Financial Assistance for Entering Graduate Students

General

The University of California , San Diego offers several kinds of financial assistance to entering graduate students. Master of Advanced Studies (MAS) students are not eligible for these placements.

If you wish to apply for financial assistance, complete the appropriate section of the online Application for Graduate Admissions. Students who receive fellowships, traineeships, scholarships or assistantships greater than 25 percent time must register for and complete full programs of study and research, twelve units minimum, each quarter, leading to advanced degrees, and must remain in good academic standing as defined by the Graduate Council and printed in the General Catalog. Students on twelve-month appointments are expected to pursue full programs of study and research during the summer months.

Regents Fellowships

First-year Regents Fellowships are available to outstanding entering graduate students . They provide for a stipend, and for the payment of required registration fees and/or nonresident tuition. Regents Fellowships may be supplemented by research or teaching assistantships.

San Diego Fellowship Diversity Programs

This program is restricted to U.S. citizens and permanent residents.

Applicants who believe that their presence on the campus or in the department would enhance diversity are eligible to apply. Applicants who have successfully overcome a significant challenge in the pursuit of their education are also eligible to apply. Applicants from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds are encouraged to apply. However, all qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, gender, color, or national origin.

Persons interested in applying for this program should complete the San Diego Fellowship application as a part of the online Graduate Admissions application. For some departments/programs you may choose not to use the online application. In this case you may download the San Diego Fellowship Application form. If you do not complete the San Diego Fellowship application with the Online Application, mail it directly to the department. San Diego Fellowship information and guidelines are available at ogs.ucsd.edu/fellowships/sd_fellowship .

National Science Foundation (NSF), Integrative Graduate Education, and Research Training (IGERT) Fellowships

IGERT activities including fellowships, associateships, courses, workshops, internships and seminars are open to any UCSD graduate student whose academic interests overlap with the IGERT program.

IGERT Vision and Learning in Humans and Machines, Fellowship
This premier graduate traineeship program is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation for the purpose of educating and training Ph.D. students in engineering and the sciences with a strong interdisciplinary background. Our program in particular specifically focuses on the areas of human vision, computer vision, human learning, and machine learning.
IGERT Marine Biodiversity: Understanding Threats & Providing Solutions, Fellowship
To confront the complex biological and societal challenges facing the health of the world's oceans, the Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation (CMBC) was established at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) in May 2001. Marine Biodiversity: Understanding Threats & Providing Solutions is a new type of graduate program designed by CMBC to train the next generation of scholars conversant in the biological, social, economic and political issues of marine conservation and equipped with technical competence in informatics and communication skills. The program is funded through the National Science Foundation's competitive Integrative Graduate Education and Training (IGERT) program and administered by CMBC in partnership with the Department of Economics, the Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies, the San Diego Supercomputer Center, and Southwest Fisheries Science Center, NOAA-Fisheries.
IGERT Plant Systems Biology, Fellowship
This entirely new interdisciplinary training program funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation will train students with different backgrounds at the interface of systems modeling, computational genomics and plant sciences and will position our Ph.D. students at the frontier of systems biology. The program will include focused mentoring of each student in two labs by two advisors from distinct disciplines. An entirely new focused graduate curriculum, made possible through new faculty recruitments, will be offered. Our proposed Professionals Preparation Program will further enable students to expertly prepare for emerging industry and academic career requirements through courses and practical experience in professional speaking, ethics, biotechnology business issues and academic career preparation. A biotechnology industry internship will be made available and will draw upon the dynamic biotechnology arena in San Diego. The opportunity to pursue research abroad at top-ranking partner institutions and a Science Policy Internship will also be offered. In summary, this comprehensive PSB training program will provide an unmet need to train graduate students at the interface of systems modeling and plant biology. This program will ultimately have far-reaching impacts by producing highly trained students who will be poised to take advantage of new career
To obtain information on applying for the program see:
http://biology.ucsd.edu/psbigert

or contact the Program Directors:
Dr. Julian Schroeder:  jischroeder@ucsd.edu
Dr. Steve Briggs:        sbriggs@ucsd.edu

Fee Scholarships

Fee scholarships pay required registration fees but do not include payment of nonresident tuition. These scholarships may be awarded to entering and continuing students with a minimum GPA of 3.0 or better.

Tuition Scholarships

A limited number of nonresident tuition scholarships are available to distinguished scholars. These awards pay the nonresident tuition, but do not provide for registration fees, which are required of all students regardless of their residency status.

