Resources for Current Students 

*NOTE:  ESPM has shifted to remote services only due to Alameda County’s shelter in place order until further notice. While our physical location is closed, we will continue to provide advising services remotely.  Please see our staff page to contact us or the COVID-19  website for graduate student information and updates. 

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. Please see a number of resources to assist in funding your education through scholarships, grants and fellowships. Additional resources include university resources to assisting during your time in at UC Berkeley.

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. 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.  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.  Please note that this grant is not offered every year, please check with Graduate Services to check availability and deadline. 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.

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.

 Data Science for the 21st Century NSF Research Training Program 
The DS421 program is open to incoming and first year PhD students from all departments, and select Data Science for the 21st Century: Environment & Society (DS421) NSF Graduate Research Traineeship (NRT). The DS421 program is open to incoming and first year PhD students from all departments, and select on-campus Master’s programs. A number of second year fellowships for PhD trainees are available from the DS421 program, providing a one year stipend ($32,000) plus tuition and fees in the second year of the program. Applications also welcome from students who have received independent fellowships from other sources that support them for this period in their career (Berkeley, NSF,International, etc.). Conference travel funds, seed grant funding, and other activities will be available to all trainees. More information

The Foreign Language and Area Studies 
The Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowships provide funding to students to encourage the study of critical and less commonly taught foreign languages in combination with area studies, international studies or international aspects of professional studies. More information

UC-President’s Pre-Professoriate Fellowship
The UC-President’s Pre-Professoriate Fellowship is part of the UC-Hispanic Serving Institutions Doctoral Diversity Initiative (UC-HSIDDI), which aims to enhance faculty diversity and pathways to the professoriate for underrepresented students from California Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs).
The program’s goal is to enhance faculty pathways for historically underrepresented groups, particularly Latinx, African Americans, American Indians/Native Americans, Filipinx, and Pacific Islanders in all disciplines; women in STEM; and Asian Americans in the humanities and social sciences by providing fellowships for domestic historically underrepresented scholars from California HSIs. This Fellowship program is only available to UC doctoral students who are matriculated in academic PhD programs and have advanced to candidacy. Professional students (e.g. M.D., J.D.) are not eligible. For purposes of this fellowship, AB540 students are eligible. International students are not eligible. More information

Graduate Assembly Travel Grants and Graduate Student Parent Travel Award
The GA recognizes that a graduate student’s education requires presenting at conferences and/or seminars, some of which take place in locations outside the Bay Area. Some departments may not provide full financial assistance to students presenting at conferences. Additionally, graduate student parents must often attend conferences and/or seminars while also filling the needs of their family and children. 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

Nobel Lindau Meeting Fellowship Program 

The Office of the Chief Investment Officer is sponsoring students and postdoctoral fellows to travel to Lindau, Germany, to participate in a Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting. Allowable expenses are covered by University of California Travel Policy. Fellows may be asked to travel to an orientation meeting prior to the Lindau Nobel Meeting. Expenses associated with that trip and any other trips authorized by the Office of the President for this purpose will be covered. 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).   

Additional Funding Links

Student Basic Needs Support

The Basic Needs Center serves as a physical resource hub for basic needs resources and services (economic, food, housing). The Center also is a space for students to create community and access coordinated support for their basic needs. The center is committed to cultivating wellness and belonging in the Basic Needs Center space.

CalFresh assists eligible students with moneyfor groceries. Please also visit financialaid.berkeley.edu/food-assistance-program.

 UC Berkeley Food Pantry is an emergency relief food supply for all UC Berkeley students–undergraduate and graduate –and staff members. The Food Pantry, located in the basement of MLK Student Union (Room 68), serves students and staff who need core food support.

Recalibrate  designed to serve as a centralized, visible, accessible, and engaging website for wellness information, resources, and tools targeted at the entire campus community. 

Housing

Apartments: Learn more and apply for apartment-style living options at housing.berkeley.edu.
Family Housing: We have housing options for those students seeking family housing for children, spouses/partners, or other dependents. Learn more about our University Village housing options at universityvillage.berkeley.edu
Cal Rentals/Off-Campus Housing: Off-campus housing in the city of Berkeley is often limited. If students need assistance with off-housing options, our team at Cal Rentals is waiting to assist students, free of charge, in their search for additional housing.

Other Resources, Benefits and Perks

NO-FEE Subscriptions to the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. More details HERE.

The Graduate Assembly has joined with the ASUC to secure campus-wide no-fee subscription to the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal for all currently enrolled undergraduate and graduate students. More details HERE.

Cal Student Store is open for textbook return and pickup as well as in-store retail and curbside pick up. 

The Amazon Hub+ Lockers in the Student Union is open for pickup and returns 7 days a week. Don’t forget you are eligible for free Prime Student using your UC Berkeley email.

New Library Resources: OverDrive eBooks and Audiobooks

Borrow popular ebooks and audiobooks to enjoy online, on your device, Kindle, or eReader. For help, see guidelines to get started!

Publish Your Data on Dryad

Dryad is an open-source, research data curation and publication platform. Berkeley is a partner and offers Dryad as a free service for all Berkeley researchers to publish and archive their data. Datasets published in Dryad receive a citation and can be versioned at any time. Dryad is integrated with hundreds of journals and is an easy way to both publish data and comply with funder and publisher mandates. Contact the librarian Beckey Miller with questions or for support.

