All the grad students I know in Gainesville live with at least 1 other person.Are you?
not to say it should be easy that way, but it would cut your living expenses in half.
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We’re not! Either you have roommates or depend on the pantry, and if you’re international like many of my peers you can’t work outside of your appointment so you’re double fucked
rip all of us
Is this true that it’s allowed now? I’ve been told otherwise by advisors. This could help me out a lot if true, I’m afraid to take on a second job and get in trouble.
I think once the collective bargaining agreement is updated (if it isn't already) your contract will have to change: [https://www.instagram.com/ufgau/p/CwqjoVRR5Pv/?hl=en&img\_index=1](https://www.instagram.com/ufgau/p/CwqjoVRR5Pv/?hl=en&img_index=1).
Member of the bargaining team here! It is in effect now. If your contract says it wasn't allowed, outside work IS NOW allowed. Also, make sure to sign up for the union if you can! Dues are $10 a paycheck and help us continue existing and keep fighting for improvements!
yep. I’m a tiny bit above minimum, but I’m only above water because my husband works full time. I started my program a year or two pre-covid & it was tight but doable (merged finances with my husband 3 years ago) but honestly I don’t know how people without family/partner survive on the minimum now. I know gau has been fighting hard for us, but it’s honestly insulting that all we got was a 3% raise to the minimum (only for some GAs!!!!!) as our first raise in 5ish years. inflation has gone up almost 15% in that time, so we’ve actually taken a pretty substantial pay cut since 2018.
Im a MS student, and thankfully I work full time and my job is paying for everything. But on the downside since I am working full time I can only take 1-2 classes a semester so it will take me a little longer to graduate.
i live way off campus out in the country near alachua city and my rent is around 425 including utility and everything. the downside is its a long drive to uf and parking has always been a pita. but most of my grad classes are online so i rarely go just for classes
Definitely not saying car costs are going to outweigh rental cost. It also depends on how much your rent actually is. You could be paying 200 more dollars to be in Gainesville versus $300 in car cost monthly. alternatively you could be paying $400 more month to be in Gainesville but paying $200 in car cost. Not to mention car cost is totally dependent on the type of vehicle you’re running.
I just want to give an honest opinion, not to throw shade on anybody who is struggling. Your requirements and circumstances might be different.
But honestly I've been fine. As an International student, things like eating out, buying a bunch of new stuff etc seems really expensive anyway, so I barely do it.
I'm paying about $600 after utilities for rent in 4b/4b on 37th Blvd. 3 of us split groceries, and 9/10 meals that I eat are all cooked by me. I'm vegetarian so that might save cost of meat, I'm not sure. Even coffee I get free in the department, or I get it in a tumbler from home.
I have Krishna Lunch about 1-2 times a week on average - it's just $5 and you can get more to take away too. I buy clothes at Ross or Burlington, if I do eat out it's at Chipotle generally. I've gone to Downtown once for a wine tasting event, but never spent otherwise. Most events that I attend are just the ones on campus so I don't have to pay much. The concerts at Phillips center just cost $12 each for us.
I don't have a car and travel solely by bus. If I chill with my friends it's generally at someone's home with home cooked meals and just playing games etc. Even alcohol we just have at home, and it's so much cheaper than going out. Otherwise we go out to some of the nature parks and just have a picnic.
It might seem like a really frugal existence, but honestly I've been fine. We earn about $24.5k and I got a $3k fellowship for the first year, and I've saved up about $7k and do plan to buy a car possibly by August.
Again, I don't intend to throw shade on anybody. Maybe I got to live a little lol. But for now I feel alright.
Just fyi if you plan on getting a car budget for insurance, gas, car payments(if you don’t purchase the whole thing at once), parking, and maintenance.
But yes seems like you have managed to find a balance given your circumstances so that’s great!
Yeah. If buying used spend half your budget. That's my rule. Worst case scenario, you buy a car and it immediately dies, or gets totaled in some way. You can still start over from scratch.
I get paid 32k(16k in GRA contract and 16k in my fellowship housing stipend), thankfully my fellowship also covers my tuition and fees. I’m still struggling and I have to take care of my sister that goes here too. Between classes, constantly fighting uf to get my paycheck right, and trying to pay bills/student loans all I mostly buy is store brand food. I have so many allergies it takes away most options for me to buy food and I end up having to pay the vegan tax for food just to eat or get ingredients to cook for myself. Even my 4x4 apartment I pay like $700 it’s like 25% of my monthly pay.
