From Zero Funding to Graduating Student Loan Debt-Free

Personal Finance for PhDs

In this episode, Emily interviews Dr. José Riera, who recently finished his PhD in education from Washington State University. José's offer of admission to WSU did not include any funding, so he initially accepted some student loans and expected to accumulate a hundred thousand dollars of debt before graduation. However, through his incredible resourcefulness, José secured multiple types of funding throughout his three-year degree that paid his education and living expenses and allowed him to repay the student loans he initially took out. Jose teaches us the tactics that he used to land two assistantships, an adjunct teaching position, and 18 scholarships. Don't miss José's incredibly inspiring story of overcoming these and other obstacles!