1

I applied to Cornell's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences for PhD program. I have talked with PI before submitting the application. I have 3.9 GPA from Master , 2 publications and one paper as the lead author under review in a great journal and plenty of research experiences. I think PI really likes me but, he said he doesn't have funding right now. He still asked me to apply for it and is willing to seek out funding options for me. I may be a very strong candidate as the program fits me, my background and future goals like a glove plus competitive academic profile. LORs will be excellent also. I am scared that I will get rejected because PI cannot show the funding this year. He recently got hired so, he is very active academically and applying for funding actively as well. What is the likelihood that I will get rejected? Any advice on anything that I can do? 

Wakanda Forever
  • 11
  • 2
  • 3
    Does this answer your question? How does the admissions process work for Ph.D. programs in the US, particularly for weak or borderline students? (Although you're clearly not a weak student, this is the closest fit to your question. Everything else is too specific, depends on your individual circumstances and is therefore off-topic.) – henning Dec 20 '19 at 18:52
  • 1
    The answer to your question depends upon your specific advisor, the specific program, and your specific application and is thus off topic for the site. Also, the link from @henning--reinstateMonica will give you more information, although I do not think you're a weak student based upon your question details. – Richard Erickson Dec 20 '19 at 18:53
  • 1
    My brother was accepted to a history program without funding. But as stated above, this would depend on nation, university, department, professor, your own scores, etc. – JosephDoggie Dec 20 '19 at 19:20
  • @JosephDoggie FWIW, My understanding is that history students are often not funded, whereas many (most?) science programs will not accept students without also a funding offer. – Richard Erickson Dec 20 '19 at 20:01
  • Thank you very much for your replies. @henning--reinstateMonica, Richard Erickson and josephDoggie. The link shared is informative even though it is not directly related to my situation. – Wakanda Forever Dec 20 '19 at 21:03
  • @Richard Erickson: In my own EE program I was accepted (I think, if I remember correctly, it's been 32 + years!) w/o any guarantee of funding, and that was a 'science' program (or engineering as in Electrical Engineering). I did eventually get funding for most of the time. My brother (history) did get some limited funding for part of the time also. – JosephDoggie Jan 06 '20 at 20:33
  • 1
    @JosephDoggie every program is different, but engineering is STEM, but not science. Many engineering students, especially at the MS-level are "professional" programs" and are often paid for by the student or the student's employer. – Richard Erickson Jan 08 '20 at 14:21

1 Answers1

1

Actually, in the US it would be unlikely that your application would be rejected only for lack of funding. But you could well be accepted without funding if it comes to that and your background is strong enough.

In spite of it's association with Cornel, CALS is part of the New York State university system, so NYS rules apply to many things there.

But there may be other funding open to you than direct funding by the professor. You might be eligible for TA or RA employment. But you might also have to apply for that separately than for admission.

But work with the professor who will know all of your options.

Buffy
  • 363,966
  • 84
  • 956
  • 1,406
  • 1
    Thanks for your thoughts. It is encouraging. I am also an international student so, almost all of the government funding options are closed for me. Yes, I will be working the professors to seek out fundings. – Wakanda Forever Dec 20 '19 at 21:01
  • 1
    Wakanda suggests Africa. Cornell is in the not quite Arctic North. Beautiful place, though. – Buffy Dec 20 '19 at 21:14
  • 1
    @Buffy, Wakanda is a fictional country located in Sub-Saharan Africa, created by Marvel Comics. – Stephan Branczyk Dec 21 '19 at 00:26
  • 1
    @StephanBranczyk, yes, I certainly know that. But it is also a trade partner of the US according to official sources. (reported on news on Dec 19, 2019). ;-) https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-50849559 – Buffy Dec 21 '19 at 00:34
  • 1
    @Buffy, It's no longer a trade partner. Someone snitched on Wakanda and told the US government that it wasn't a real country. – Stephan Branczyk Dec 21 '19 at 00:48
  • haha.. thats not so relevant with topic but I like how you guys went off road. @Buffy i just like the movie. – Wakanda Forever Dec 21 '19 at 03:26