat Mar 23, 2024 2:21 am

Re: How to properly reject a PhD offer

Post by frame » Sat Mar 23, 2024 2:51 am

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This subreddit is for anyone who is going through the process of getting into graduate school, and for those who've been there and have advice to give.

Is it possible to accept 2 PhD offers?

I was fortunate to have received a CS PhD offer from a school in the US and I need to accept/decline the offer by April 15, however, I also received an unfunded offer from Oxford (my top choice) that I also need to accept by April 15. I contacted the admissions department at Oxford and was told that scholarship decisions are not finalized till May/June. Is it possible for me to accept both offers?

If I don't end up receiving any scholarships from Oxford then my acceptance would simply be voided since I would not meet the conditions for their Financial Declaration. In the unlikely event I receive scholarships from Oxford, I would have to renege my other offer. The other offer states the following: "We follow the Council of Graduate Schools guidelines for student rights and obligations concerning acceptance of offers of financial support. These guidelines are available on the CGS website, http://cgsnet.org ." As far as I'm aware this is not a binding agreement since I haven't registered as a student or received any money from them.

I realize that turning down an offer after accepting it is not very ethical but I'm in a difficult situation where schools have conflicting admissions timelines and I don't want to let go of an acceptance from my top choice.

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