In June 2024, the American Academy of Religion’s Graduate Student Committee conducted a survey of student members to collect information about their experiences and struggles. The results, presented in a webinAAR on July 31, highlight significant concerns about the current state of graduate education. This open letter series is an extension of that presentation and aims to share the survey data with faculty members and administrators, offer insights into the challenges faced by graduate students, and provide practical steps for offering support. Graduate students are both the labor of our present and the future of our field – faculty must take the time to understand their struggles and support them in the ways they ask. This series, and the conversations we hope it starts, is an attempt to open a dialogue about how faculty can and should play a crucial role in the success of graduate students and to bring awareness to the unique challenges faced by so many current graduate students.
“We literally go hungry, occasionally live homeless, and have to do things like declare bankruptcy on credit card debt that has built up from buying groceries.”
Financial insecurity is a pressing issue that is increasingly undermining the academic and personal lives of graduate students. Despite the widespread assumption that graduate students receive adequate support, many find themselves struggling to make ends meet, often forced to juggle multiple jobs, accrue debt, or even face dire situations like hunger and homelessness. This pervasive issue calls for urgent attention from faculty, who are in a position to advocate for better funding and set more realistic expectations for their students.
One student’s words paint a bleak picture:
“We are poorer in cost of living than ever before. It’s almost impossible to focus on courses/writing when putting food on the table is practically untenable.”
This sentiment echoes across the experiences of many graduate students, who are finding it increasingly difficult to balance their academic responsibilities with basic survival. The high cost of living in university towns, coupled with inadequate stipends, means that many students – especially single students who do not have a partner earning a salary to support them – are caught in a cycle of financial distress that impacts their academic performance and overall well-being.
Another respondent highlighted a critical issue, revealing the harsh reality faced by some graduate students:
“We literally go hungry, occasionally live homeless, and have to do things like declare bankruptcy on credit card debt that has built up from buying groceries, lest we eat only eggs, beans, and rice.”
These extreme situations are not isolated incidents but rather part of a broader, disturbing trend, especially in fields like the social sciences and humanities where funding is often even scarcer and financial support inadequate.
As graduate programs strive to diversify their student bodies by accepting individuals from marginalized and economically disadvantaged backgrounds, they often fail to adjust their expectations or funding structures to accommodate the unique challenges these students face. While these efforts to increase diversity are commendable, they inadvertently expose students to financial realities that their programs are not designed to address. As one student pointed out, “Much of the advice I receive from professors assumes a level of wealth and class privilege that many of us do not possess.”
Many graduate programs still operate under the assumption that students have access to external financial support or can dedicate themselves fully to their studies without the need for additional income. This assumption overlooks the fact that students from marginalized backgrounds often lack family wealth or other safety nets, making it difficult for them to meet basic living expenses. As a result, these students are forced to take on additional jobs, accrue debt, or even forgo essential academic opportunities like conferences.
In addition to advocating for better funding from the university, faculty need to be more aware of the financial pressures that force many students to work part-time or even full-time jobs alongside their graduate studies. These jobs are not just a financial necessity but also a significant drain on time and energy, leaving students with little bandwidth to fully engage in their academic work. The demands of juggling employment with research, coursework, and teaching responsibilities often lead to burnout and reduced academic productivity. As one student pointed out, “I think my faculty don’t realize how expensive life is despite a stipend, and how much we need to work to make up the difference.” This financial reality means that many students are constantly balancing their academic obligations with the need to earn enough to cover basic living expenses, a situation that undermines their ability to fully participate in critical academic opportunities like conferences and networking events.
Faculty must recognize these challenges and adjust their expectations accordingly, understanding that the traditional model of graduate education does not fit the financial realities of many of today’s students. “My program still feels shaped for full-time, fully-funded students, but it doesn’t have full (i.e., tuition and living expenses) funding. So, my colleagues are coping with fractional attention as well as fractional time, and this wears on them,” shared another student. This “fractional” existence not only hinders academic progress but also exacerbates the stress and burnout that many graduate students experience.
The financial insecurity faced by graduate students is a systemic issue that demands systemic change. Faculty must not only advocate for better pay and conditions for their students but also adjust their expectations to reflect the financial realities of graduate life. As one student powerfully stated:
“If faculty feel that this is an undue impediment to the graduate training at their institution, they should advocate on behalf of the graduate students’ standard of living… or join in and support students when/if they choose to form a union and negotiate for a contract.”
The cost of pursuing knowledge should not be financial ruin. It is imperative that faculty, institutions, and the broader academic community take concrete steps to address this growing crisis, ensuring that the pursuit of academic excellence does not come at the expense of students’ financial and personal well-being.
Resources for Faculty
Coffino, Jaime A, Samantha P Spoor, Rae D Drach, and Julia M Hormes. “Food Insecurity among Graduate Students: Prevalence and Association with Depression, Anxiety and Stress.” Public Health Nutrition 24, no. 7 (2021): 1889–94. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980020002001.
Perez-Felkner, L., Ford, J. R., Zhao, T., Anthony, M., Harrison, J. A., & Rahming, S. G. (2020). Basic Needs Insecurity among Doctoral Students: What It Looks Like and How to Address It. About Campus, 24(6), 18-24.https://doi.org/10.1177/1086482219899649 (Original work published 2020)
Sverdlik, Anna, Nathan C. Hall, Lynn McAlpine, and Kyle Hubbard. “The PhD Experience: A Review of the Factors Influencing Doctoral Students’ Completion, Achievement, and Well-Being.” International Journal of Doctoral Studies 13 (2018): 361–88. https://doi.org/10.28945/4113.
News Source
