Funding

All graduate applicants who are US citizens, permanent residents or immigrants, and who wish to be considered for fellowships or financial aid, are required to file a "Free Application for Federal Student Aid" (FAFSA) as early as possible, but no later than the end of February.  The FAFSA can be obtained from the Financial Aid Office at UC Davis, or any US institution of higher education, beginning December 1, or on the web at https://studentaid.gov/

Expenses

Information on fees and tuition can be found at http://budget.ucdavis.edu/studentfees

In addition, estimated student living expenses (food, housing, books, etc.) are currently approximately $32,000.
 

Scholarships and Financial Aid

Students may wish to explore several potential sources of financial assistance. Our Office of Graduate Studies has an External Funding page, which has links to many external sources for grants and fellowships, and a search engine to help you look for other funding sites.

Graduate Studies also has an Internal Funding website, where you can find information on UC Davis campus-wide scholarships and fellowships. These fellowships have an application deadline of December 1 for continuing students and January 5 for new students. The applications are reviewed by the Horticulture & Agronomy Fellowship Committee, which forwards its nominations to Graduate Studies.

Horticulture & Agronomy also offers graduate group fellowships to both new and continuing students. All new students are considered for graduate group fellowships, although not all new students receive fellowship awards. These fellowships do not provide full support, but help support our students in conjunction with Graduate Student Research Assistantships (GSRs), TAships, outside scholarships, loans, personal funds, etc.

Continuing students interested in receiving graduate group fellowship funding must apply annually; students are sent a notification of the application requirements and deadline, and the application is posted on the GGHA website. Graduate group fellowships can be used for living expenses, fees and tuition.

For domestic students, loans may be available through the Financial Aid Office, and work-study awards for (a few) eligible students are available through the graduate group. To be eligible for any financial aid, including work-study, domestic students must file a FAFSA (see above).
 

Graduate Student Research Assistantships

Graduate Student Research Assistantships (GSRs) are offered through the departments affiliated with the Graduate Group in Horticulture and Agronomy, generally in conjunction with the research you are doing with your Major Professor.  If you are employed as a GSR at 25% time or more, your fees and tuition (including your supplemental non-resident tuition, if applicable) will be paid as a benefit of employment.

Some departments have competitively-awarded departmental GSRs as well. Students who will be working with a faculty member in the Department of Plant Sciences may be eligible for the Plant Sciences' Departmental Assistantship Award, which provides partial funding to support the student's employment as a GSR. (The matching funding is normally provided by the student's Major Professor.) The application deadline for the Plant Sciences Departmental Assistantship is generally March 15.
 

Teaching Assistantships

The Horticulture & Agronomy Graduate Group does not award or have access to teaching assistantships; they are awarded by academic departments. If you are employed as a Teaching Assistant (or a Graduate Reader) at 25% time or more, most (but not quite all) of your fees and tuition will be paid as a benefit of employment, but your non-resident tuition (if applicable) will not.

You are free to apply for any teaching assistantships that you feel you are qualified for, no matter what department is offering them. You should contact departments individually to request information on available TAships and an application; please note that departments have different deadlines. Most departments can be found in the list of UC Davis's Academic Departments.

Many TAships are posted on Handshake; it is a good resource, although not all open positions are listed there. Also, the listings are not accessible without a UC Davis student login.

Many of our students TA for BIS 2A, 2B, or 2C, and other large classes in the College of Biological Sciences. Applications should be submitted to the departments that administer those classes.


**Plant Biology (BIS 2C, PLB 105, PLB 111D, PLB 112D, PLB 113D):  
**Evolution and Ecology (BIS 2B, ENT 1, EVE 100, EVE 102, EVE 117, EVE 119, etc.)
**Microbiology (BIS 2A) and Molecular and Cellular Biology (BIS 101, 102, 103, etc.)

Some other departments that have been good sources of TAships for our students are Plant Sciences, Science and Society (which offers classes such as Plants and Society), and LAWR (which offers classes in soil science and hydrology).
 

Student Employment Center

If you are not eligible for financial aid or an assistantship, but still wish to supplement your resources while studying, the Student Employment Center may be able to help you (or your spouse/partner) find suitable employment. They also have on-line job listings on Handshake. If you have received a letter of acceptance, but have not yet registered, you may use these services during the quarter or summer prior to enrollment.
 

Travel Awards

Funding is available from several sources to cover travel to professional meetings. The awards are competitive and priority is given to students presenting papers. (For most awards this is one of the criteria for eligibility.)