Desperately need some Peer advice.

[scheng75]

Well, here are a couple of possible scenarios:

1. Best is probably all tuition waived and fellowship that covers living expenses
2. Second best is probably all tuition waived and a TAship or RAship that covers living expenses (TAship during first year is very tough with courseload)
3. No funding promised at the time of your acceptance letter but as more people decline, you receive full funding.
4. 50% tuition waiver and TAship or RAship
5. 50% tuition waiver and no TAship or RAship
6. No tuition waived, TAship or RAship
7. No funding at all

But even if you don't get any funding promises, you have the chance of getting funding the next year if you are at the top of your class. In this case, you should contact the 2nd-4th year students in that program to see how likely it is to get funding after the first year.

Some grad students will tell you that all funding goes to attract the 1st year students to join the program and it's nearly impossible to get funding after the 1st year, and others will tell you that they cut a lot of people in the first year, so if you survive the first year then you are likely to receive funding.

One program I got into initially did not offer me any funding but on the day of the deadline to accept, offered me full tuition waiver and TAship. But even before the deadline, they gave me names of professors in other departments (Statistics and Math) to contact who might possibly need a TA or RA.