Comment Re: Social mobility was killed, but not this way (Score 1) 1032
I'd go as far to say, of you have to pay for a phd, the school assumes your output as a student isn't going to be worth having you around, and you will be a burden.
Many schools have money for promising phd students, because they benefit from reputation of good students, and in more STEM type things, actual research done.
Granted, I only know a few people that got phd's over the last decade, but the ones that went to good schools all were paid 20-40k/year to go. They had to teach a couple classes for the money too
Also, in response to some comments I read above. A phd is not about getting an education, it is about creating knowledge.
A master's is about mastery, but phd is about extending the thinking in a field (IMO).