The BMS PhD Program anticipates annual stipend support of $23,000 for the 2008-2009 academic year. Full tuition support is also now provided for all full-time students in the first through fifth year. Students may apply for assistance to pay for travel, lodging, and registration fees for conferences. The full investment per student is considerable.

There are no forms to fill out for BMS PhD Program support. All successful applicants are considered. Awards are based on merit, and are renewed annually if satisfactory performance is attained.

Cost of living is reasonable in the Dayton area, according to students in the program. A sampling of comments:

"My family and friends were surprised when I told them I was a graduate student, but I was being paid."

"I was accepted at a school with a comparable program, but the stipend there doesn't cover nearly as much of the real costs as the one for the BMS Program."

"Year One [of the BMS PhD Program] is limited to student labs and courses. I completed my teaching requirement in Year Two, while doing my lab rotations. The work I'm doing now [under the supervision of my mentor] is the basis of my thesis. It's all experience that will help me when I'm looking for a job next year."

"Housing can eat up two thirds of a graduate student's budget" . . .
An article about grad school in a recent "education issue" of the online copy of US News cautions prospective students to be prepared. Although specific stipends and costs varied, it is clear that even with subsidized university housing, government welfare programs, long commutes, and shared housing, much of one's income disappears on basic costs. Childcare only adds to the burden. The bright note in the article? A shared (two-person) "deluxe two-bedroom [apartment] for a mere $325 a month" in DAYTON, Ohio. The cost in 2007 is still only approximately $350/month.
         "Can you afford the rent?" by Margaret Loftus, usnews.com, September 25, 2001