Student Financial Support

The Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology Faculty aim to fully support their students in good standing for the duration of the students' studies through a combination of the resources.

EEMB Student financial support includes graduate student research, teaching assistantships, fellowships and work study / financial aid.

Funding Types

Extramural Funding

Many EEMB students may also be eligible and are strongly encouraged to apply for extramural pre-doctoral fellowships.

Fellowship	Application Deadline
Fulbright Fellowship	October
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship	October
National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship	TBA
Nancy Foster Scholarship Program	December
NSF Graduate Research Internship Program (GRIP) Opportunities at NOAA	December and May
Ford Foundation Fellowship Program	January

UCSB Graduate Student Resource Center

Visit UCSB Graduate Divisions graduate student resource center website for further extramural funding opportunities.

View Other Extramural Funding

Graduate Student Research

A GSR is a graduate student who assists faculty members with scholarly research. These positions are grant funded.

Eligibility

Must be an active registered student in good standing.

Apply / Selection Process

Arranged and selected by a faculty member / principal investigator (PI)

Support Coverage / Length

Any GSR employed for at least 35% will get Full Fee Remission. This will come from the grant, and will cover Tuition, Student Service Fee, Campus based Fees, UC-Ship, and any applicable non-resident tuition. Additionally, the GSR will earn a monthly salary based on their appointment. Appoints of less than 35% but greater than 24% will get Partial Fee Remission. (See Teaching Assistantships section for details).

Teaching Assistantships

TAs apprentice under the active tutelage and supervision of a faculty member. All students are required to TA at least 2 quarters during their time at UCSB.

Eligibility

Must be an active registered student in good standing. New applicants are automatically considered and continuing students must apply quarterly.

Apply / Selection Process

The Graduate Advisor sends out a call and tries to match faculty course needs with students available. Once offers are sent out, students must sign the hiring paperwork before their Fee remission will be processed.

Support Coverage

Any TAship at least 25% will get partial Fee Remission. This will cover Tuition, Student Service Fee, and UC-Ship. Additionally, the TA will earn a monthly salary based on their appointment. 

TA Appointments

Graduate students who are interested in applying for a TA appointment with the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology for the 2024-2025 academic year can submit their application here. If an appointment does become available the department will contact you directly.

Departmental Fellowships

Departmental Fellowships

Ellen Schamberg Burley Award

The Ellen Schamberg Burley Award provides assistance for senior level graduate students to present their research at scientific meetings. The fund was established by faculty, colleagues, family and friends of Ellen Schamberg Burley as a continuing tribute to a student who distinguished herself both as an undergraduate and graduate scholar in the biological sciences at UCSB.

Students eligible for this award must be advanced to candidacy, but have not exceeded the Department's normative time for completion of the degree.

Requirements Include

• A letter of nomination
• Statement of background and research interests
• Student's current CV

Abstract of the Paper to be Presented

The selection committee decides the amount of the award given to each student. An e-mail to faculty in EEMB and MCDB is sent out in early March requesting nomination letters.

Charles A. Storke Award

The Charles A. Storke Award was initiated in 1996 through the generosity of Charles A. Storke II, former Associate Editor and Publisher of the Santa Barbara News Press, whose family has had a long association with UCSB. Part of a much larger commitment to the University, this fellowship fund is intended to help bolster the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology by providing support for its most promising graduate students.

The Storke Fellowship provides a $2,500 stipend and will be given to an outstanding student who has advanced to candidacy and is within normative time. This is a very prestigious award and is important in honoring the Storke Family.

The EEMB Graduate Committee will be awarding this fellowship to a senior student whose research is of the highest quality. An e-mail to EEMB faculty is sent out in early April requesting nomination letters.

Campus Fellowships and Grants

Qualified students also are nominated for centrally administered Graduate Division fellowships such as the Chancellor's Fellowships, Regents Fellowship, Eugene Cota Robles Fellowship, Graduate Opportunity Fellowships.

New Student Central Fellowships

Nominations will be made by Faculty to the Graduate committee from incoming applicant records. The committee will choose Departmental nominees and put them forward to Graduate Division.

Continuing Central Fellowships

Several Central Fellowships are also available to continuing students in various stages of their degree progress. The call will go out to Faculty and Students and nomination packets will be submitted to the Committee for review. They will consider all candidates and choose the Departmental nominees and put them forward to Graduate Division.

Grants

Departmental Block Grants

Departmental money is used along with admissions offers to recruit outstanding new Graduate students to our department. No additional application necessary. Nominations will be made by Faculty from incoming applicant records.

Block Grant can also be used for Continuing Student Support if funding is available. This usually comes in the form of Quarterly Fellowship Support, Summer Stipend, Research money, Meetings/Workshops, Travel. Students will be able to apply and submit a statement of need along with a Faculty nomination. Decisions will be based on Merit, Progress, and need.