Living Well in Texas
Student stipend
Stipend is currently set at $25,000 per year. In addition, students receive a ~$5,000 benefits package which includes medical, dental and vision health insurance plans.
Cost of living
A major advantage of the Galveston-Houston area is that it has one of the lowest costs of living of any metropolitan area in the country (costs of living calculator). For instance, it costs about twice as much to live in San Francisco relative to Galveston, and it costs about 40% more to live in Boston relative to Galveston. Thus, your graduate student stipend goes a lot further in Galveston-Houston. In addition, housing costs in Galveston are among the lowest in the nation - more information on housing is available here.
Tuition costs
Starting in Fall term of 2008, all tuition and fees costs will be covered by the student’s mentor.
Taxes
Texas has NO STATE INCOME TAX, so students enjoy a large financial benefit from living here. However, there is no escaping Federal income tax, which all students are required to pay based on their annual income.
