Financial Support
PhD students in the Molecular, Cellular and Integrative Physiology Graduate Group are paid a stipend that is competitive with other comparable programs in the nation. Current stipend (for living expenses) is $26,000 per year.
University Fellowships and Scholarships
Graduate financial support, administered by the Office of Graduate Studies, is provided by University fellowships, scholarships and research assistantships. Applications are included in the Application for Admission and Fellowships; deadline for application is January 15. Teaching assistantships are offered through the specific academic department, from which applications can be obtained.
Grants, Loan, Work-Study
Financial aid in the form of grants, loans and work-study is administered by the Office of Financial Aid. For all graduate students who will be enrolling in the fall and who are US citizens, permanent residents or immigrants, it is required that you file a "Free Application for Federal Student Aid" (FAFSA) as early as possible, but no later than March 1 (can be completed online). This form, submitted directly to the Federal Student Aid Program Office, Iowa City, Iowa, is used to determine financial need only, a component of the eligibility criteria for many fellowships, and for all forms of financial aid. The FAFSA can be obtained from the Financial Aid Office, North Hall beginning December 1. Financial support is usually available only to U.S. citizens.
NIH Initiative for Minority Students
UC Davis offers the prestigious National Institutes of Health-Initiative for Minority Student Development (NIH-IMSD) Graduate Study Awards to outstanding minority graduate students entering doctoral programs in the life sciences. Each NIH-IMSD award provides $22,436 per year for living expenses plus all tuition and student fees and support during a summer bridge program. An additional four years of support is guaranteed through a combination of research assistantships, teaching assistantships, or other forms of graduate student support, assuming satisfactory progress is made toward earning the Ph.D. degree. Thus, UC Davis offers five years of guaranteed support for graduate study.
Applicants must be U.S. citizens, or permanent residents. Members of one of groups underrepresented in biology (African American, Native American/Alaskan, Hispanic, American Pacific Islander, or Filipino) are especially encouraged to apply. For additional information, phone or e-mail Professor Barbara Horwitz (530-752-0169, bahorwitz@ucdavis.edu) or Dr. Marisa Ramos (530-754-8727, miramos@ucdavis.edu).
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
The National Science Foundation (NSF) aims to ensure the vitality of the human resource base of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in the United States and to reinforce its diversity by offering approximately 1,000 graduate fellowships in this competition. The Graduate Research Fellowship provides three years of support for graduate study leading to research-based master’s or doctoral degrees and is intended for students who are at the early stages of their graduate study. The Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) invests in graduate education for a cadre of diverse individuals who demonstrate their potential to successfully complete graduate degree programs in disciplines relevant to the mission of the NSF. The NSF GRFP offers $ 30,000/year in stipend and a cost-of-education allowance of $10,500/year for three years. Students can opt to “go on reserve” for up to two years if desired.
Howard Hughes Pre-doctoral Fellowship in Biological Sciences
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute will award at least 80 five-year fellowships for full-time study toward a Ph.D. or an Sc.D. degree in the biological sciences. The fellowships are intended for students who have completed less than one year of graduate study toward a M.S., a Ph.D., or an Sc.D. degree in the biological sciences. The program is open to both U.S. citizens and foreign citizens. Students with U.S. citizenship may take the fellowship abroad. Non-U.S. citizens must study in the United States. Eligible fields of study include:
- biochemistry
- bioinformatics
- biophysics
- biostatistics
- cell biology
- developmental biology
- epidemiology
- genetics
- immunology
- mathematical and computational biology
- microbiology
- molecular biology
- neuroscience
- pharmacology
- physiology
- structural biology
- virology
The fellowship award is an annual stipend of $18,000 and an annual cost-of-education allowance of $16,000.
Teaching Assistants
Teaching assistantships (TA-ships) are available to qualified students for a variety of undergraduate courses in the life sciences. These positions are offered through individual departments rather than through the Graduate Group. Therefore, interested students need to contact these departments directly.
