Ph.D. Financing and Housing
The standard financial-aid package generally offered to full-time Ph.D. students who do not receive significant awards from outside sources consists of a stipend for four years and a tuition exemption for the student’s two or three years of coursework (the length of study depends on whether advanced standing has been granted). Financial aid may be canceled at any time for failure to maintain a high standard of academic excellence or to comply with the terms of the award.
Each student, whether domestic or international, is responsible for accurately reporting stipend amounts and for making estimated tax payments if appropriate. For the tax regulations governing fellowship awards, please see the Stipends and Tax Reporting page on the University’s Student Financial Services.
If you are a full-time student receiving the “full funding” package of tuition plus a four-year stipend, you are not given an appointment during your first year at Columbia (and you may not accept one at the school or elsewhere), but during each semester of your second, third and fourth years you will receive an assignment generally requiring teaching or research.
Year 2. Service in the second year is normally as a teaching assistant (TA), usually in one of the Journalism Essentials courses, and should not exceed an average of 10 hours per week. Per university policy, students on appointment may not work more than 20 hours per week total, inclusive of this appointment and any other positions you hold on campus or outside of campus for which you are compensated.
Years 3 and 4 – In your third and fourth years you will serve in a research (DRA) or teaching (TA) position, which should not take more than an average of 10 hours per week. In lieu of working directly for a faculty member as a DRA or TA, you may fulfill your service requirements by working for the Brown Institute, the Tow Center, or Academic Affairs in a research capacity. These DRA positions are competitive and will require a formal application. The selection process will be held each spring. Per university policy, students on appointment may not work more than 20 hours per week total, inclusive of this appointment and any other positions you hold on campus or outside of campus for which you are compensated.
You are welcome to express your interest in a particular position but you do not arrange your own appointments; all assignments except the competitive positions at Tow or Brown are made by the program director or the chair in consultation with the course professor or project overseer and are based on your preparation and background. Every effort will be made to give everyone a variety of duties and experiences, but available assignments vary from term to term, as do the expectations and needs of the school. You may suggest a TA or RA appointment in another division of the university, though such arrangements must have the approval of the program director, with the assumption that such work will be relevant to your studies, will entail bona fide teaching or research, and will require an average commitment of 10-20 hours a week. The other division must be willing to share the cost of your compensation on acceptable terms.
All appointments are covered by a collective bargaining agreement between the University and the Student Workers of Columbia SWC-UAW. The agreement can be found here. Any student who is included in the bargaining unit defined by the National Labor Relations Board is eligible to join the union: that includes all students on teaching or research appointments and certain student employees employed on a casual basis. If you’re eligible to join the union, it’s your choice whether or not to do so; if you elect to join, you are required by the union to pay dues.
International students should be aware that they must hold “F-1” student visas to accept their stipends and assistantships; holders of other types of visas are urged to consult with the International Students and Scholars Office to clarify their status.
You are responsible for the cost of your books, board, housing, and other university fees, including late payment fees.
The program offers a limited number of small grants to assist students at various stages of their career. Students who have been accepted to present a paper at an acceptable academic conference or students with approved prospectuses who wish to conduct research out-of-town may apply for up to $500 toward train/plane fare and/or lodging expenses (but not meals, registration fees, local transportation, or other incidentals). If the budget permits, students presenting at the annual ICA conference may receive a modest additional sum.
The program may also fund some research expenses such as access to databases or research tools and may provide small maintenance grants to advanced students to assist them in the very last stages of writing their dissertations. Funds are limited and preference may be given to people who did not receive a grant in the previous year or who are not past their fourth post-coursework year. You must submit an application including a budget; see the program director for details.
If a position is funded by an outside funding source, typically the Federal Government, then the Ph.D. student may be eligible for appointment in a Graduate Research Assistant position. These positions typically pay an amount equal to the full stipend/or more, but require a significant amount of work, typically more than the standard 10 hours allowed when the Ph.D. student is receiving a stipend for work funded by the University. Please note that this funding comes from outside of the University and that research positions with the Brown Institute and the Tow Center are not outside funded positions.
With the permission of the Director of the Ph.D. program, students may accept one of these positions and “bank” their stipend for a different semester. A student may defer up to a maximum of four semesters or two years of stipends. If the Ph.D. student is no longer receiving a stipend, the student must still receive permission from the Director of the Ph.D. program before taking this position as progress toward degree completion is the primary goal of all students. The deferred stipend must be used within the first 6 years of study and those students who do not use their stipend by the end of the 6th year will not receive any retroactive payment for financial credit. Ph.D. students will be appointed and paid through payroll for all graduate research assistant positions.
