Although tuition at UC Davis is lower than at most private universities, it has risen in recent years and we know that financing graduate education is a top concern for students. Potential sources of financial assistance for CDGG students include loans, grants, fellowships, work-study, Teaching Assistantships (TAs) and Graduate Student Researcher (GSR) positions.
Loans, grants, and fellowships are available through the Campus Financial Aid Office, and information regarding them is available through Graduate Studies, the Graduate Student Association (GSA), and the Financial Aid Office. The links below provide further information.
The CDGG is able to award a modest amount of grant funding itself at time of admission, and at certain other times of the year following calls sent out to all students. We typically also make a small amount of funding available to support student research. More details about these internal CDGG procedures are contained in the Student Handbook.
TA and GSR jobs on-campus are usually either 25 percent or 50 percent time, and in addition to salary carry fee remission for in-state graduate students (covering the student’s tuition). The CDGG is able to award a few such positions at time of admission, but other opportunities arise periodically. CDGG students can work in these capacities within many different departments, programs, and institutes on campus. Each academic unit typically has its own procedures for hiring, and it is up to each student to research possibilities that may be appropriate for their particular interests and skills.
Although we wish we could fully fund everyone, CDGG resources are limited. The graduate group makes a limited amount of funding available to a select number of students in the form of block grants and fellowships. In addition to this support, students receive funding from a variety of other sources, including teaching assistant and research assistant positions and fellowships external to the university as well as financial aid (you must file a FAFSA to receive financial aid). International students are not eligible for financial aid. Many students must also rely on loans or their personal resources. On-campus job and fellowship possibilities change frequently, for example as professors obtain research grants or realize that they need to fill teaching assistant positions. We encourage students to be proactive in talking to faculty, the graduate adviser, and any other possible sources of funding throughout their graduate career.
The Tuition and Fees webpage with current 2017-18 estimates for UC Davis by program is also available at http://www.budget.ucdavis.edu/studentfees/index.html.
Graduate Studies--Navigating University Funding
Graduate and Post-Doctoral Extramural Support (GRAPES) Database