Updated September 2021
All applicants who are admitted to the MFA Program (in FA20 and beyond) will be guaranteed three years of financial support, at least equivalent to the nine-month salary of a 50% TA for that given year. The support may come in the form of guaranteed TA positions on campus, other forms of campus employment, fellowship/stipends, or any combination of the three. The current nine-month salary of a 50% TA is $23,246.51. As the actual financial support package for each admitted student will vary, applicants should refer to the financial support package letter that they receive upon being admitted.
As many financial support packages will include a guaranteed TA position for one or more years, please note the following policies regarding this guarantee:
Above a beyond the salary paid to the student, a 50% TA position also covers many of the tuition and fee costs charged to student each quarter. The position will cover the base tuition charge (currently $3,814 per quarter), the Student Services Fee (currently $376 per quarter), the Health Insurance charge (currently $1,285 per quarter), and $100 per quarter towards the remaining assorted fees. This leaves $231.17 per quarter in fees for the student to pay. For students admitted FA20 or later, a 50% TA position will also pay this balance of $231.17. Many other forms of campus employment and fellowships will also come with similar tuition & fee waivers, but students will need to refer to the specific offer for confirmation and details.
Non-Residents will also be charged Nonresident Supplemental Tuition in the amount of $5,034 each quarter. Our department supports these students by paying this Nonresident Supplemental Tuition for their first year in the program (totaling approximately $15,102). Prior to the start of the second year, it is expected that these students will apply for California residency for tuition purposes. Once they have this residency status, they will not be charged Nonresident Supplemental Tuition. Should they choose not to file for residency, they will be required to pay the cost of the Nonresident Supplemental Tuition after the first year.
International students will also be charged Nonresident Supplemental Tuition in the amount of approximately $5,034 each quarter. Our department supports these students by paying this Nonresident Supplemental Tuition for their first three years of enrollment (or through the quarter of graduation, if that happens before the end of the third year). If international students choose to remain enrolled in the program beyond the third year, they will be required to pay the cost of the Nonresident Supplemental Tuition after the third year. Additionally,
Financial support (including employment as a TA, fellowship, and tuition payments) is contingent upon fulltime registration (12 units/quarter), satisfactory progress toward degree completion, campus time limits, and remaining in good academic standing.
UCSD awards a limited number of fellowships to new incoming students:
Summer Training Academy for Research Success (STARS)
To be considered applicants must fill out the fellowship section of the application for admission, meet all eligibility requirements, and be nominated by the MFA Program. Award decisions are made by a campus committee.
MFA students may be eligible for consideration for a few scholarships provided by UCSD supporters. Awards are in the range of $1,000-$3,000. Typically students must demonstrate academic excellence and financial need. Candidates must be nominated by the MFA faculty and Literature Department; students may not self-nominate. Currently registered students should contact the MFA graduate coordinator for more information.
Friends of International Center Scholarship
Awarded to graduate students who are planning to conduct research abroad or foreign graduate students in residence at UCSD. Nominee must have a distinguished academic record and must promote international friendship, understanding, and cooperation in a meaningful way.
Oceanids / Frieda Daum Urey Endowed Fellowship
Awarded to a woman who has had a significant hiatus in her studies since undergraduate education, and for whom the award of the fellowship will make a critical financial difference in her ability to attend UCSD. Doctoral students will be preferred, but master's and professional students are also eligible.
Oceanids / Bertha Lebus Scholarship
Awarded to a graduate student who is returning to UCSD and has had a break in their education of at least one year, preferably longer, from the completion of undergraduate studies. The recipient should have a long-range goal to become a teacher at any educational level.
Oceanids Memorial Fellowship
Awarded to a graduate student who has exhibited academic excellence and financial need at the General Campus of UCSD or the Scripps Institute of Oceanography. Nominee must be a US citizen or permanent resident.
Applicants may want to search for privately funded scholarships, grants or fellowships to help defray the costs of their graduate program. Examples:
Point Foundation scholarships for LGBTQ students
Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans
Gates Millennium Scholars Program
Speculative Literature Foundation
See How to Find Free Money for Grad School (USA Today) for search tips. International students should look for similar resources in their home countries.
Note: When a student is admitted with an extramural award and/or contract that funds their tuition and fees, the funds from that primary source of support are used first. Any subsequent award/tuition and fee remission made from university funds are used only in the case of a shortfall in the primary source of support.
MFA students who have been invited to present a paper at a conference may want to apply for a travel grant from one of these sources.
There are a limited number of teaching positions on campus during the summer. Below are two of the best opportunities for MFA students.
MFA students who are employed as TAs for one of UCSD's college writing programs during the academic year may be invited by their program to apply for a limited number of summer positions.
MFA students can propose to design and teach a course for Academic Connections, a campus-based program that introduces high school students to the college experience. Academic Connections accepts course proposals during the fall for courses to be taught the following summer.