While funding packages vary by student, all admitted Ph.D. students receive up to five years of financial support through a combination of fellowships, Graduate Student Instructor (GSI) appointments, also known as teaching assistantships, and Graduate Student Researcher (GSR) appointments, also known as research assistantships. Funding consist of full payment of tuition and fees which include Student Health Insurance Program (SHIP) fees, Student Services fee, Campus fees, Class Pass fee, and Non-Resident Supplemental Tuition (NRST), and a living stipend. All funding packages are contingent on making satisfactory progress throughout the tenure of support.

As part of the funding package, U.S. citizens and Permanent Residents are expected to establish California residency at the end of their first year in California and to maintain residency throughout their studies. The NRST will not be paid for students beyond the first year (except for international students who are not eligible for California residency).

We encourage applicants to apply for fellowships from sources other than U.C. Berkeley. U.S. citizens and permanent residents are particularly encouraged to apply fellowships such as the National Science Foundation (NSF), Graduate Fellowships for STEM Diversity (GFSD), and the National Defense Science Engineering (NDSEG) fellowships.

Tuition/Fees/Cost of Attendance

Tuition and Fees

Current tuition and fees for Ph.D. students can be found on the Office of the Registrar's website (under "Graduate Academic" fee schedule). All tuition & fees are subject to change.

As a condition of enrollment all registered students at the University of California are required to meet the university’s health insurance mandate. Registered UC Berkeley graduate students are automatically enrolled in the Berkeley Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) as a way to meet this mandate but you may be eligible to waive enrollment in SHIP if you already have comparable insurance coverage that satisfies the University's requirement. Visit the Student Health Insurance Plan for more information.

Living Expenses

The UC Berkeley Financial Aid and Scholarships Office provides an annual estimate of the Cost of Attendance also known as the Graduate Student Budget which include living expenses for graduate students. This includes housing, utilities, food, books, supplies, personal, and transportation costs. Your expenses may be lower or higher depending on your lifestyle. The Graduate Student Budget is used to help determine the amount of financial aid you may be eligible to receive.

Residency for Tuition Purposes

Admitted PhD students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents are expected to establish California residency by the end of their first year in California and maintain residency throughout their studies. Nonresident Supplemental Tuition (NRST) for out-of-state students will only be covered for the first year. International students with F-1 or J-1 visas/nonimmigrant status are not eligible to establish residency.

You must start the process of fulfilling the residency requirements as soon as you arrive. In order to meet the University of California residency requirements, graduate students must be in an eligible immigration status and satisfy the "Physical Presence" and "Intent to Remain in California" requirements by the residence determination date, which is the first day of instruction.

The residency classification process is not automatic. Visit the Registrar's Office to learn more about Applying for Residency (for Tuition Purposes).

Financial Aid

Federal Student Loan Programs provide the major source of need-based financial aid funding for graduate students. Berkeley participates in the Federal Direct Student Loan and Work-Study Programs, which are administered by the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office.

Financial Aid for International Students

All F-1 and J-1 international students are required to show proof of funding for a minimum of one year with the expectation that they will continue to have access to that funding throughout their education. In some cases, there are unexpected changes in a student's financial situation that require them to seek external support to continue their studies. Visit the Financial Aid for International Students page.

Department Funding

Fellowships and Awards

Entering (Newly Admitted) Students

All admitted students are automatically considered fellowships and awards during the admissions review process. Fellowship offers are generally made to applicants in their department admissions offer.

Continuing Students

Continuing students are automatically considered for departmental awards which are distributed throughout the year.

Graduate Student Academic Employment

Most financial support will be a combination of Academic Student Employment (ASE) positions such as a Graduate Student Instructor (GSI) and Graduate Student Researcher (GSR).

Students must meet certain academic requirements and other eligibility criteria to qualify for graduate student academic employment. Graduate students are also subject to Graduate Council and Graduate Division policies regarding appointments including minimum enrollment requirements and limitations on percentage of appointment.

See our Student Positions hiring page for more information.

Travel Grants

The KAG Graduate Student Travel Fund

In 2002 Dr. Kamil A. Grajski (Berkeley Ph.D. ’87), acting upon the suggestion of his mentor and friend Dr. Leo Breiman, established this fund to support travel for graduate students in the Department of Statistics.

Eligibility and Criteria

• Must be a PhD student in Statistics
• Normally a student would receive a travel grant once during the course of their studies.
• Grant amounts will depend on the location of the proposed travel, but will generally be no more than $750 for travel within California, up to $1,000 for travel elsewhere in North America, and up to $1,500 for international travel.
• There are a limited number of awards given each year
• Priority will be given to students conducting or presenting research

Application

To apply, please complete the KAG Graduate Student Travel Grant Application which will be reviewed by the PhD Program Coordinator

• purpose of the trip and approximate budget
• written endorsement of a faculty advisor (via email)

The request can be made to cover travel, lodging and conference/registration fees.

