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Dean McClain's response to our editorial on the hidden costs of graduate school at Duke represents a productive start to a dialogue that’s long overdue. We appreciate this first step and hope that our own response will help us move toward a shared goal of eliminating unmanageable debt for Duke doctoral students.
Matthew, a sixth-year Ph.D. candidate at Duke, has to cobble together odd jobs in order to pay the bills. As an international student, he is prohibited from working outside the university, but he is also restricted—per Graduate School policy—to 20 hours a week within it. He received a contract to teach two courses during the 2015-2016 academic year, with pay totaling $12,000, and he has been fortunate enough to find a TA position in his department, a part-time internship and occasional tutoring opportunities. With so many scattered responsibilities, it is no wonder that Matthew has found it impossible to focus on finishing his dissertation. What may surprise readers, however, is that a large portion of his financial burden comes from Duke itself, in the form of a $6,580 continuation fee.
