Funding Opportunities for Current Students 

All students admitted to our graduate program receive teaching and research opportunities to fund their graduate program. Students also have the opportunity to apply for fellowships and multiple other funding sources throughout the program. While no graduate student's funding package is alike, we always encourage students to seek out all possible sources of support. These resources will assist in funding your education through scholarships, grants and fellowships.

Information about applying for a GSI position is here. 

Department Funding

Continuing Fellowship
The Continuing Fellowship is an endowment to be used to support graduate students in ESPM. The award is equivalent to a 50% GSR Appointment (stipend and fees) for one semester of funding. The funding cannot be deferred to a future academic year. Deadline: Early March for the next academic year.

Organisms & Environment Awards
The Organism and Environment Award supports graduate students in the Division of O&E. The funding supports graduate student research (collecting or lab costs), travel to meetings, and publication costs. Award: $1,000. The application is announced at the same time as the continuing fellowship. Deadline: Early March.

Walker Funds
The "Margaret C. Walker Fund" is restricted to Systematic Entomology. The grant is awarded for graduate student research (collecting or lab costs), travel to meetings, and publication costs. Funds must be spent within one year of being awarded. Award: $1,000. Deadline: Early April

Travel Grant
The ESPM Travel Grant provides financial support for graduate students traveling to scientific and professional meetings. The conference timeline is August 1 - July 31st. You must be registered for the term in which you attended or plan on attending. Priority is given to students who have advanced to candidacy and plan on presenting a research paper or poster. Grant awards range from $100 - $750. Deadline: Early-February. Please note that this grant is not offered every year.  See also: *The Graduate Division also offers a travel grant.

Summer Grant
The ESPM Summer Grant is a competitive award that provides summer funding for academic doctoral students. The grant provides a stipend plus payment of fees for three units in any Berkeley Summer Session (6, 8, or 10 week).  Grants are awarded to support: 1.) Preparation for the Qualifying Exams through enrollment in necessary coursework, 2.) Conducting field research in preparation for the dissertation, 3.) Required foreign language study and 4.)Dissertation writing. NOTE: Students are limited to two summer grants per academic career. Deadline: Early April.

Graduate Student Coordinator
The Graduate Student Coordinator (GSC) is a two-semester 50% GSR Appointment (stipend and fees). The Graduate Student Coordinator functions in four main roles: academic support, communication, event planning and social interaction. The GSC organizes student led events and initiatives for the ESPM graduate student community and coordinates the annual academic research symposium held in early May. A complete job description can be found in the Graduate Student Handbook. Deadline: Mid-February for the next academic year.

 

University Funding

Also see the UC Berkeley Graduate Division Fellowships & Grants Page

Berkeley Connect
Berkeley Connect Fellows have the opportunity both to act as mentors to undergraduate students in their discipline and to be mentored in their own scholarly development by faculty in their department. Fellows are graduate students who have advanced to candidacy (or recent graduates) with exceptional teaching records and mentoring experience, as well as demonstrated research progress and success. Berkeley Connect offers a two-semester 50% GSR Appointment. For more details about the application process and timeline, contact Faculty Director Justin Brashares. Deadline: Early February for the next academic year.

Woodworth Loan
Awarded to registered UCB students pursuing a degree emphasizing entomological science. Preference will be given to students nearing the end of their degree programs, whose future career plans include teaching and/or research Entomology. Repayment Terms: 0% interest. At the present time loans are limited to a maximum of $5000. Deadline: Year-round  

 Data Science for the 21st Century NSF Research Training Program 

Data Sciences for the 21st Century (DS421) is an interdisciplinary training program designed to prepare graduate students to address the grand challenges at the intersection of natural, social and data sciences. Through a combination of coursework, workshops, symposia, and inter-departmental immersion, students will gain the skills necessary to translate data into evidence-based analysis of impacts and solutions in the face of rapid environmental change. A number of second year fellowships for PhD trainees are available, providing a full stipend plus tuition and fees. More information

 

Extramural Funding

Students preparing extramural grant proposals whose applications require input from their division’s accounting unit must give accounting staff adequate time to assemble the required information. Accounting units require advance notice to process such requests and cannot do so if an application is presented just before deadline.

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
This award is intended to promote the “vitality and diversity” of the country’s scientific and engineering workforce.The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines who are pursuing research-based masters and doctoral degrees at accredited United States institutions. Fellows receive a three-year annual stipend and an education allowance for tuition and fees (paid to the institution), opportunities for international research and professional development, and the freedom to conduct their own research at any accredited U.S. institution of graduate education. The National Science Foundation fellowship is a crown jewel of graduate student awards, and Berkeley students lead the nation in capturing these prestigious and highly competitive grants. Learn More

NSF Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant (DIG)
The National Science Foundation awards Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grants in selected areas of the biological sciences. Proposals must fall within the scope of any of the clusters in the Division of Environmental Biology (DEB) or the Behavioral Systems Cluster in the Division of Integrative Organismal Systems (IOS). These grants provide partial support of doctoral dissertation research for improvement beyond the already existing project. Learn More

ITTO Fellowship Programme
ITTO offers fellowships through the Freezailah Fellowship Fund to promote human resource development and to strengthen professional expertise in member countries in tropical forestry and related disciplines. The goal is to promote the sustainable management of tropical forests, the efficient use and processing of tropical timber, and better economic information about the international trade in tropical timber. Learn More

California Sea Grant State Fellows Program
The California Sea Grant State Fellows Program provides a unique educational opportunity for graduate students who are interested in marine resources and the policy decisions affecting those resources in California. Modeled after the highly successful Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship Program, the State Fellows Program provides an opportunity to acquire “on the job” experience in the planning and implementation of marine and coastal resource policies and programs in the state of California. The program matches highly motivated and qualified graduate students and recent graduates with “hosts” in State or Federal agencies in California for a 12-month paid fellowship. Learn More

 

Other extramural funding opportunities are listed on the Grad Division website.

If are you interested in applying for grants and fellowships  (i.e. EPA Star, NSF Dissertation, etc.) you are advised to connect with your Principal Investigator (PI).  

 

Other Funding Links