All US citizens and residents admitted into the Ph.D. Program are supported by a financial support package to cover tuition and fees (determined by the Graduate Education office, GEPA), as well as a stipend (set by the program; $35,000 effective 10/1/22) that covers living expenses, so long as they are in good academic standing with university and program requirements.
Unfortunately, our funding sources do not generally allow us to provide financial support to international students. The number of international students that the program can support, if any, varies each year depending on available funds. International students without funding are still welcome to apply, but we highly recommend that you look for your own funding sources to make your application more competitive. Students in previous years have found funding through home-government opportunities or international organizations.
Training Grants and Funding
Fellowships and Other Funding
The Grad Ed office (GEPA) announces funding opportunities through its website, fellowships page, and email. Some funding opportunities that students in the Ph.D. program have successfully applied for and received in the past (usually in their second year or later) include the following:
- NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
- ARCS achievement award
- Genetics Training Grant
- NIH F31; also see other NIH predoctoral training grants
- UC MEXUS-CONACYT Doctoral Fellowships for Mexican Students (may apply once provisionally admitted to a University of California graduate program)
- TRDRP Predoctoral Fellowship (Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program; apply via proposalCENTRAL)
Graduate Bioinformatics Council Resources
The Graduate Bioinformatics Council has built a database and Google calendar of fellowship opportunities of interest to Bioinformatics and Systems Biology students. We have also created a recommendation letter template. Note that you must use your @eng.ucsd.edu email address to access these materials. If you have any difficulties accessing these materials, please contact Niema Moshiri. Students in the program may also contact the Graduate Bioinformatics Council for sample application letters.
Additional Resources
- Estimated Cost of Attendance - select “Graduate Students” and the year
- Financial Aid Timeline for Graduate Students
- GEPA - Financial Support Page
- Residence for Tuition Purposes