>As others have pointed out, they don't even pay the PhD students directly at all - because they're students and are paying the university! Most PhD students i

>As others have pointed out, they don't even pay the PhD students directly at all - because they're students and are paying the university! Most PhD students in Computer Science are not paying the University, the University is paying the students. The pay is low but the opportunities for growth are high if you work with good people at the right time. Think of it like a startup where instead of paying workers in equity they are paid in terms of professional development. Like a startup, this form of compensation is sometimes not always worth anything, but can also be worth far more than a salary. It is a high risk venture and should be assessed as such.