Any STEM DACA PhD Students? - Page 3

Originally Posted by tays123

I got a PhD in a stem field last year... I have published journal articles and etc. It is still really hard to find work because of no relevant work experience. However, I can at least can say that I did "something" with my life while waiting for the DREAM ACT to pass. I am exploring options to move somewhere else at this point. I got my DACA renewed for 2 more years this past October, so I am good until October 2018. I am also confident that even if they rescind DACA, they will not go out of their way to take back our EADs. However, I just cannot live with this worry about what is going to happen next. I am over 30, so I want my life to be stable. My immigration status has really messed me up mentally over the years.

To answer your question, funding is tricky. I was working two jobs while doing my PhD. I was able to get instate tuition and the department was able to cover my tuition several semester over the six years that I attended. However, I fully supported myself by doing irrelevant jobs. Only during my last year I was able to get some funding through the university, which was basically minimal. So it is tricky. Good luck.

Originally Posted by Battitude2

I'm a STEM PhD student. It is possible to obtain funding without a work permit. It's really hard, but not impossible. I was admitted into my program before DACA existed. I don't mean before I applied for DACA; I mean before the DACA program existed. Before applying to grad school, I contacted various private universities to inquire if there was a way they could fund me. I only applied to the ones that gave me positive answers. I applied at the time as an international student. Because I had no EAD, the school put me on a 5yr fellowship. I was fully funded and happy. The key is to apply to private, rich school that can afford massive fellowships. Also, it helps to apply to the top schools in your field. The better the school the more they believe in investing in you. Because it's hard to get into top schools, they figure that if you got in you are worth funding. Also, the best schools tend to be richer. Bottom line: it's possible to get funding without an EAD.