Bloomington Leader

Indiana University Bloomington is set to increase the minimum stipend for graduate students with part-time teaching or research roles to $24,000 starting July 1. This move aligns with efforts by IU Bloomington leadership over the past two years to support student academic appointees.

Provost and Executive Vice President Rahul Shrivastav emphasized the importance of this change, stating, “We value the important contributions of our graduate students who teach or conduct research while pursuing their degrees. 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.”

Student academic appointees at IU work 20 hours per week for ten months annually and receive benefits such as health and dental insurance. Many earn above the minimum stipend and may also access departmental grants, fellowships, or tuition waivers. Since 2021, there has been a 60% increase in the minimum stipend.

In 2022, IU President Pamela Whitten and Shrivastav implemented recommendations from the Task Force on Graduate Education. One action was assigning David Daleke, dean of the IU Bloomington Graduate School, to benchmark average stipends by discipline against other Big Ten universities. A report on this will be presented to the Bloomington Faculty Council later this spring.

The university has also introduced new resources for all graduate students. In response to task force recommendations, Carissa Ciampaglia was appointed as a graduate ombudsperson to assist with resource navigation and address student challenges.

Additionally, Brandi Smith was hired as director of graduate career coaching in September 2023. She provides career support through one-to-one appointments, cohort group coaching, workshops for master’s and Ph.D. students exploring career paths, and collaborates with campus partners on tailored workshops. Smith co-chairs a committee focused on career services within the IU Bloomington Career Services Council.