The Financial Dilemma of Students Pursuing an Atmospheric Science Graduate Degree in the United States

Graduate school provides an opportunity for students to enhance their knowledge and skillsets, and the qualifications to seek high–skilled employment. However, many graduate students are plagued with personal and financial stressors, which can decrease research productivity and professional growth. With ballooning student loan debt and economic inflation, stakeholders should review the financial well-being of our current and future graduate students with greater frequency to ensure the continued fast-paced advancement of science. This study investigated the annual stipend, university fees, housing costs, cost of living, and the effective state income tax rate of 23 atmospheric science graduate programs in the United States to determine the net effective income for first-year graduate students in the 2018-2019 academic year. Results showed a large spread in the advertised stipend amounts ranging between $22,500–$42,116. After taking into account annual university fees, housing costs, effective state income tax, and normalizing by the cost of living, the effective income had an increased spread ranging between $5,286–$36,250. On a concerning note, results also indicate a poor correlation between stipends and living/program expenses. Therefore, prospective graduate students should not focus on the advertised stipend when deciding between graduate programs since they do not always accurately represent the affordability of the graduate institution. The future of scientific research relies on the next generation of scientists. Therefore, graduate programs across the country should focus on providing fair financial compensation in order to attract the best students who otherwise may leave academia to pursue higher paying jobs after college.