Funding & Financial Support

Graduate Program in Integrative Biology: Financial Guarantee

For graduate students entering the Graduate Program in Integrative Biology in the Fall of 2025 or later, the Department of Integrative Biology guarantees that as long as the students continue to meet our basic program requirements, they are guaranteed income of at least $18,000 per Fall and Spring semester for 10 semesters (spanning 5 years). The program's funding guarantee for each of these semesters encompasses the above income as well as coverage of the student's in-state tuition and fees, including the student health insurance plan (SHIP).

As long as the student is enrolled full-time in both the Fall and Spring semester of each year, this results in at least $36,000/year plus tuition, fees, and health insurance (health insurance coverage is year-round for continuing students enrolled in both Fall and Spring). Many of our students engage in academic activities in the summer as well, which boosts their annual income well above our program minimum guarantee.

The above earnings guarantee is for the incoming students beginning with the Fall 2025 incoming cohort. There have been a lot of changes on campus since the new ASE and GSR contracts in Spring 2023, so each incoming student should review and save their funding offer letter they received during admission. The admissions funding letter will include any details particular to that year's incoming cohort. 

The funding guarantee considers the student's earnings from inside and outside the department. The semester income calculations consider monies gained from TA (formerly GSI), GSR, and other employed positions at UC campuses, fellowships and major awards provided by UC Berkeley and other entities, and other substantial income received by the student which are for supporting cost-of-living expenses. Grants and awards received specifically for travel, research or professional development expenses, money received through loans, as well as small earnings received from the Department of Integrative Biology for broader department service will not be considered as part of income for department calculations (so those extra resources serve as bonuses and a student will not be financially punished for getting them). It's important for students to understand that the Department of Integrative Biology will not necessarily be the sole provider of all funding needed to meet their income guarantee for each semester.  

Please note that all department funding is contingent upon students making satisfactory academic progress, including research performance and maintaining eligibility for student academic appointments. Department funding for students includes and may be reliant upon funding provided by the student's faculty mentor (as a GSR or major award stipend). To qualify for the Department of Integrative Biology's income guarantee each year, students must:

  • be within the first five years (10 Fall/Spring full-time enrolled semesters) in the Integrative Biology PhD program
  • be in good standing in the department
  • turn in their annual review packets each year by the stated deadlines
  • have been enrolled full-time in both the Fall and the Spring for the year without special enrollment status.

Students on In Absentia status in either the Fall or Spring are not guaranteed the income for that semester, although they may still be eligible if they remain in good standing and funds are available. Students that are on Filing Fee status in either the Fall or Spring are not eligible for the income guarantee for that semester.

For each semester, students must work with the department and their faculty mentor to secure a TA, GSR, Fellowship, or major academic award that will cover their basic expenses for the semester. If a student opts not to work with the department and their faculty mentor to seek financial support in the Spring or Fall, or declines an offer of financial support from the department, then they are no longer guaranteed the department income for that semester. It's important for students to understand that in some cases, by declining a TA offer, they may be waiving their eligibility for the income guarantee for that semester -- they should consult with the Graduate Program Manager, Monica Albe, before making any final decisions. 

The department is cognizant that cost of living in the Bay Area can be challenging for people living on a graduate student's salary, especially if students have special circumstances that increase their household's expenses. We encourage our students to seek additional external funding and will gladly work with students to incorporate additional funding above what is guaranteed by departmental policies. If you are a student within our graduate program, please consult with our Graduate Program Manager, Monica Albe, to help find additional sources of funding especially before accepting additional paid positions during the Fall or Spring semesters. (Please note that the Graduate Division limits all graduate students on campus from working above 50% time in the Fall and Spring without special exception from the department.) We hope to ensure that students have all the information they need before making financial decisions that may affect their income guarantee.

Students who entered the Graduate Program in Integrative Biology before the Fall of 2023 should refer to their earnings guarantee in their original program offer letters. When financially possible, the department will work with all graduate students and faculty in our program to seek equity in annual graduate income, regardless of year in program, as long as students remain in good standing. To make this possible, we ask all students in our program to be cognizant and considerate of their peers as they seek additional funding, and to work with the department on funding challenges. Students are encouraged to seek information and guidance from the Graduate Program Manager, Monica Albe.

 

Annual Costs

See Cost of Attendance

 

When a graduate student is on a TA or GSR over 25% time for the span of the Fall or Spring semester, all of their in-state tuition and fees are covered by the TA/GSR position. Fellowships may or may not cover tuition and fees for a particular semester, students on fellowship should consult their fellowship contracts and the IB Graduate Program Manager for more information. For more information about TAs and GSRs, please see the Graduate Student Academic Appointments Handbook. International students and out of state residents should consult with their faculty mentor about their additional out of state fees.

Students can view all items covered by semester tuition and fees under "Graduate: Academic" in the Fee Schedule.

Office of the Registrar: Fee Schedule

 

Students can view all health care costs covered by UC Berkeley SHIP insurance (included in tuition and fees) on the University Health Services website.

SHIP Benefits

 

There are costs that will show up under student's accounts in CalCentral that the Integrative Biology Graduate Program does not cover. Students are responsible for library overdue fees, club membership fees, health visit co-pays, university housing rent, summer course enrollment fees, and any other additional fees that show as due on their CalCentral accounts that are not related to Fall/Spring tuition and fees and are not required for the PhD program.

 

Financial Aid 

The Department of Integrative Biology makes every effort to ensure five years of financial support to doctoral students in good standing. This five-year guarantee includes the years a student is supported by outside fellowships. After the five years of normative time, students in good standing remain eligible for support, but priority is given to junior students. The departmental policy is to give priority of research support to students who attempt to gain funds from other sources.

Students who are eligible are highly encouraged to apply to the FAFSA each year in the Spring. This can enable us to award work-study positions to students, which can increase the availability of department funds and student earnings for the year. Work-study positions result from students converting FAFSA loan offers to work-study awards -- in this case, the student is not taking out a loan, instead they are paid the monies through a GSR or TA on campus, and therefore will owe no money back. Please see the Financial Aid Office's graduate award guide, or seek more information from the IB Graduate Program Manager, Monica Albe.

Support for student research is generally excellent, largely because of the caliber of students and the ability of their research to attract funding from outside the University as well as from internal sources.

The five years of support include:

 

​Other IB Support

  • Graduate Student Research Allocation Committee (GRAC) Research & Travel Funds
  • IB 299 Funds
  • Supplemental stipends
  • Summer research support

 

Training Grants

The Genetic Dissection of Cells and Organisms training program aims to empower graduate students from all backgrounds to contribute to the future of genetics research, public policy, science outreach, education and the development of research applications. Students trained through our program are drawn from three departments at UC Berkeley -- Molecular & Cell Biology (MCB), Integrative Biology (IB), Plant & Microbial Biology (PMB).

 

 

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