IU Bloomington raises minimum stipends for grad students
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Indiana University Bloomington announced Thursday that it will raise the minimum stipend pay for graduate students who hold part-time teaching or research appointments to $24,000 beginning July 1.
The amount represents a 60% increase from the $15,000 minimum annual stipend paid in 2021, the university said. In 2022 IU increased the minimum to $22,000.
“We value the important contributions of our graduate students who teach or conduct research while pursuing their degrees,” IU Bloomington Provost and Executive Vice President Rahul Shrivastav said in a news release. “This increase ensures we remain highly competitive with our peers for minimum stipends, which is crucial for recruiting the best students to IU’s flagship campus.”
The amount keeps IU Bloomington in the upper half of Big Ten schools, the university said.
Student academic appointees work 20 hours per week for 10 months of the year and receive benefits including health and dental insurance in addition to the annual stipend. Many students earn above the minimum and also receive additional support, such as grants, fellowships or tuition waivers, IU said.
The stipend increase is one of several actions taken by IU Bloomington over the past two years following the recommendations of its Task Force on Graduate Education. Other initiatives included covering mandatory graduate student fees, creating a graduate ombudsperson position to address graduate student challenges and grievances, and hiring a director of graduate career coaching, IU said.
Graduate worker discontent over stipend amounts in recent years has fueled public marches, petitions and graduate worker strikes. Graduate workers organized a strike in the spring of 2022, according to the Indiana Graduate Workers Coalition, after years of stagnant wages.
A subsequent strike occurred last spring. Graduate students told WRTV they wanted an annual stipend of $27,973 because of inflation.