U of A grad students raise concerns over 'alarming' effects of financial strain

Student advocates at the University of Alberta say the results of a new graduate student survey show concerning levels of financial stress.

The U of A Graduate Students' Association ran an online survey in August, gathering 640 responses about finances and the cost of living. The results are almost equally split between masters and PhD students, according to self-reported responses.

The association's report, released this week, highlights student struggles with the rising cost of housing, food and tuition. It describes difficult decisions students reported making in response to tuition increases, like taking part-time work that meant they delayed graduation, or facing extra challenges finding affordable housing.

President Bishoi Aziz said he's especially worried to see 40 per cent of the respondents say they've thought about dropping out of their program to work or save money because of the cost of living.

"This is quite alarming," he said.

In a different survey of grad students across Canada in 2021, 30 per cent of respondents said that they'd considered leaving their studies over financial struggles.

Many graduate students rely on a stipend during their program — a grant they receive while working full-time on research.

It varies depending on program and post-secondary institution, but base funding can range from about $17,000 to $30,000, with higher guaranteed funding for PhD students in some cases.

Zak Kaal is just a few months away from finishing a master's degree in bioresource technology at the University of Alberta.

He said while he hasn't ever personally considered leaving before graduation, he's seen others decide they couldn't afford to finish their degree.

Kaal gets an annual stipend of $25,000, and at the beginning of his studies, it was just manageable to get by. He said the relentless pressure of inflation has changed that.

"You're at the lab 40, 50 hours a week, so that leaves no time, really, for you to have a second source of income. Your main source of income is from grad school, which is rarely enough to cover tuition, rent, utilities, food," said Kaal.

Kaal said he considered continuing on to a PhD program, but committing to another five years of school and research under the current financial pressures is a big deterrent.

"Not knowing just how high grocery prices are going to get, rent is going to get, utilities are going to get — I don't want to be taking that risk right now."