Financial Aid for US Citizens and Permanent Resident Students

NOTE: Information for International Students is slightly different from that given below. If you are an International Student please click here)

All applicants to the Electrical Engineering graduate programs are automatically considered for financial support by the Admissions Committee, provided that they submit a complete application for admission (including the fellowship application) by the Graduate Division's fellowship priority deadline of December 15.

Financial support decisions are not predetermined prior to the submission of a complete application. Applicants must file their complete application by the fellowship deadline (same as the application for admission deadline). The application will be reviewed along with the rest of the applicant pool before a financial support decision can be made.

Student support funds at UCLA are provided to graduate students in the form of grants, fellowships, teaching assistantships (TA), and graduate student researcher (GSR) appointments. Graduate students apply for Departmental/Graduate Division financial aid during the online application process.

Support based solely on need is also provided, in the form of work-study and loans, through the UCLA Financial Aid Office. To apply for this type of financial aid, submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) (or the FAFSA Renewal Application, if applicable) following the instructions provided at the FAFSA website. Completion of the FAFSA or the FAFSA Renewal Application is required for all financial aid programs (not including Departmental/Graduate Division support).

A qualified student may receive both a Departmental or Graduate Division award, and an award based solely on financial need if the need-based criteria are met. You are strongly encouraged to apply in all categories for which you may qualify. Students may be considered for additional or alternate fellowships pending the decision of the Committee during the admissions review period.

You may also apply for non-UCLA support by contacting national, international, or private foundations directly. For a list of extramural funding sources, explore the list of funding opportunities provided by the UCLA Graduate Division website.

• Fellowships and Grants

Awards are competitive and open to all graduate students. Departmental fellowships and grants are awarded in varying amounts and may include registration fees and nonresident tuition.

Most fellowship and grant awards are for one academic year. Entering students may, however, receive offers covering all the years of study through degree attainment. Some federally-funded awards provide additional summer coverage. Recipients of fellowships, traineeships, and grants must maintain satisfactory progress throughout their tenure. They must be registered and enrolled each quarter for a minimum of 12 units and are expected to devote fulltime to study and research.

To be considered for a Fall fellowship, applicants must file the Application for Graduate Admission, including the processing fee and all required supplementary documents by the application deadline. Submit the Fellowship Application for Entering Graduate Students (found in the Application for Graduate Admission) together with the rest of the application and additional material.

• Nonresident Tuition Fellowships

A limited number of fellowships are awarded by departmental recommendation to cover either the nonresident tuition or the registration fees and living expenses of graduate students with distinguished academic records. Applicants must be enrolled in a full-time program of study and may not be recipients of awards from federal, state or private foundations that provide tuition coverage.

• Academic Apprenticeships & Teaching Assistantships

Academic Apprenticeships and Teaching Assistantships (TA) with the Electrical Engineering Department are reserved for 2+ year students. First year students and applicants are not eligible.

• Graduate Student Researchers (GSR)

This is the most common form of financial assistance. Faculty members obtain contracts from various government agencies and industry to carry out research in applied topics. A portion of these funds is meant to pay trained graduate students a salary to assist in research which will normally result in a thesis for the student and scientific progress in the topic. Research Assistantships are individually negotiated between each student and his/her research advisor. Students must convince their advisors that they have the necessary skills, background, and motivation to effectively participate in relevant areas of research. This will normally happen after the student has performed well in a number of advanced courses offered by the adviser.

• Recommended Web Resources

For a list of extramural funding sources, explore the list of funding opportunities provided by the UCLA Graduate Division website.