[reachtarunhere]

As a former student I would like to emphasize that it is not about the money. I would have worked on the same project in the summer even if I was not getting paid. There can be various reasons why students won't return or become permanent contributors. For example in my case being a double major in very distant disciplines I do not have the time to contribute when school is on. Then summer I will be working on my thesis at another university which again would leave me little time to make any significant contributions. I am still trying my best to help new people by reviewing requests and making small changes that don't take too much of my time. I plan (hopefully) to get back to contributing on weekends once I am done with school.

For a few friends I have found internships being another reason why they did not go back to their orgs. 5k$ seems like a big amount but it really isn't (even in India!)

Finally, one last reason I can think of is terrible mentors. I have been really lucky to have amazing mentors but I have heard a few horror stories from others.

[tcrews]

Having been on the receiving side of GSoC students, I'd say 90% of them come from poor countries and are looking for the money. I've seen some that weren't students at all and seemed to be working for "consulting" companies already.

[reachtarunhere]

Can't really comment on this as I know no such people. The "consulting" companies part is hard to believe given the rules for GSoC. The new payment adjustment taking into account PPP is a welcome move in this regard even though I don't agree on the numbers they have decided.

[stsp]

> I would have worked on the same project in the summer even if I was not getting paid

Yes, this is exactly what GSoC can be good for. Ideally, it allows people like you to spend time doing what they love doing instead of working for crappy startups.

The good (and fun!) experiences I had as a mentor all shared this element.