Reimbursement and Report

A short report on the experience and how the trip benefited your studies must be submitted to the PhD Program Coordinator. All original receipts for which reimbursement is being requested or for which direct payment was made by the University must be turned in within 45 days after completion of travel.

Past Recipients & Reports:

• 2019 Lihua Lei
• 2018 Geno Guerra, Kellie Ottoboni
• 2015 Arturo Fernandez-Zuniga, Soeren Kuenzel, Miklos Racz
• 2014 Yuting Wei
• 2013 Hye Soo Choi, Wenpin Tang
• 2012 Yuval Benjamini
• 2009 Garvesh Raskutti, Chinghway Lim, Yueqing Wang, Ying Xu
• 2008 Choongsoon Bae, Jing Lei, Shankar Bhamidi, Vince Vu
• 2007 Ron Peled
• 2006 Na Xu, Peng Zhao, Donghui Yan
• 2005 Bo Li, Guilherme Rocha
• 2003 Chao Chen, Apratim Guha
• 2002 Alan Hammond, Serban Nacu, Gabor Pete, Lea Popovic

Industry Fellowships

There are industry fellowships PhD students are eligible to apply for directly through the department thanks to the generous support of our industry partners. You can find more information on our Industrial Relations page.

Additional Financial Resources

Graduate Division

An extensive list of campus and extramural fellowships and awards along with their corresponding deadlines and application materials can be found on Graduate Division's Graduate Fellowships and Awards page.

Campus Travel Grants

Graduate Assembly Travel Award

The Graduate Assembly (GA) offers up to $300 in travel reimbursement for registered graduate students presenting at a conference outside of the San Francisco Bay Area. Visit the GA Funding Information and Application for more information.

Graduate Division Conference Travel Grant

PhD students may apply for Graduate Division funding to attend professional conferences if they are presenting a poster or paper. Grant amounts depend on location of conference (up to $600 within California; $900 elsewhere in North America, including Canada or Mexico; $1,500 outside of North America). Doctoral students are eligible for two grants per academic career. Students must be in good academic standing, and must be registered for the term in which they are planning to attend the conference, which also includes payment of fees/tuitions. Students on filing fee are not eligible. Applications are due at least three weeks before date of travel. Visit the Doctoral Conference Travel Grant Application (CalNet login required) for more information.

Extramural Fellowships

Extramural fellowships are those awarded by governmental agencies, private foundations, and corporations. Many extramural fellowships are open to international students. Others, such as the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship and some government-sponsored fellowships, are awarded only to U.S. citizens.

The following are a few fellowships that might of interests to Statistics PhD students:

DOE Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) program
The SCGSR program supports supplemental awards to outstanding U.S. graduate students to conduct part of their graduate thesis research at a DOE national laboratory in collaboration with a DOE laboratory scientist for a period of 3 to 12 consecutive months—with the goal of preparing graduate students for scientific and technical careers critically important to the DOE Office of Science mission.

Fannie and John Hertz Foundation Graduate Fellowships
Open to U.S. citizens in the applied and physical sciences who have a record of high scholastic performance. Provides a stipend, tuition, and fees.

Ford Foundation Predoctoral Diversity Fellowships
Three year fellowships for U.S. citizens or nationals who have demonstrated superior academic achievement, are committed to a career in teaching and research at the college or university level, show promise of future achievement as scholars and teachers, and are well prepared to use diversity as a resource for enriching the education of all students.

Ford Foundation Dissertation Diversity Fellowships
One year dissertation fellowships for U.S. citizens or nationals who have demonstrated superior academic achievement, are committed to a career in teaching and research at the college or university level, show promise of future achievement as scholars and teachers, and are well prepared to use diversity as a resource for enriching the education of all students. Provides a $28,000 stipend.

NSF Graduate Research Fellowships
Awarded for study in mathematical, physical, biological, and social sciences; engineering; science education; and in the history and philosophy of science. For U.S. citizens, nationals, and permanent residents at or near the beginning of graduate study. Three years of support.

National Physical Science Consortium Fellowship
The NPSC offers Ph.D.-track fellowships in the physical sciences and related engineering fields. It is open to all qualified U.S. citizens, with an emphasis on recruiting applications from historically underrepresented minorities. NPSC Fellows will receive one or two paid summer internships, as well as tuition, fees, and stipends for up to six years.