Financial Information

Financial support is available to qualified students in the form of fellowships, loans, and assistantships. This information is subject to change.

2025-2026 Graduate Support Package

Students are guaranteed funding for their first five years in the program, with a minimum of approximately $30,000 per academic year (9 months). Students may be able to supplement their compensation in a variety of ways depending on availability of funds: Summer Session TAing, 1-3 months of summer Graduate Student Research (GSR) support from faculty grants, and other teaching opportunities. Students can also benefit from fellowships (e.g. the NSF, CARTA, KAVLI).

In the event that a student receives extramural award and/or contract which covers your tuition and fees, the funds from that primary source of support will be used first (subject to any explicit restrictions provided by the source as a contingency of support). Any subsequent award/tuition and fee remission made from University funds will be used only in the case of a shortfall in the primary source of support. Should you receive an extramural award subsequent to this letter a revised letter will be issued to you that supersedes this letter. 

A summary of your first year award for 9 months is below.

*If you are a domestic non-resident, out-of-state supplemental tuition of $15,102 will be added to your total funding package for the first year. For international students, out-of-state supplemental tuition will be added to your funding package for the first 3 years. Following advancement to candidacy, non-resident international doctoral students receive a 100% reduction in non-resident tuition for up to three consecutive years (nine quarters).

**During terms in which you are employed, your compensation will be governed by the collective bargaining agreement(s) which cover your employment title.  Salary listed assumes wage rate listed is associated with a Salary Point 1 of a 50% Teaching Assistant or GSR appointment, whichever is lower (see UC Salary Scales, Tables 18 and 22).

***During terms in which you are employed, your compensation will be governed by the collective bargaining agreement(s) which cover your employment title.  Salary listed assumes rate associated with applicable Teaching Assistant or GSR wage rate (see UC Salary Scales, Tables 18 and 22).

Funding Guidelines:

• Financial support in the department/program is contingent upon full-time registration (12 units/quarter), satisfactory progress toward degree completion, good standing as defined by campus and your department/program, employment eligibility, and campus support time limits. These terms and conditions are subject to change as a result of action by federal and/or state governments or the Administration of the University Of California, San Diego and/or UC Regents. The funding commitment stated in this letter may be modified, reduced or rescinded and is not guaranteed.

• Teaching Assistants are an integral partner in the undergraduate educational program and these positions provide valuable teaching experience. In this department, a 50% TA position will average 20 hours per week. This includes time spent running sections, holding office hours, grading, and other work related to instruction. You will be provided with TA training, a desk, and shared office space.

• In compliance with California Senate Bill 791, as a condition of employment at UC San Diego, you will be required to disclose if you are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that you have committed any misconduct, are currently being investigated for misconduct, left a position during an investigation for alleged misconduct, or have filed an appeal with a previous employer. To learn more please visit this page.

• If you are a domestic non-resident, out-of-state supplemental tuition will be added to your total funding package for the first year. For subsequent years, payment of non-resident supplemental tuition (NRST) is guaranteed only for students who are ineligible to establish California residency, and who advance to candidacy within established academic deadlines. Once you become eligible, it is your responsibility to establish residency with the University. Your program and the UC San Diego Residence Deputy can assist you in learning about these policies and any requirements you must meet to be eligible for continued coverage of non-resident supplemental tuition.

• For international students, out-of-state supplemental tuition will be added to your funding package for the first 3 years. International students should plan to advance to candidacy before the start of the 4th academic year, as following advancement to candidacy, non-resident international doctoral students receive a 100% reduction in non-resident tuition for up to three consecutive years (nine quarters).

• A mandatory bootcamp for all incoming students is held each year before the fall quarter begins. Information on the dates and schedule will be sent as soon as possible.

Teaching Assistants: International graduate student language proficiency requirement
International graduate students who are non-native speakers of English must be certified as having requisite language proficiency before serving as a Teaching Assistant.

To learn about English language certification go to:  https://grad.ucsd.edu/financial/employment/ases/international-tas.html 

The Department of Cognitive Science supports graduate student participation in scientific conferences. We strongly encourage you to submit papers and posters to conferences. There are several kinds of sources of funding available for your participation in conferences.

Department Funds

If your paper or poster is accepted for presentation, and if you do not have access to other travel funds (see below), the department will fund *some* of your travel expenses. In order to get the most out of our limited funds and give the greatest number of students a chance to participate in conferences, we can only cover air travel at the lowest available economy fare, and a budget hotel room.

In past years, we have been able to fund all the requests we received up to a limit of $700. If we run out of money, of course, we won't be able to fund any more trips. In general, priority will be given to domestic travel requests. Requests for foreign travel will be considered, but we may not be able to provide full reimbursement for air and hotel. When your paper or poster has been accepted and when you have determined that other funds are not available, please include the following information on a Request For Funds form.

1. Name of the conference
2. The form of your presentation (oral or poster)
3. Acceptance rates for oral and poster presentations at this conference (if available)
4. Amount of support requesting

Once approved, please contact the Fiscal Coordinator (CSB 147, or cec031@ucsd.edu) for further instructions on reimbursement and/or any advance payments you will require.

Academic Senate Funds for Travel to other UC Campuses and Labs

Each year, the academic senate allocates funds to the department for faculty and graduate student travel to other UC campuses and labs. You should apply the same way as other grad travel. Please note, however, that the money can only be used for transportation expenses. Traditionally, these funds have gone virtually untapped.

Faculty Research Grants

Speak to your advisor about the availability of funds from her/his research grants.