About Us
Two grad students on a mission to help fellow students travel the world in style
Our Story
We started The Rich Grad Student after a simple realization: graduate students are uniquely positioned to win at points and miles.
We felt the problem first. You want to visit family. You want a real break after a brutal quarter. You open flight prices, stare at the numbers, and close the tab. Not because you don't deserve the trip, but because it feels irresponsible on a stipend.
Then we noticed something most people miss. Grad students live on tight budgets, but we also travel more than our bank accounts suggest—for conferences, field work, and research. Many of us manage reimbursable university spending for events, labs, and student groups. And we're trained to think like analysts: we love systems, data, and puzzles. That combination is rare.
So we treated travel like a research problem. We learned the rules, ran the numbers, and built a repeatable strategy.
What started as a way to afford our own travels quickly turned into a passion for helping others. We've flown business class to Europe for the price of a Starbucks coffee, stayed in luxury hotels for free, and turned our grad student stipends into upgraded travel experiences.
Our Mission
Our mission is simple: democratize luxury travel for graduate students. We believe that just because you're living on a grad student budget doesn't mean you should miss out on incredible travel experiences.
Through The Rich Grad Student, we share everything we've learned about maximizing credit card points, finding the best redemptions, and traveling smart. We cut through the jargon and complexity to give you straightforward, actionable recommendations.
We are committed to keeping this site uncluttered and user-first. While we may earn a commission if you use our links, we never let that influence our recommendations. Your success is our success.
Meet the Team
Karan Jakhar
Business and Personal Credit Card Strategist
PhD student at Rice University. Karan specializes in maximizing business card benefits and has mastered the art of churning without impacting credit scores. When not researching, he's planning his next points-funded adventure.
Giorgio Sarro
Personal Credit Card Strategist, Hotel/Airfare Redemption Strategist
PhD student at UChicago. Giorgio is obsessed with finding the highest-value redemptions and has a knack for booking luxury hotels and flights for pennies on the dollar. He's your go-to for award travel strategies.
What We Stand For
Transparency
No hidden agendas, no biased recommendations. We tell it like it is.
Community
We're grad students helping grad students. We understand your unique challenges.
Education
We don't just tell you what to do—we teach you how to think about points and travel.
Ready to Join the Community?
Start your journey to upgraded travel on a grad student budget
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