Haha. As a former grad student, let me tell you: 1. you're almost always eligible for subsidized power/water because your pay is that low (24k when I went) 2. some of these programs admit 10 ppl a year and no more. What you're getting paid isn't the first cut. Getting in is the first cut.

Working with the right professor to shape your research agenda and future as a result, is the second cut.