Caltech for graduate school - All funding is merit based

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Sorry if this question seems too boorish, but would you mind telling us what field you're in?

How much funding? Does it cover everything?

so you got into Ph.D program for the 5th best school in the country for biological science.

i doubt barely anyone in here would be in the same situation as you or have good enough expertise to give you an advice... actually it should be the other way around lol

Haha, yeah pretty much.

I wonder how that funding stuff is going to work out for you though? Usually you get some sort of tuition rebate, but to get that you have to work in a lab or teach undergrad classes. Both technically count as employment.

First of all, congratulations!

I went through this several years ago, with another top 10 school for experimental atomic physics, and was not able to acquire the necessary funding. Yes, some schools did offer to pay tuition, but a living stipend was impossible to get without a verifiable SSN. Consequently, they did not want to risk offering a position to a student who a) would not be eligible for ANY federal grants and b) most likely would neither be inclined nor be able to travel anywhere to present his work. Others had being a paid TA or an RA as a PhD requirement, and had no idea what to do with someone who would be ineligible to do it. Additionally, any candidate not receiving a stipend would have to have some way to cover his living expenses, which in most cases would be a part-time job, and with the limited time these students already have, it is a very very difficult thing to do.

The only solution I found in my particular case was to be a quasi-PhD student, and cover the cost of tuition myself, and take all the necessary classes, and be an unpaid RA. This worked up until a point, and I was even getting a stipend by having the money get deposited in an account in my name....to which I ironically would not have access to until I could provide the administration with a proper SSN, and I probably have my payroll status marked as "pending" to this day. Now, what ultimately killed me was the fact that despite taking all the necessary classes I was not able to get matriculated without legal status, and allowed to take the comprehensive exam. It was ridiculous, but could not even leave with a masters degree (which was normally granted to people who could not pass their Comp. Exam), and the people in the administration were pretty adamant about it.

Now, Caltech is probably the only Top 10 school that could do this differently. Their pool of students is very small in comparison, and they have a great endowment with a lot of private funding. Anyways, I wish you the best of luck and sicerely hope you find a way to receive a living stipend.

Whoa, just saw this part! International students are perfectly allowed to receive stipends on work in research labs or as TAs. This can really change the whole ballgame if the school is expecting you to be able to get an F-1 visa. If you get an I-20 form with your acceptance packet, it will mean that they are agreeing to sponsor you for a student visa.

Yes, but those international students typically have an SSN number with work authorization. That's a big difference.

which only comes after receiving the f1....so really, no difference. Only thing that can happen is ice says no dice to f1. Like i've said in the past, there is a history of dreamers adjusting to f1.

Kudos. Everything will work out. I wish you the best; reach for the stars.