Graduate Student Financial Aid

Applications open for about a month at the beginning of each semester, and results are announced about eight weeks later. BIO sends an email to students to announce when an application opens.   

Awards are not guaranteed to each applicant, and they are not disbursed until mid-semester, so it’s important that you make alternative arrangements to stay current on your tuition and fees payments. We encourage you to enroll in the Fee Payment Plan or to apply for a short-term emergency loan if you need assistance in making your first payment for registration.  

In order to be eligible to apply for these awards, you must:

1. Demonstrate financial need due to a significant and unexpected change in your situation.  Such changes might include loss of financial sponsorship; medical issues; change in family structure; sudden and severe currency devaluation; geo-political events and natural disasters.  
2. Have completed two consecutive semesters in current visa status and current program at UC Berkeley prior to the semester in which you are requesting aid. (Summer does not count toward the two-semester requirement.)
3. Be a full-time, degree-seeking student at UC Berkeley.
4. Have at least one child living with you in the US. (Parent Grant only)

Please note: Students on filing fee and those in self-supporting programs (e.g. MFE, LLM, Evening-Weekend MBA, Executive MBA, MRED+D, MAS, MIDS, MPA, M.Eng) are not eligible.

If you’re experiencing an extreme hardship, please speak with a BIO advisor so we can provide further support resources.

Students can apply for this need-based grant once per semester. It is applied directly to the required tuition and fees balance in the semester that you apply. Grants do not need to be repaid. This grant may not be applied to Professional Degree Supplemental Tuition (PDST). Students on filing fee and those in self-supporting programs (e.g. MFE, LLM, Evening-Weekend MBA, Executive MBA, MRED+D, MPA), are not eligible. See this link for a full list of self-supporting programs.

This grant can only be used to pay eligible tuition and fees charges. These include the following: Tuition; Student Services Fee; Berkeley Campus Fee; Class Pass Fee - Transit; Non-Resident Supplemental Tuition; Instructional Resilience & Enhancement Fee; Health Insurance Fee.  It cannot be applied towards other fees such as UHS service fees, UC Village rent, or late payment fees.  

To see if you have any eligible unpaid tuition and fees, please log into Cal Central.  Click My Finances > View Transactions > Unpaid Balance.  Filter by the current semester. Scroll through the list of unpaid items and refer to the list of tuition and fees charges above that a BIO tuition and fees grant can pay.  

Grad students who have a child living with them in the US can apply for this need-based grant. It is awarded to students based on their financial need and their changing financial situation. It can be applied directly to tuition and fees or disbursed to the student as a stipend. It does not need to be repaid. Only one parent per family may apply in a given semester. Students on filing fee or in absentia status, as well as those in in self-supporting programs (e.g. MFE, LLM, Evening-Weekend MBA, Executive MBA, MRED+D, MPA), are not eligible. See this link for a full list of self-supporting programs.