Graduate students receiving stipends from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln will receive a minimum academic-year stipend of $14,000 for .49 FTE beginning in the 2023-24 academic year. While graduate student stipends have experienced incremental annual increases, the new minimum represents a 28% increase from $10,930, which has been the minimum since the 2022-2023 academic year.
The minimum increase is the result of an effort led by Executive Vice Chancellor Katherine Ankerson in collaboration with the Office of Graduate Studies and academic college deans.
"Graduate assistants are an important part of our teaching and research community," said Ankerson. "This minimum increase aligns with our N2025 priority to recruit, develop, and compensate a competitive and highly competent community of graduate students."
The Office of Graduate Studies sets the minimum stipend, but departments and colleges determine how much their graduate students are paid. Currently, the majority of graduate students are paid above the minimum, with the average UNL graduate student stipend at $19,410. However, about 8% of graduate students will see a raise in the coming year from this effort.
In addition to a stipend, those graduate students who are in positions above the minimum required stipend receive a waiver for full-time tuition, as well as 79% of their health insurance premium. The increased minimum stipend contributes to an increase in overall academic-year compensation for 12 credit hours each semester to $25,046 for residents and $40,766 for non-residents. This increase in total compensation will better meet the needs of current students and help the university remain competitive in attracting prospective students.
"Increasing the graduate stipend minimum to be more in line with minimums offered by our peers represents the spirit of every person and every interaction matters at UNL," said Debra Hope, associate vice chancellor and dean of graduate education. "We appreciate the forthright feedback and student perspectives on stipends that Graduate Student Assembly representatives shared with leadership."