Financial Support
Annual Stipend
The Division of Biological Sciences supports all PhD students with an annual stipend. The stipend is funded by federal and state grants and private sources.
The stipend is provided in the form of research and teaching assistantships, fellowships, and NIH training grant appointments. Because foreign students are not eligible for support from federal training grant funds, resources to support foreign students are limited.
The program pays the following stipends and fees:
| 2012/2013 Student Support Summary | |
|---|---|
| Stipend: | $29,500 (non‐EBE students) |
| Stipend: | $25,000 (EBE students) |
| Resident fees: | $ 14,380.50 |
| Non‐resident fees: | $ 14,380.50 |
| Non‐resident tuition: | $ 15,102 |
Residency
The Program will pay only 1 year of non‐resident tuition for US citizens who are non‐California residents. It is the responsibility of the non‐resident student to become an official resident of the State of California by the end of their first year in order to be exempt from out‐of‐state tuition in subsequent years.
The Program will pay the non‐resident tuition for international students until they advance to candidacy when tuition no longer applies. (For more details see Establishment of California Residency in the Policy section.)
Fellowships
Students are expected to apply for extramural predoctoral fellowships such as those offered by the National Science Foundation, Ford Foundation, etc., in addition to those administered by the University.
If your efforts are successful and you receive funding outside of UCSD in the form of a fellowship (e.g., AHA, NIH, Merck, Ford Foundation, home country) that provides stipend and/or fee support, you may be eligible for a bonus of up to $2,000 above your standard Biology graduate stipend.
The bonus would be awarded during each year you receive the outside funding.
Grant Writing Resources
UCSD’s Office of Contract and Grants Administration (OCGA) offers tools to both faculty and graduate students to help in the grant writing process.
Professional Travel Opportunities
The Division of Biological Sciences encourages students to travel to scientific meetings and considers such meetings an important educational experience. However, travel can be supported only when adequate funding is available.
In general, the Division’s travel policy is as follows:
- Second‐year students receive $300, or $500 if they are presenting
- Third‐year students and beyond are eligible for travel support of $500
- Any above amount that exceeds the maximum allowance is the student’s and/or their advisor’s responsibility. The annual allowance does not carry forward to the next academic year (July 1–June 30). In addition, the next year’s allowance cannot be used to pay current year expenses. For details review the Fiscal Policies Section.
