Funding Your Ph.D. Education

At the I School, all our Ph.D. students receive funding packages with a minimum of six years of financial support through a combination of fellowships, research positions, and academic student employment. Details of individual funding packages may vary; in order to take full advantage of offered funding, students need to remain in good academic standing and advance to doctoral candidacy in normative time to degree, and may need to meet other funding conditions of specific fellowships or positions.

In the first year, I School Ph.D. students receive fellowship support to cover all tuition and fees, including Non-Resident Supplemental Tuition and the Student Health Insurance Fee, and a stipend for living expenses. For the academic year 2022–2023, the minimum first-year I School Ph.D. student 12-month stipend will total $34,000.

After the first year, Ph.D. students are typically funded through graduate student academic appointments or research positions for up to four years (eight semesters). In addition to an hourly wage, students receive fee remission that offsets a portion or all of their tuition and fees. For more information, see Graduate Student Academic Appointments and Fee Remission.

Some students continue their research positions during the summer. The I School also offers limited summer grant opportunities for Ph.D. students who have no other summer funding sources secured.

After Ph.D. students pass their qualifying exam and advance to doctoral candidacy, the Berkeley Doctoral Completion Fellowship (DCF) provides eligible students with one year (two semesters) of tuition remission and a stipend for living expenses. Students are expected to make every effort to meet DCF eligibility conditions in order to take advantage of this funding opportunity.

The University also awards through competition a limited number of merit- and need-based fellowships each year. See University Fellowships for further details.

Tuition

2022–23 Ph.D. tuition & fees per semester	California residents	Non-residents
Tuition	$5,850	$5,850
Student Services Fee	$576	$576
Berkeley Campus Fee	$717	$717
Class Pass Fee (Transit)	$95	$95
Instructional Resilience and Enhancement Fee	$106	$106
Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) *	$3,186	$3,186
Non-resident Supplemental Tuition	—	$7,551
Continuing Student Total (per semester)	$10,530	$18,081
Document Management Fee **	$128.00	$128.00
New Student Total (first semester only)	$10,658	$18,209

Tuition and fees listed reflect currently approved amounts; these figures may not be final. Actual tuition, fees, and charges are subject to change. Students should expect fees to increase moderately each fall term.

* Students have the option to waive the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) if they have other major medical health insurance that meet the SHIP waiver criteria and don't wish to have dual coverage. For waiver qualifications, instructions, forms, and FAQs, please see Waiving SHIP.

** The Document Management Fee is a one-time fee charged in the first term of enrollment.

Residency

California residents, for purposes of registration, are those who have been legal residents of California for at least one year immediately before the opening day of the semester for which they register. Legal residence is a combination of physical presence and the intention of making the state one’s permanent home, coupled with the relinquishment of legal residence in any other state.

International students with F-1 visas cannot be classified as California residents for tuition purposes.

More Information:

Financial Aid

Graduate students may apply for need-based loans and work-study through the Financial Aid Office. The programs are based on demonstrated financial need and require a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Only U.S. citizens and eligible non-citizens (those holding permanent resident cards) may apply for funds administered by the Financial Aid Office. Financial aid can include work-study, loans, the Native American Opportunity Plan, and other sources of financial aid.

More information

If you are employed by a U.S. federal, state, local, or tribal government or not-for-profit organization, you may be eligible for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. Learn more here.

Additional Fellowships

In addition to the first-year fellowship and academic student employment, Ph.D. students may supplement their funding by applying for additional internal and external fellowships. Some university restrictions on combining funding opportunities apply; students are encouraged to consult our admissions staff with questions about specific conjunctions of funding.

Fellowships for I School Students

All admitted Ph.D. applicants will automatically be considered for the Hal Varian endowment.

Once enrolled, Ph.D. students are eligible to apply for these I School fellowships:

The Curtis B. Smith Fellowship supports high-achieving students enrolled in any degree program at the UC Berkeley School of Information who have an interest in the field of cybersecurity or a research focus on cybersecurity.

The Paul Fasana LGBTQ Studies Fellowship supports UC Berkeley School of Information graduate students whose research interests or studies are related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and/or queer studies in any field or discipline.

The Quigley/Heffernan Family Environmental Fellowship supports I School students using their skills in data science or other information management disciplines to aid in the reduction of greenhouse emissions or other climate mitigation efforts.

External Fellowships

Students are encouraged to apply for external fellowship opportunities as relevant. Below are several examples of external fellowships that our I School Ph.D. students have successfully obtained:

Grants

Our Ph.D. students have also received grants from the following organizations and centers:

Last updated:

August 17, 2022