Open Access Discounts and Direct Path

The UC Office of Scholarly Communication maintains a list of OA publishing discounts. Last year the UC entered a transformative agreement with Cambridge for OA publishing that enables a direct path for UC authors to publish OA in most Cambridge journals. UCB Library has the BRII program, which helps subsidize article processing changes in fully OA journals, as well as special arrangements with MDPI and PeerJ.

Librarian's Guides for Faculty and Instructors 

Guides cover topics such as integrating readings into bCourses (saves reader costs = more affordable course content), designing effective research assignments, finding free and affordable course materials, and more. More details HERE.

Data Peer Consulting Program

The Data Peer Consulting program strives to help make data science accessible across the broader campus community, by aiming to help undergraduate students, graduate students, staff, and faculty with research project infrastructure or other projects and modules that incorporate data. Launched in Fall 2017, these services are provided as a collaboration between the Center for Connected Learning in UC Berkeley's Moffitt Library; D-Lab; Research IT; and the Division of Computing, Data Science, and Society. Drop-in hours in Moffitt Library and our schedule HERE. 

Fall 2020  Updates/Resources

Build community: 

  • Visit callink.berkeley.edu, a database of over 1,000 student groups and organizations, that are finding creative ways to engage with each other virtually. 
  • Participate in Calapalooza, August 31 – September 4 from 4–6 pm: our semesterly student involvement fair, which will be virtual this Fall. In this year’s fair, you’ll be able to meet virtually with hundreds of student groups and other students looking to join orgs.
  • Running a student group or org? Find support through the LEAD Center, with virtual advising appointments, workshops, and events. Email lead@berkeley.edu. Registration for returning organizations and applications for new student orgs are due September 11.
  • Explore Student Org Events & Videos through CalLink Events, the Corq app, the LEAD Center’s New YouTube Channel for Student Org Videos, and the LEAD Center’s Facebook & Instagram.
  • Explore the Centers for Educational Justice and Community Engagement which advocate for, build capacity with, and dialogue among and across diverse communities. Partner spaces include: African American Student Development, Asian Pacific American Student Development, Chicanx Latinx Student Development, Gender Equity Resource Center, Multicultural Community Center, and Native American Student Development. 
  • Coming soon: the campus is exploring creating work-study positions among different departments that would offer peer-to-peer support and assist with building community. We are also creating a toolkit for building community and belonging in virtual space. 

Practice wellness: 

  • Get three free virtual personal training sessions, participate in live or on-demand fitness classes, or find other helpful wellness resources through Rec Sports Online.  
  • Learn about Health Coaching, Counseling and Psychological Services, community-specific support, nutrition support, or self-help tools through University Health Services. 
  • Identify resources that fit your unique wellness needs through recalibrate (see link above). 
  • De-stress through free arts and crafts workshops with professional instructors every Wednesday at 10 am and Thursday at 5 pm. 

Get involved: 

  • Engage in social justice, civic engagement, and transformative social change through the Public Service Center.
  • Learn about sustainability-focused student groups and programs through the Student Environmental Resource Center. Participate in Earth Justice Month or join the SERC membership program. 
  • Participate in ASUC Student Government. Join weekly meetings open to all students on Wednesdays at 7:30 pm.
  • Participate in the Graduate Student Assembly monthly meetings, beginning September 10.  

Have fun: 

  • Join Virtual Events like the Student Union’s Virtual Open Mic nights and Movie Trivia Nights premiering on Instagram.  
  • Take a virtual class in ceramics, drawing, painting, and more with the Berkeley Art Studio. 6 week sessions run twice a semester. 

Find Support: 

  • The Career Center is offering virtual programs and services.  
  • The Student Learning Center provides academic tutoring and helps students navigate the academic rigor of UC Berkeley. 
  • The Student Tech Equity Program provides laptops, Wi-Fi hotspots, and other equipment (like web cameras and noise cancelling headphones). It’s not too late to apply. Thanks to the Student Technology Fund, students are also eligible for free software (including Microsoft Office and Adobe Creative Suite) and can access 5,000+ LinkedIn Learning classes and special Zoom features with their berkeley.edu email address. 
  • The Centers for Educational Equity and Excellence provide services to support first-generation, low-income and underrepresented students, current and former foster youth, veterans, student parents, undocumented students, re-entry students and transfer students. 
  • Coming soon: online parent-to-parent CareBubbles that would allow parents, including student parents, on campus to be able to post care needs and search for others with similar needs or interests.

Access to essential services on campus:
You should come to campus only if you have a specific need (such as seeking medical attention or other emergency services, visiting the grab-and-go food pantry, conducting essential in-person research or other essential campus work, and of course if you live on campus). When on campus, physical distancing and wearing facial coverings are also required at all times and you will be required to comply with city and county public health orders. You will only be allowed to enter campus if you accept the Keep Berkeley Healthy Pledge in Cal Central and complete a daily symptom screener, accessible through Cal Central, the Campus coronavirus site, or the UC Berkeley Mobile app (iOS, Android).