Financial Support
Stipend:
Compensation for 2025-26 is $39,000 plus a relocation bonus of $2,000 to be used for costs associated with relocating to Nashville.
| City | Amount needed to match $39,000 in Nashville |
| Atlanta, GA | $42,235 |
| Baltimore, MD | $46,800 |
| Chapel Hill, NC | $39,295 |
| New Haven, CT | $43,151 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $44,457 |
| Madison, WI | $40,226 |
| Ann Arbor, MI | $41,231 |
| Charlottesville, VA | $41,289 |
Award Package:
Your award package also covers 100% of University tuition, all student fees, and health coverage, dental, and a yearly eye exam.
We also have a Candidacy Student Success Supplement, which provides $500 to all doctoral students who achieve candidacy upon passing their qualifying exam.
Other work:
Graduate students in the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program receiving Vanderbilt University financial support or services must devote full-time effort to graduate study. Students cannot accept jobs for pay within or outside the University unless prior approval is given by their advisor, their Director of Graduate Studies, and the Dean for the Office of Biomedical Research Education and Training. Exceptions to this rule include part-time internships and activities that contribute to career development and that do not exceed the time commitment outlined by the National Institutes of Health, service as course associates at Vanderbilt, and occasional and temporary part-time pursuits (e.g. house sitting). Engagement in outside employment without obtaining approval may result in loss of financial aid, including stipend.