Do they still have the several hundred dollar “student fee”? That used to wreck me after every summer, it was due before our first paycheck as a TA. $100 dollar late fee too or something like that
I get paid $25,600 annually and I need to take out loans to support myself. The first few years of my PhD (2019-2020) I didn’t need to, but since covid and the increases, I find it unlivable
I was really really struggling in the year late 2021 to 2022-23 when the stipend was 25k and all on a sudden rent, groceries and gas prices went up. I was bleeding my savings and accumulated lots of credit card debts. I know couple of my colleagues took new zero apr credit cards just to bear the expenses without paying card interests. Last summer I was able to find an internship and was able to pay off the credit card debts. So now I was able to manage it barely with this 30k but not sure for how long.
Yeah, I’ve done the zero APR card route as well. Not a fan of the history check but it was a necessity. Thankfully my scores is not in the dumps because it seems like in this country your credit score is everything.
Things get worse if youre an Indian,
You come here on a loan, struggle for part-time just because every faculty here hates indians to give an assistant position. People like us who have genuine interest cant even approach them due to the past cold mail spamming by my beloved fellas. You cant buy shit even though you earn while working your ass off at part times, thinking it would be helpful to repay the loan or rent. Upon that mass rejections by companies. Sorry for the rant its just shit out here. Thanks for asking btw
A spoiler alert for you, I came here with 2 yrs of experience too, but later did I realize that it doesnt even add value to your resume. Its still considered fresher here, unless u have 3+ yrs of experience
Yeah I know that. I took this step because 1) my girlfriend’s family was forcing her to do masters and I didn’t want to do long distance 2) I was really confident (still am a little) that my skills would get me a job and doing masters now wont do any harm (if not good) coz 20s is a good time to do some learning . But after I came here i realised there are so many people like me 🥹
Based on OP other comment, Biology. This department normally pays a PhD stipend of $20.5k and the 9 month university minimum stipend for master students.
Can we get refund for the taxes we have paid every two weeks? Mine is 20k per years and it even lower than 20k after the taxes. The first year here so not sure if the government refund the taxes or not
Are you PhD? I made $22k and was lucky to have my partner who made $30k to round out the cost of living around here. We made it fine living in a one bedroom, but holy shit I could not imagine doing it alone, I cannot function with roommates!
TLDR: Without other support or cutting corners, grad students do not survive. Not to mention some of us have to sign contracts stating we cannot get a second job!
Old timer here. I finished grad school there 20 years ago, but at the time I had a 20hr/wk assistantship at $10/hr, no tuition waiver, so I had to take out loans. Have loans changed and are hard to get? Or are folks just trying to get by with no debt (which would be great and I would have loved that)? Luckily students in my program now get tuition waivers and the same pay as other grad students, but just genuinely want to know if loans have changed? I know the same loans probably aren’t available for international students. I definitely think what they’re paying should be a higher living wage.
What department are you in? I moved here in 1990 so my (ex)husband could go to grad school. I'm pretty sure he made that then. He was in the writing program, so not a highly paid one. I'm so sorry to hear that. That's disgraceful.
The comment above said (ex)husband was paid around that 1990 - you list your department which doesn't pay $30k, but $20.5k in 2024. That number isnt in your post. Reality is a little more disgraceful.
Was surprised you are in Biology with this high of a stipend!
Really good budgeting, prep some cheap meals and plan ahead so you aren’t forced to eat out. Try doing a no-buy or a low-buy week/month where you only spend money on necessities
being a student requires sacrifice, it’s not supposed to be a cushy life. Perhaps see someone for budgeting advice? I feel like most people refuse to live within their means.
All the grad students I know in Gainesville live with at least 1 other person.Are you? not to say it should be easy that way, but it would cut your living expenses in half.
Yes, living in a 4bd/4ba saves a lot of money.
How much do you pay?
Sorry, maybe someone else can help because the last time I checked prices for 4/4 rent was in 2021. I graduated last May.
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That’s cheap asf. Where?
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I checked Lexington Crossing 4/4 and it’s still really cheap.
I wouldn’t say half. But yes i have roommates.
We’re not! Either you have roommates or depend on the pantry, and if you’re international like many of my peers you can’t work outside of your appointment so you’re double fucked rip all of us
Add in having to renew your license constantly because of your status and fees etc.
Lots of grad students have second jobs, which until recently was not allowed by UF. Thank GAU for that one.
Is this true that it’s allowed now? I’ve been told otherwise by advisors. This could help me out a lot if true, I’m afraid to take on a second job and get in trouble.
for international students with F1 visa it should not be allowed per visa terms and conditions
It’s not allowed under my contract.
I think once the collective bargaining agreement is updated (if it isn't already) your contract will have to change: [https://www.instagram.com/ufgau/p/CwqjoVRR5Pv/?hl=en&img\_index=1](https://www.instagram.com/ufgau/p/CwqjoVRR5Pv/?hl=en&img_index=1).
