Thanks to all of you for your input on the stipend ranking. I’ve updated the list to include the average rental pricing for a 1BR in the city as well as a link to a more comprehensive cost of living website for each city. My intention is to give you a quick glance at how viable a stipend may be. And so I’ve also changed the ranking to better reflect how far the money goes. However, right below the updated version, you’ll find the list ordered from greatest to least stipend just in case you’d like to see it.
How the ranking works: The yearly cost of the apartment rental is deducted from the total annual stipend amount. In the case where there are differences in stipend amounts due to the degree held or work type assigned, the lower amount is used, and in the case where stipends differ between the first and second years, the first year stipend is used. But you’re welcome to calculate this better with more realistic numbers as they apply to you.
The last column in the stipend titled “Leftover Stipend” shows you how much you’d have after paying rent for the year. You might use this to help calculate how much more income you’d need or savings you’d use while in the program. In a perfect world, you’d be able to rely on the stipend completely…
A note on housing: It’s possible that the rental portion of your cost of living may be drastically lower if you rent a studio, share a place with a roommate, or choose to live outside the city center in a surrounding neighborhood. In the links, the 1BR rentals just outside the city center decrease by $50-450 per month. And it’s also possible that your cost of living will be higher if you need a larger space and/or are relocating a partner or child.
As a last word, if you find this stipend list or any part of the blog helpful, donate today and keep it running! It’s run on good will and love.
Updated ranking
| Program | Stipend | City (click to see detailed cost of living) | Average 1BR rental in the city center | Leftover Stipend |
| Johns Hopkins University | $30,000 | Baltimore, MD | $1,313 | $14,244 |
| WUSTL | $22,220 | Saint Louis, MO | $912 | $11,276 |
| Cornell | $25,000 (Data from 2013) | Ithaca, NY | $1,258 | $9,904 |
| Purdue | $17,000 | West Lafayette, IN | $630 | $9,440 |
| UT Austin | $27,500 | Austin, TX | $1,517 | $9,296 |
| U of WI | $22,000 | Madison, WI | $1,073 | $9,124 |
| U of OR | $18,000 | Eugene, OR | $812 | $8,256 |
| UVA | $20,000 | Charlottesville, VA | $1,036 | $7,568 |
| Vanderbilt | $24,000 | Nashville, TN | $1,391 | $7,308 |
| LSU | $17,500 | Baton Rouge, LA | $877 | $6,976 |
| Univ of WY | $14078 / $12078 (Funding dependent on teaching or research position and work load) | Laramie, WY | $600 | $6,878 |
| IU | $15,750 | Bloomington, IN | $751 | $6,738 |
| U of AZ | $14,808 | Tucson, AZ | $674 | $6,720 |
| U of MI | $22,000 / $18,600 (Second year carries lower stipend) | Ann Arbor | $1,292 | $6,496 |
| U of FL | $15,800 | Gainesville, FL | $788 | $6,344 |
| UNM | $14,792 (Data from 2014) | Albuquerque, NM | $753 | $5,756 |
| Syracuse | $14,535-19,916 (Funding dependent on teaching or research position and work load) | Syracuse, NY | $768 | $5,319 |
| Notre Dame | $12,500 | Notre Dame, IN | $633 | $4,904 |
| U of AL | $13,500 | Tuscaloosa, AL | $728 | $4,764 |
| VA Tech | $16,000 | Blacksburg, VA | $950 | $4,600 |
| U of AR | $11,400 or $12,000 (Higher stipend given to candidates with MA) | Fayetteville, AR | $600 | $4,200 |
| ASU | $15,000 | Tempe, AZ | $904 | $4,152 |
| UI at Urbana-Champaign | $13,086 / $21,493 (Second year carries higher stipend) | Champaign, IL | $767 | $3,882 |
| OSU | $16,000 or $21,800 (Teaching fellows receive larger stipdend) | Columbus, OH | $1,013 | $3,844 |
| Bowling Green | $10,500 | Bowling Green, OH | $588 | $3,444 |
| U of MN | $17,500 | Minneapolis, MN | $1,303 | $1,864 |
| U of MS | $11,500 | Oxford, MS | $813 | $1,744 |
| Boise State | $10,450 | Boise, ID | $820 | $610 |
| Oregon State | $10,555 | Corvallis, OR | $850 | $355 |
| U of Houston | $15,000 | Houston, TX | $1,291 | -$492 |
| U of IA | $9,262-18,816 (Funding dependent on teaching or research position and work load) | Iowa City, IA | $870 | -$1,178 |
| UCI | $20,050 | Irvine, CA | $1,829 | -$1,898 |
| Brown | $11,850 / $23,700 (Additional $2K available for students in good standing for summer funding between first and second year) | Providence, RI | $1,253 | -$3,186 |
| U of Miami | $15,965 | Miami, FL | $1,787 | -$5,479 |
| U of WA | $15,000 | Seattle, WA | $1,806 | -$6,672 |
| Boston U | $12,800 | Boston, MA | $2,423 | -$16,276 |
Ranking from largest amount to smallest
| Program | Stipend |
| Johns Hopkins University | $30,000 |
| WUSTL | $22,220 |
| Cornell | $25,000 (Data from 2013) |
| Purdue | $17,000 |
| UT Austin | $27,500 |
| U of WI | $22,000 |
| U of OR | $18,000 |
| UVA | $20,000 |
| Vanderbilt | $24,000 |
| LSU | $17,500 |
| Univ of WY | $14078 / $12078 (Funding dependent on teaching or research position and work load) |
| IU | $15,750 |
| U of AZ | $14,808 |
| U of MI | $22,000 / $18,600 (Second year carries lower stipend) |
| U of FL | $15,800 |
| UNM | $14,792 (Data from 2014) |
| Syracuse | $14,535-19,916 (Funding dependent on teaching or research position and work load) |
| Notre Dame | $12,500 |
| U of AL | $13,500 |
| VA Tech | $16,000 |
| U of AR | $11,400 or $12,000 (Higher stipend given to candidates with MA) |
| ASU | $15,000 |
| UI at Urbana-Champaign | $13,086 / $21,493 (Second year carries higher stipend) |
| OSU | $16,000 or $21,800 (Teaching fellows receive larger stipdend) |
| Bowling Green | $10,500 |
| U of MN | $17,500 |
| U of MS | $11,500 |
| Boise State | $10,450 |
| Oregon State | $10,555 |
| U of Houston | $15,000 |
| U of IA | $9,262-18,816 (Funding dependent on teaching or research position and work load) |
| UCI | $20,050 |
| Brown | $11,850 / $23,700 (Additional $2K available for students in good standing for summer funding between first and second year) |
| U of Miami | $15,965 |
| U of WA | $15,000 |
| Boston U | $12,800 |
(Art by Hope Gangloff)
Affording the MFA 
Reblogged this on Toward the within….
I would have never expected someone to be this gracious to make a list like this. I love you for that. I was about to make my own, but then I found this… u da bestest. ❤
❤