Traineeships

Traineeships are awarded by the Departments of Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Biological Sciences, Biomedical Sciences, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Neurosciences, Psychology, and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. They provide for stipends and for payment of required nonresident tuition and/or registration fees.

Special Scholarship Funds

A number of special fee scholarships in varying amounts are available to students with the following qualifications:

1. Students whose parent is or was a regular member of either the U.S. Navy or the Marine Corps.
2. Students who are direct descendants of a U.S. World War I Veteran.
3. Students who are needy and Jewish. Preference given to students in engineering, and specifically aeronautical engineering.

If you qualify for one or more of these awards, please so indicate in the space provided in the Application for Graduate Admission.

Teaching Assistants and Graduate Student Researchers

Graduate students may be appointed during the academic year for a maximum of 50 percent time (twenty hours per week) as teaching assistants or graduate student researchers. These appointments are awarded primarily by the student's major department. Teaching assistantships are also awarded by the Department of Linguistics to speakers of French, German, Italian, or Spanish to conduct conversational sections in the undergraduate language teaching program. Teaching assistants appointed 25 percent time or more for the quarter receive payment of the graduate student health insurance premium and partial fee remission but not payment of nonresident tuition.

Additional fee supplements and/or tuition scholarships may be provided by the student's major department. Entering graduate students who are appointed as graduate student researchers are eligible for payment of tuition and/or fees if they have a minimum 25 percent appointment (or the dollar equivalent) for the entire quarter for which fees are paid, and have an appointment effective with the first week of instruction in the quarter for which tuition and fees are paid.

All graduate students who are U.S. citizens and appointed as teaching assistants or graduate student researchers or are employed by the university in other positions are required by the California Constitution to sign the State Oath of Allegiance. In addition, all graduate student appointees and employees are required by university policy to sign the university's Patent Agreement. Copies of both documents may be obtained from the student's academic department.

Graduate students appointed as teaching assistants and other instructional titles are members of a collective bargaining unit and as such are subject to payment of an agency fee to their exclusive bargaining agent.

Non-Academic Employment

Students interested in non-academic positions on campus or those interested in off-campus employment should contact the Job Opportunities Program at the UCSD Career Services Center , career.ucsd.edu .

Financial Aid: Need-Based Grants, Work-Study, Loans (Federal and Subsidized Stafford) and Non-Need-Based Loans (Federal Unsubsidized Stafford )

All U.S. and permanent resident students are encouraged to apply for financial aid. To apply file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by March 1. UCSD does not require any financial aid application that requires a fee.

The FAFSA can be filed on-line at www.fafsa.ed.gov , or obtained from most high schools, colleges, and universities. You may be requested to provide additional information verifying income, social security number, Selective Service status, citizenship, etc. The March 1, FAFSA filing deadline and other deadlines that may apply to you must be met to receive full consideration for UCSD awards. Applications received after the deadlines will only be considered for Federal Stafford loans.

When completing the FAFSA, fill in all student sections. You should indicate that you will be a graduate student in the section "Student Status." Also, when completing the Information Release Section, write University of California , San Diego , 9500 Gilman Dr. , La Jolla , CA . Under "Title IV" code, write 001317.

You will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) from the FAFSA processor approximately four weeks after submitting your FAFSA. Make sure "UCSD, La Jolla , CA " has been listed in the College Release Section and follow instructions given.

California State Cal Grant T (for students enrolled in Teaching Credential Programs) is awarded by the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC). Eligibility is restricted to students who have been accepted into the Credential Program. Pre-TEP students are not eligible. Those wishing to apply need to contact the UCSD Teacher Education Program, (858) 534-1680. For filing requirements, deadlines, and further instructions, please contact the California Student Aid Commission at (916) 526-7590, or e-mail atcustsvcs@csac.ca.gov .

A Graduate Financial Aid Information Guide and other application enclosures will be available from the Graduate Student Financial Services Office, (858) 534-3807, located in Building 201, University Center or http://fao.ucsd.edu/

Veterans' Benefits

Students who collect benefits under the GI Bill or whose fees are paid or waived because they are disabled veterans or dependents of disabled veterans should contact the Office of Student Financial Services, Veterans Affairs Section, Building 201 University Center, Mail Code 0013, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0013, or call (858) 534-4480.

Fellowships from Outside the University

All prospective students are encouraged to apply for any fellowships for which they qualify. A list of some major fellowships is available at ogs.ucsd.edu/fellowships/ .

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