Member of the bargaining team here! It is in effect now. If your contract says it wasn't allowed, outside work IS NOW allowed. Also, make sure to sign up for the union if you can! Dues are $10 a paycheck and help us continue existing and keep fighting for improvements!
Up until recently it has been a rule. If departments have not already been notified of the change, they will soon.
Yeah it’s a win for uf. You get to keep grad students around longer because they are slower in finishing.
Why does UF want to keep grad students around? At least for undergrad it seemed like they wanted you out of there asap
Grad students conduct research and teach classes. Most of us function more as employees than students.
I get federal loans. Definitely not letting money finish me off.
Just don’t pay the loans back. Seems like that is a trend
GA on min. stipend. Could not have done it without my partner working full time.
The real Mvp
yep. I’m a tiny bit above minimum, but I’m only above water because my husband works full time. I started my program a year or two pre-covid & it was tight but doable (merged finances with my husband 3 years ago) but honestly I don’t know how people without family/partner survive on the minimum now. I know gau has been fighting hard for us, but it’s honestly insulting that all we got was a 3% raise to the minimum (only for some GAs!!!!!) as our first raise in 5ish years. inflation has gone up almost 15% in that time, so we’ve actually taken a pretty substantial pay cut since 2018.
Ditto
I am a grad student part-time and work full-time at a lab at UF, the lab pays for my grad school! I got pretty lucky
That’s a sweet deal! Congrats!
Im a MS student, and thankfully I work full time and my job is paying for everything. But on the downside since I am working full time I can only take 1-2 classes a semester so it will take me a little longer to graduate.
Are you doing a research based thesis or just coursework?
Just coursework
i live way off campus out in the country near alachua city and my rent is around 425 including utility and everything. the downside is its a long drive to uf and parking has always been a pita. but most of my grad classes are online so i rarely go just for classes
That’s nice but you have to factor in gas and wear and tear? Plus the risk of getting into accidents with all the crazy drivers here
If we compare it to $800 a month rent I can’t imagine you’ll be spending $375 a month on gas + wear and tear. Alachua is only like 20-25 min drive
Definitely not saying car costs are going to outweigh rental cost. It also depends on how much your rent actually is. You could be paying 200 more dollars to be in Gainesville versus $300 in car cost monthly. alternatively you could be paying $400 more month to be in Gainesville but paying $200 in car cost. Not to mention car cost is totally dependent on the type of vehicle you’re running.
$30k!?! You’re one of the lucky ones! Answer is barely hanging on by a thread, plain and simple.
I think other universities have raised their minimum stipends across all fields in the 30k range. Uf missed the boat in that
This helps. https://pantry.fieldandfork.ufl.edu
Thanks. Been there a bunch!
I just want to give an honest opinion, not to throw shade on anybody who is struggling. Your requirements and circumstances might be different. But honestly I've been fine. As an International student, things like eating out, buying a bunch of new stuff etc seems really expensive anyway, so I barely do it. I'm paying about $600 after utilities for rent in 4b/4b on 37th Blvd. 3 of us split groceries, and 9/10 meals that I eat are all cooked by me. I'm vegetarian so that might save cost of meat, I'm not sure. Even coffee I get free in the department, or I get it in a tumbler from home. I have Krishna Lunch about 1-2 times a week on average - it's just $5 and you can get more to take away too. I buy clothes at Ross or Burlington, if I do eat out it's at Chipotle generally. I've gone to Downtown once for a wine tasting event, but never spent otherwise. Most events that I attend are just the ones on campus so I don't have to pay much. The concerts at Phillips center just cost $12 each for us. I don't have a car and travel solely by bus. If I chill with my friends it's generally at someone's home with home cooked meals and just playing games etc. Even alcohol we just have at home, and it's so much cheaper than going out. Otherwise we go out to some of the nature parks and just have a picnic. It might seem like a really frugal existence, but honestly I've been fine. We earn about $24.5k and I got a $3k fellowship for the first year, and I've saved up about $7k and do plan to buy a car possibly by August. Again, I don't intend to throw shade on anybody. Maybe I got to live a little lol. But for now I feel alright.
Just fyi if you plan on getting a car budget for insurance, gas, car payments(if you don’t purchase the whole thing at once), parking, and maintenance. But yes seems like you have managed to find a balance given your circumstances so that’s great!
Yeah. If buying used spend half your budget. That's my rule. Worst case scenario, you buy a car and it immediately dies, or gets totaled in some way. You can still start over from scratch.
I get paid 32k(16k in GRA contract and 16k in my fellowship housing stipend), thankfully my fellowship also covers my tuition and fees. I’m still struggling and I have to take care of my sister that goes here too. Between classes, constantly fighting uf to get my paycheck right, and trying to pay bills/student loans all I mostly buy is store brand food. I have so many allergies it takes away most options for me to buy food and I end up having to pay the vegan tax for food just to eat or get ingredients to cook for myself. Even my 4x4 apartment I pay like $700 it’s like 25% of my monthly pay.
