Grad students are the backbone of academic research, yet they’re often paid less than minimum wage, lack basic job protections, and face disproportionate rates of financial insecurity and mental health challenges.
- One in eight graduate students in the US experience food insecurity, and many more struggle to make ends meet
(National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, 2020) - Many PhD stipends fall well below a living wage in most cities, sometimes by more than $10,000
(Sainato, 2022, The Guardian) - Academic job prospects have declined dramatically, with less than 17% of new science PhDs finding tenure-track positions within 3 years
(Larson et al., 2013, Syst Res Behav Sci)
Despite their advanced training, most students are discouraged from taking on outside work making it nearly impossible to build financial stability or gain skills beyond academia.
Workin’ Grad is a response to that reality.
Check out these resources for more information:
Sources on grad student financial insecurity
- National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, 2020
- US graduate students protest against low pay while universities profit from their work, Sainato, 2022, The Guardian
- Too poor to science: How wealth determines who succeeds in STEM, McClain, 2025, PLOS Biology
Sources on post-graduation employment:
- Survey of Earned Doctorates, NSF
- Too Many PhD Graduates or Too Few Academic Job Openings: The Basic Reproductive Number R0 in Academia, Larson et al., 2013, Syst Res Behav Sci.
- Women in STEM struggling to find jobs after PhDs, 1 turns to social media to make ends meet, Lau, 2025, CTV
Why hire a Workin’ Grad?
Our solution doesn’t just benefit grad students, businesses stand to benefit greatly from this model as well. Grad students aren’t just learners, they are highly skilled researchers, analysts, problem-solvers, and communicators. They’re trained to tackle complex questions, adapt quickly, and synthesize large amounts of information into actionable insights. Yet these skills often go untapped outside of academia.
By working with grad students, your business can:
- Access elite expertise without the overhead – Grad students bring specialized training (often at the master’s or PhD level) in everything from data science to policy analysis, without the cost of a full-time hire.
- Get fresh, innovative perspectives – Their work thrives on creative problem-solving, cross-disciplinary thinking, and evidence-based decision-making.
- Scale flexibly – Whether you need a one-off analysis, help with a specialized project, or short-term consulting, you can match talent to your needs.
- Strengthen recruitment pipelines – Around one in four interns transition into permanent roles, and more than 70% of those stay with the company for at least a year.
Workin' Grad 