At any time during the year, Ph.D. students not in their first year may also be hired as a Ph.D. “student casual” worker for administrative duties, provided they do not already have an appointment. Filing, managing events, processing paperwork, etc., are duties that fall under this kind of work. Any work that is teaching, research, or of potential publication value is not eligible to be paid as student casual work. A casual worker requires a job description and approval of the position by HR. The number of hours cannot exceed the requirements of a full time Ph.D. student – 10 hours if on stipend, 20 hours during the fall and spring term and not receiving a stipend, and 35 hours during the summer on during breaks between semesters.
Note: Ph.D. students’ casual work does not affect their stipend payment as this is not related to their education. Ph.D. students who receive stipends and then are hired as casual workers can therefore be paid their casual-worker compensation on top of their stipends. However, students who are receiving a stipend and have already been appointed as TAs or DRAs will not be eligible for payment as student casual workers.
In certain limited, one-off cases Ph.D. students can receive additional compensation (add-comp) if they have been asked to do discrete time-limited work by another department outside of the school and their current appointments do not exceed the maximum number of hours they may work. For example, if students are asked to grade or proctor an exam over a weekend for a total of 10 hours, and these students have not exceeded their maximum hours, then they can petition for add-comp to work that discrete 10 hour period. The petition for add-comp must be approved in advance by the Director of the Ph.D. Program, HR, the department in which they will do the work, and ultimately the Provost’s office so any petition should be filed well in advance of the proposed working period. No work can be commenced until all approvals have been obtained.
Summer Term Appointments
Ph.D. students are not enrolled during the summer. However, if the student would like to be appointed to a summer position in the University that involves teaching, research, or any other activity that would further their education and require an appointment, all regulations previously outlined apply.
Whether or not you are receiving a stipend, the university allows you to hold only one campus appointment of any kind at a time, and you must consult with the school’s Human Resources office before accepting any paid position at Columbia.
If you are receiving a stipend, you may not take paid off-campus work that amounts to more than 10 hours a week during the school year (or 20 on petition to the director). If you are found to have violated this policy your stipend may be revoked and you may be required to repay any funding received during the period in question. A FAFSA form must be submitted to the financial aid office each year and no financial aid will be released until the form has been turned in.
The University’s Columbia Plan health insurance and the university health services fees are covered for all funded Ph.D. students from their first enrollment through the fourth year after their completion of coursework -- i.e. for a total of six, six and a half, or seven years depending on any transfer credits. (During their years of full-time coursework, students are automatically enrolled in the University's student health insurance plan; once they reach the M&F stage and regardless of whether or not they are receiving school funding, they must actively enroll in the plan if they want that coverage. Enrollment is not automatic for students who have finished coursework.) The school also pays a subsidy towards the Emblem Dental Insurance Plan for students who opt to enroll in that.
University Maintenance and Facilities (M&F) fees, which ensure enrollment as a continuing full-time student, are covered for funded students for the first four years after their completion of coursework. (Students in M&F status are not permitted to enroll in any courses for credit.) After this time, all students will need to pay the maintenance and facilities fee, health insurance and health services fees, and living expenses themselves, until they receive their Ph.D.
There are several options for finding local housing.
On-Campus/University Housing: Columbia Residential has limited housing for full-time graduate students from the 10 schools on its Morningside Heights campus. The Journalism School approves students for these slots based solely on the student’s permanent address as listed in the student’s original admissions application to the school. Those at the greatest distance get priority. Access the housing information and submit an application for University housing here. The housing application is available on March 1 and all applications for Journalism School students must be received by May 15.
To be approved for university apartment housing and to retain eligibility and remain in residence, you must be registered full time, i.e. for at least 12 credits during your years of coursework and for “maintenance and facilities” thereafter. Eligibility for housing is granted for five years from the date of your first registration (or four if you have advanced standing). You may apply for one year’s additional eligibility during the annual extension process in February; the granting of an extension is subject to housing availability and your satisfactory progress in the degree program as attested by your adviser.
Off-Campus Housing Assistance (OCHA): OCHA provides an online housing registry listing room-share and apartments in non-Columbia owned buildings located in the New York City area (mostly surrounding Columbia University). Only students who have accepted the school’s admissions offer (by submitting their deposit) and activated their Columbia ID (UNI) are permitted to use the website. More information on the services provided can be found on the OCHA website.
Ph.D. students are offered a yearly tax planning workshop.