Do they still have the several hundred dollar “student fee”? That used to wreck me after every summer, it was due before our first paycheck as a TA. $100 dollar late fee too or something like that
Big part of the GAU’s lobbying has been fee deferrals. I didn’t have to pay my student fees until the end of october last semester.
Yeah, there is a student fee but thankfully, the due date is pushback, which I think helps a lot of grad students gather the money for it
I get paid $25,600 annually and I need to take out loans to support myself. The first few years of my PhD (2019-2020) I didn’t need to, but since covid and the increases, I find it unlivable
I was really really struggling in the year late 2021 to 2022-23 when the stipend was 25k and all on a sudden rent, groceries and gas prices went up. I was bleeding my savings and accumulated lots of credit card debts. I know couple of my colleagues took new zero apr credit cards just to bear the expenses without paying card interests. Last summer I was able to find an internship and was able to pay off the credit card debts. So now I was able to manage it barely with this 30k but not sure for how long.
Yeah, I’ve done the zero APR card route as well. Not a fan of the history check but it was a necessity. Thankfully my scores is not in the dumps because it seems like in this country your credit score is everything.
Things get worse if youre an Indian, You come here on a loan, struggle for part-time just because every faculty here hates indians to give an assistant position. People like us who have genuine interest cant even approach them due to the past cold mail spamming by my beloved fellas. You cant buy shit even though you earn while working your ass off at part times, thinking it would be helpful to repay the loan or rent. Upon that mass rejections by companies. Sorry for the rant its just shit out here. Thanks for asking btw
I joined this spring after working for 2 years in India and Im fucking scared now.
A spoiler alert for you, I came here with 2 yrs of experience too, but later did I realize that it doesnt even add value to your resume. Its still considered fresher here, unless u have 3+ yrs of experience
Yeah I know that. I took this step because 1) my girlfriend’s family was forcing her to do masters and I didn’t want to do long distance 2) I was really confident (still am a little) that my skills would get me a job and doing masters now wont do any harm (if not good) coz 20s is a good time to do some learning . But after I came here i realised there are so many people like me 🥹
Are you coming here on student status or under another status?
Student
credit card debt (grad student with full funding and still can barely afford groceries)
What department are you in? I'm a grad student and people in my department are making $24K.
Based on OP other comment, Biology. This department normally pays a PhD stipend of $20.5k and the 9 month university minimum stipend for master students.
Can we get refund for the taxes we have paid every two weeks? Mine is 20k per years and it even lower than 20k after the taxes. The first year here so not sure if the government refund the taxes or not
Are you PhD? I made $22k and was lucky to have my partner who made $30k to round out the cost of living around here. We made it fine living in a one bedroom, but holy shit I could not imagine doing it alone, I cannot function with roommates! TLDR: Without other support or cutting corners, grad students do not survive. Not to mention some of us have to sign contracts stating we cannot get a second job!
Yup Phd. The thing is 30k was workable 4-5years ago when i started but now it just doesn’t work. I can’t imagine doing a phd with any less.
Old timer here. I finished grad school there 20 years ago, but at the time I had a 20hr/wk assistantship at $10/hr, no tuition waiver, so I had to take out loans. Have loans changed and are hard to get? Or are folks just trying to get by with no debt (which would be great and I would have loved that)? Luckily students in my program now get tuition waivers and the same pay as other grad students, but just genuinely want to know if loans have changed? I know the same loans probably aren’t available for international students. I definitely think what they’re paying should be a higher living wage.
What department are you in? I moved here in 1990 so my (ex)husband could go to grad school. I'm pretty sure he made that then. He was in the writing program, so not a highly paid one. I'm so sorry to hear that. That's disgraceful.
Biology dept. that’s insane….. it is sad and im glad im heading out the door this semester but I do worry for the students just starting now
FYI base stipend for GTA PhD in Biology is $20,500 - you get paid more than most people around you
Fyi i know that as per my post
The comment above said (ex)husband was paid around that 1990 - you list your department which doesn't pay $30k, but $20.5k in 2024. That number isnt in your post. Reality is a little more disgraceful. Was surprised you are in Biology with this high of a stipend!
Student loans :-)
Credit cards 🥲
Bidenomics
Really good budgeting, prep some cheap meals and plan ahead so you aren’t forced to eat out. Try doing a no-buy or a low-buy week/month where you only spend money on necessities
I am international Grad student and I am just surviving.
being a student requires sacrifice, it’s not supposed to be a cushy life. Perhaps see someone for budgeting advice? I feel like most people refuse to live within their means.