Overview of Financial Support
Doctoral students in the Spanish graduate program making satisfactory progress are supported for five years. Masters students in the Spanish Graduate program making satisfactory progress are supported for two years. Support for our students comes from a combination of fellowships & teaching positions.
Year-long and quarter-long fellowships are awarded on a competitive basis, typically to doctoral students in their first year or one of their two dissertation research/writing years. Other miscellaneous fellowships, such as travel stipends for conference presentations and stipends for research abroad, are available as well. For more information on fellowships, see below.
US citizens and permanent residents should complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each year in order to be considered for certain fellowships and other assistance that requires demonstrated financial need. The FAFSA is required for access to federal loans and UC Davis Campus Grants, both of which are need-based.
For more information on teaching and other types of graduate student work, please see Employment.
For information on Child Care Financial Assistance, see the worklife & wellness website.
Health, Vision, and Dental insurance are available to graduate students and their dependents through UC Davis SHIP. The cost of SHIP is covered by UC Davis for graduate students who receive full tuition fellowships or who are employed in graduate student titles at 25% time (10 hours per week) or higher. Graduate students may purchase Dependent coverage for an additional cost.
Guidelines for TA Renewal
During the first half of each Spring quarter, TAship renewals for graduate students will be determined for the following academic year according to the following guidelines:
I. Continuing students who have not exceeded the support limitations as outlined in their admissions financial funding offer letter will be considered for renewal if they meet the following criteria:
1. Maintain a minimum of 3.0 GPA while making normal or better progress toward degree goal as determined by M.A. or Ph.D. advisers and dissertation directors.
2. Good teaching record as determined by TA Supervisor, Faculty visits, and Student evaluations.
II. Students who have exceeded the support limitations or who do not meet either of the above criteria will be required to submit a request to teach and will be considered and ranked with new applicants.
III. Failure to pass M.A. or Ph.D. exams or to maintain a 3.0 GPA, accumulation of more than 8 units of I/F/U grades, or failure to maintain a good teaching record will result in automatic denial of a teaching position until exam is passed and/or GPA is improved.
Fellowships
Graduate students have a variety of fellowships available which can support them during the course of their studies:
- Joseph H. Silverman Memorial Scholarship - The Department of Spanish and Portuguese is pleased to accept applications for the Joseph H. Silverman Memorial Fellowship which will provide a living stipend and (if applicable) the payment of CA resident fees and tuition. This endowed fellowship is awarded for graduate students whose dissertation explores in any capacity the literatures and cultures of early modern Iberian and colonial Latin America. Applicants must approach the early modern period either as their main research focus, or as a related sub-field that provides relevant historical discussions and frameworks to their main topic.
- Internal Fellowships - The graduate studies website provides information about the fellowship application for Internal Fellowships (campus-wide competition).
Prospective applicants - Make sure to complete the Internal Fellowship Application online, after completing the admissions application (the fellowship application will not be accessible until the admissions application has been submitted). Many of these fellowships include a living stipend as well as fees and tuition. Applicants must complete both the admissions and fellowship applications by the priority deadline. Internal fellowships available at UC Davis include:- Provost’s Fellowships in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences - A limited number of first-year fellowships will be awarded to the top entering students. Make sure to apply by the priority deadline. A limited number of Dissertation-Year fellowships for students in the final stages of writing their dissertation are available as well. Students must use the "Internal Fellowships Application" to be considered for these fellowships.
- Dissertation Quarter Fellowships - Students writing their dissertation may apply to receive a Dissertation Quarter Fellowship from the Department of Spanish. The number of these fellowships available may vary from year to year.
- Davis Humanities Institute - The DHI offers various funding opportunities for UC Davis graduate students including summer travel & research awards and research cluster funding.
- External Fellowships - Various foundations and agencies external to UC Davis offer fellowships to students pursuing graduate degrees in Spanish.
- Non-Resident Supplemental Tuition Fellowships - Out-of-state and international applicants may be awarded Non-Resident Supplemental Tuition (NRST) Fellowships. Applicants should apply by the priority deadline in order to be considered for NRST Fellowships. Domestic non-residents are expected to establish California residency after 1 year by taking the appropriate steps outlined by the residence deputy.