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UC LEADS Fellowship

Scholar presents their research at UCSB at the end of their 2024 summer
Scholar presents their research at UCSB at the end of their 2024 summer

The UC Office of the President now supports the UC LEADS Fellowship, designed to increase the application, admission and enrollment of talented UC LEADS scholars in UC STEM Ph.D. programs.

Graduate Program Application Fee Waivers
The application fee is waived for UC LEADS alumni applying to master’s and doctoral programs at all 10 of our UC campuses. (Note: this waiver applies to UC master's applications as well, though the fellowship is for UC Ph.D. students only.)

Fellowship Award Details
For funding eligibility, UC LEADS alumni must apply and be admitted to a UC STEM Ph.D. program within 5 years of completing their UC LEADS undergraduate program. There is no additional application. Fellowships will be awarded based upon availability of funds, so requests should be submitted as early as possible.

  • Fellowship Funding
    Two years of fellowship funding is cost-shared by the UC Office of the President and the relevant campus Graduate Division. UCOP will provide 1 year of fellowship support (which includes NRST, if applicable, and a summer stipend). The amount of the fellowship is determined by the competitive levels of the admitting program/department. UCOP will match the competitive funding level on a per program basis. 
    The campus Graduate Division will be required to match this fellowship amount for 1 year. Ideally, the summer stipend will also be matched in a second summer, though splitting one summer with UCOP is also an option.
    The campus or program will be required to provide the remaining 3 years of support in the form of fellowship and/or employment as a Graduate Student Researcher (GSR) or Teaching Assistant (TA/GSI).
  • Living supplement/transition award
    Enrolled UC LEADS Fellows will receive a $3,000 transition supplement, to support moving expenses and/or the transition to graduate school at a UC campus.
  • Professional development
    Enrolled UC LEADS Fellows will receive a $5,000 professional development funding allocation that may be used at any time during their Ph.D. program.

Extra support

Students in eligible disciplines (Physics/Astronomy, Computer Science/Computer, Engineering, and Math/Statistics) are eligible for the Cal-Bridge Doctoral Professional Development Program (DP2), a four-year cycle of professional development workshops focused on the development of effective pedagogy/communication and research skills.