What you need to know about funding at UC Davis

Funding in the Study of Religion Ph.D. program typically comes from a combination of fellowships and employment. Students may also elect to apply for financial aid such as loans, workstudy, and grants.

Fellowships

• Internal: UC Davis uses a variety of internal fellowship funds to support academic graduate students. Internal fellowships can provide financial support in the form of a stipend (or "living allowance"), Tuition & Fee, Nonresident Supplemental Tuition (NRST), research, travel or any combination of these. The value of the fellowships varies from $1,000 to as much as a $50,000/year award.  Students applying for admission and those in their dissertation writing years are especially encouraged to apply.

• External: External fellowships are those offered by private foundations, government agencies, and corporations. UC Davis staff are here to support you should you wish to pursue an outside fellowship opportunity.

• XX Program: add if applicable.

Employment

Graduate Student titles include:

• Reader (course assistant who does course admin tasks and grading)
• Teaching Assistant (TA)
• Associate In _ (AI)
• Graduate Student Researcher (GSR)

Students working at least 25% time (10 hours per week) as a Reader, Teaching Assistant, or Associate In receive a remission of resident fees & tuition.  The remission does not cover Non-resident supplemental tuition (NRST). Ph.D. student nonresidents may be offered an NRST fellowship by their home department. . For complete information on fee remissions, see Student Accounting.

Graduate Student Researchers working at least 25% time (10 hours per week) receive a full tuition remission.

Graduate students are limited to working 50% time (20 hours per week) to ensure that they have adequate time to keep up their degree progress.

What type of employment is typical in my program?

Students in the Study of Religion Ph.D. program serve as readers, TAs, and AIs for courses such as these:

RST 001 — Survey of Religion
RST 001G — Myth, Ritual, & Symbolism
RST 001H — Sex, Marriage, & Divorce in Medieval & Modern Society
RST 008 — Healthcare & Religious Ethics
RST 023 — Introduction to Judaism
RST 030 — Religions of South Asia
RST 032 — History of Yoga 
RST 060 — Introduction to Islam
RST 171 — Buddhist Art 

These positions require students to meet eligibility criteria, complete required training, and engage in pedagogical learning and development. 

When not employed in their home department, students sometimes seek employment opportunities in other programs instead of their home department in order to expand their resume.