Named Research Funds & Block Grant

The department has a number of named funds to support graduate student research.  In addition, the Graduate Division provides Block Grant allocations for graduate student support.  A combination of these funds is used by the Department to provide Departmental Semester and Summer Fellowships.  Block Grant funds also provide for the payment of non-resident tuition for all first-year out-of-state graduate students.

Departmental Semester Fellowship

The Departmental Semester Fellowship (DSF) provides a stipend of $14,500 (2022-23) and pays in-state registration fees for one semester.  All eligible graduate students are guaranteed to receive a one-semester DSF, typically awarded between their 3rd and 5th years. Applications will be solicited each Spring semester and will be considered for the following academic year. To be eligible, students must have:

• passed their Qualifying Examination by the end of the Fall semester of the academic year during which the DSF will be used (does not apply to Clinical Science area).
• completed their two-semester GSI requirement before the DSF will be used (does not apply to Clinical Science area).
• never received a multi-year fellowship or grant from an external or University source.

Once awarded a DSF, the student can choose to use it during the fall or spring semester of the following year. If the student does not use it during the awarded academic year, they will forfeit the award.

While the department guarantees the one-semester DSF for all students who meet the above criteria, the exact timing of the award may depend on seniority and budgetary considerations.

Non-Resident Supplemental Tuition

Each first-year domestic student who is out-of-state (i.e., is not yet a California resident), without a multi-year fellowship, has their non-resident supplemental tuition  (NRST) paid by the department for their first and second semesters only. Eligible students must become California residents for tuition purposes before the third semester to avoid being charged non-resident tuition. All out-of-state domestic students in their third or later semester are responsible for payment of their NRST.

Each first-year international student without a multi-year fellowship has their non-resident tuition (NRST) paid by their sponsoring faculty mentor for the first and second semesters. The department pays it for the third and fourth semesters. International students must complete their Qualifying Examination and advance to Ph.D. candidacy prior to the beginning of their third year to be eligible for a Graduate Division waiver.  After advancing to Ph.D. candidacy, international students receive Graduate Division NRST waivers in years 3, 4, and 5. International students are advised to discuss these matters with their faculty mentor and the Graduate Student Services Advisor during their first semester in the program.

External Fellowships

In addition to department specific funds, we also have a number of named external fellowship and grant opportunities that grads are encouraged to consider. This list is in bcourses>Psychology Graduate Students>Files>Fellowships>External Fellowships Recommend by Psych Grads [Running List]

Psychology Department
Travel Awards for Graduate Students

The department provides travel grants to support graduate students who would like to present at professional conferences.

Departmental travel awards are designed to supplement the Graduate Division travel grants. Each graduate student is allowed two Graduate Division awards per graduate career, with amounts based on the location of the travel.  Both Graduate Division awards must be applied for before seeking departmental travel awards, unless Graduate Division awards become generally unavailable for a given time period.

We recommend that trainees apply for the maximum Graduate Division travel grant allowed.  If a full Graduate Division award is provided for a given conference, trainees are not permitted to seek Departmental travel grants for that same conference.  Departmental travel grants, though, can be used to cover remaining conference costs that are not reimbursed by a partial Graduate Division travel grant.

Any planned travel must comply with CDC and University health recommendations regarding travel; please check the latest requirements carefully and frequently, as the University will not reimburse travel expenses that are not in compliance and the rules have changed frequently in 2020-2021.

Pending budget availability, departmental awards for domestic travel are available up to $500, or up to $800 for international travel per conference to cover unreimbursed expenses. Although you may request reimbursement for expenses of attending a remote conference, we generally recommend applying your award to in-person conferences.

Across the graduate career, trainees can receive up to two departmental travel awards, and no more than $1300. International travel grants can be received no more than one time during the graduate career, and count toward the two allowed travel grants. Under rare exceptions, budget permitting, we may be  able to honor modest requests above this amount, with academic or financial justification.

Other forms of support (e.g., faculty advisor supplement for travel, conference travel award, Academic Opportunity Fund award) are encouraged as well.  Many conferences provide free or reduced registration for graduate students who volunteer to help with conference duties; seeking these options through the conference organizer as early as possible is recommended.  Many associations also provide mechanisms to apply for conference travel awards.

In the event that funds are limited, we will prioritize (in order of importance): first-authored presentations, oral presentations, those who have not yet received travel funding from the department at all, and those who have not yet received travel funding in the past year.

Trainees can apply for the departmental travel award before they know whether their presentation/poster has been accepted; if the work is not accepted, let the graduate advisor know to save the award for a different conference. Trainees must keep the graduate advisor updated about whether presentations are accepted (or not), changes in plans, or any errors in the application.

The departmental travel grants will be administered by the head graduate advisor in consultation with the departmental chair.

Decision Criteria

To qualify for a departmental travel award, trainees must meet each of these criteria:

1. Will be presenting (or co-authoring) a poster or a talk at the conference
2. Currently registered, on filing fee status, or a clinical student on internship
3. The conference will happen at least two months before trainee graduates
4. Has already received two Graduate Division travel grants (or is applying during a time when such awards are not available)
5. Has not received a full Graduate Division travel grant for the given conference
6. Has not received 2 previous departmental travel awards
7. Has unreimbursed conference expenses
8. Travel plans are fully compliant with the University and the CDC travel safety recommendations, such as these (please search as websites may change over time):
9. https://coronavirus.berkeley.edu/travel/   and
10. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/travel-during-covid1...

How to Apply

After you verify that you meet the above criteria, submit your application online here: Psych_Grad_Travel_Award_application

Timing of Applications and Decisions

Procedures for Reimbursement

(Submission Deadline – 10 Days after Travel)
Keep track of your credit card and original receipts. Receipts must show proof of payment and detail on the expense. It also must be clear that you personally paid for the expense.

Only expenses not reimbursed from other sources can be submitted.

Examples of allowable expenses include: Travel (flights, public transportation, mileage, parking, uber/cab, etc), lodging, food, conference registration, poster printing. Only actual receipts can be reimbursed; per diem requests will not be honored.

Travel awards can only be applied to the conference initially approved.

Reimbursements can only be filed after travel is complete, and must be filed within 10 days. No advance payment is available.

Complete a Berkeley Regional Services (BRS) Travel Reimbursement Request Form. Access forms at: https://gse.berkeley.edu/resources-forms/business-services-office/purcha...

YOUR FORM MUST INCLUDE ALL OF THE FOLLOWING:

• Student Name
• ID Number
• Correct Chartstring (see below)
• Traveler Signature
• Copy of the Travel Award Email Notification
• Receipts for All items requesting reimbursement for
• The conference pamphlet (showing your presentation or poster or the email detailing your acceptance)
• If the Graduate Division provided a partial travel award for the conference, provide the notification of approved funds from the Graduate Division.

Please use the correct Chartstring (Chart of Account)

The following chartstrings are for TRAVEL AWARDS ONLY

Please submit your completed travel reimbursement form and all supporting documents as ONE PDF file to Tanya Robles (trobles@berkeley.edu) to be processed. If you are a nonclinical student, you must cc: Psychgradadvisor@berkeley.edu on that email.

Department Use:
Non Clinical Students: processed in SIS (Student Information Systems). Clinical students: processed in T&E