Funding and Financial Support for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Scholars
UC Davis provides a variety of sources of financial assistance to help students meet educational and living expenses. Whether you are a prospective student, a current graduate student, or a postdoctoral scholar, we want to make sure you know about the forms of funding available to you.
The nature of funding varies widely, ranging from large competitive fellowships that pay tuition and stipends, to targeted grants that assist with foreign language study, dissertation research, and conference travel, to emergency grants and awards designed to help students manage student loan debt.
Types of Funding
Academic Appointments
The most common form of graduate support, teaching and research assistantships, include a salary and tuition & fee remission (including student health insurance). Recipients are assigned to a faculty adviser who supervises the experience. Graduate assistants support undergraduate instruction or undertake research projects. Appointments are available only to graduate students who are registered for courses and enrolled in degree programs. Students whose first language is not English will be required to demonstrate a sufficient level of English language proficiency in order to receive a teaching assistantship.
Fellowships
Fellowships are highly prestigious financial support packages that typically include a stipend and cover tuition & fees (including student health insurance). They derive from University or outside awards. Unlike academic employment, they do not have a required instruction or research responsibilities. Recipients must be enrolled in a degree program and be registered full-time. Find out more information about Graduate Studies' fellowship competitions for incoming and continuing graduate students.
Loans and Financial Aid
A variety of aid is available for all income levels, including various types of student educational loans (Graduate and Professional Student Loans, Short-Term and Emergency Loans), grants, and Work-Study funding. Contact your graduate program regarding the availability of work-study funding. Financial Aid is awarded on the basis of demonstrated financial need, and is administered by the office of Financial Aid and Scholarships. Check the Financial Aid and Scholarships website for important dates and deadlines related to financial aid.
Awards
Each year, the UC Davis Graduate Studies honors our graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, faculty, and alumni through a variety of awards programs. The awards celebrate outstanding graduate student, faculty, and alumni achievement in areas such as academic performance, research, student leadership, community service and citizenship, and contributions to undergraduate education.