Costs and Financial Support

Cost of Housing

A range of housing options are available to UCSB students: university owned single-student and family apartments, off-campus privately owned apartments, duplexes, rooms, and houses. Single students can expect to pay approximately $800-$900 per month for a studio apartment in the community. However, many graduate students live in shared housing arrangements (room in a house or apartment) and can expect to pay from $500 per month for a shared room to $800 per month for a single room in a house or an apartment. University owned family student apartments are available for married students and rent for approximately $650-$950 per month for a one- or two-bedroom unit. University owned shared single student apartments rent for approximately $450-$950. See the UCSB Housing and Residential Services webpage for further information on both university owned and community housing. Early application is necessary for University owned housing.

Cost of Study

Full-time students who are California residents will pay $3117.20 per quarter in institutional fees for the 2006-2007 academic year. In addition to the institutional fees, non-California residents will pay $4,898.00 per quarter for tuition plus additional registration fees. (All fees are subject to change.) Fees and tuition are generally covered by the student's financial support package (described below).

Financial Support

Students admitted to the Materials Department are appointed as Graduate Student Researchers (GSR) and are generally supported by funds from research grants and contracts obtained by Department faculty. The research performed is guided by the student's advisor(s) and generally becomes the student's dissertation. Currently, the GSR appointments include an annual stipend of $24,000 plus payment of registration, tuition, and health insurance fees. This support is sufficient to cover typical student living expenses plus the cost of books. Citizens and U.S. permanent residents are eligible for California residency after one year and are expected to take the necessary steps to become state residents. University fellowships are also available and awarded on a competitive basis, and are usually supplemented by the department with a partial teaching or GSR appointment. Students are also encouraged to apply for extramural fellowships, including the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship, and the National Physical Science Consortium Fellowship.