SciCAM Funding Opportunities
Generally, Master's students are self-supported throughout their studies. Students are welcome, however, to apply for Teaching Assistantships, fellowships, and/or traditional financial aid. In addition to these, first-generation SciCAM students in the 4+1 Pathway are eligible for the Next-Generation Scholars Fellowship.
Additional information on funding resources can be found on BSOE Graduate Affairs Financial Support page.
The Next Generation Scholars program, funded by the National Science Foundation S-STEM program, provides outstanding students in the 4+1 pathway to SciCAM with fellowships of up to $10,000 per year in their senior and MS year to help them overcome any financial barriers they may have toward completing their graduate degree. The program also provides travel support to attend scientific conferences or career development fairs. An information session about this program is held each Fall Quarter
We encourage all graduate students and prospective graduate students to apply for fellowships. You can apply for fellowships even before you are admitted to a graduate program. A detailed list of fellowships can be found in the Graduate Division website. Please note that some of the fellowships have citizenship requirements, make sure that you carefully read the eligibility criteria before applying, and contact the program officer if you have any questions.
The program faculty and the Baskin School of Engineering can support you in building a highly competitive application for these and other fellowships. UCSC is also a member of the GEM Consortium, which supports students from underrepresented communities to pursue graduate education in applied science and engineering. These fellowships can be used to attend our Applied Mathematics program. Please contact the Graduate Director of the program if you intend to apply for an external fellowship either during the application process or after you have been admitted to UCSC.
A Teaching Assistant (TA) is a registered full-time graduate student, chosen for excellent scholarship and for promise as a teacher, and serving an apprenticeship under the active tutelage and supervision of a regular faculty member. TAs are hired on a quarterly basis beginning approximately 10 weeks prior to the start of the quarter.
TAs who work 10 hours per week or more are also eligible for remissions on their in-state fees. After fee remissions, students employed as Teaching Assistants are only required to pay a portion of the campus fees per quarter. TA fee remissions do not cover out-of-state Non-Resident Tuition, unless guaranteed in an admission funding package.
For more details, see https://grad.soe.ucsc.edu/ta.
A GSR is a full-time registered UCSC graduate student appointed to assist in performing research under the direction of a ladder-rank faculty member or authorized Principal Investigator. GSRs are hired on a quarterly basis. The general and individual quarterly GSR calls are sent by the BSOE Payroll Analysts, approximately 8 weeks prior to the start of the quarter. Responses to hire GSRs are due from faculty approximately 4 weeks prior to the start of the quarter. Once funding has been approved for a GSR hire, the student will be contacted by BSOE Payroll to complete paperwork.
GSRs in AM are hired at the Step 6/8 payscale, with paychecks issued monthly. MS students are always hired at step 6, as step 8 is reserved for doctoral students who have advanced to candidacy. GSRs qualify for fee and tuition remission if they are appointed for at least 25% (10 hours per week), in all GSR appointments combined, over the three months of the quarter. Full fee and tuition remission includes the payment of tuition, fees, university health insurance, and non-resident tuition (if applicable).