Funding sources for doctoral students are available in the form of fellowships, teaching assistantships, research assistantships, campus scholarships, and grant awards. The School of Nursing typically provides full support for resident tuition and fees during the first two years of the PhD program. 

Types of Financial Aid for Doctoral Students

Direct Unsubsidized Loans are federally guaranteed loans that all students, regardless or need, are eligible to receive. Interest begins accruing after the first initial disbursement. Students are not required to start making payments on this loan until six (6) months after they graduate or drop below half time.

For more information please see our Loan Guides on the Publications page.

The Direct PLUS Loan is a loan option for Graduate/Professional students to help pay for their educational costs. Students can borrow up to the cost of attendance minus any other financial aid that the student is receiving. Interest begins accruing upon first disbursements. Students are not required to start making payments on this loan until sixty (60) days after the loan is fully disbursed. Students may also defer payment if the student is enrolled at least half-time, or during the six (6) month period after graduation, or after the student drops below half-time enrollment.

For more information please see our Graduate Loan Guide on our forms and publications page, or our PLUS vs Private Loan fact sheet, for a quick comparison of the two types of loan.

The UCLA Graduate Division offers several types of need/merit based support. These fellowships are described in the financial support section on www.grad.ucla.edu. Please see the listing below.

Graduate Dean's Scholar Award: This Fellowship provides a tuition paying award plus a $21,000 stipend a year for two years to an outstanding applicant in the entering class.

Eugene Cota Robles Fellowship: This Fellowship provides a tuition paying award plus a $25,000 stipend a year for four years to students who are socioeconomic disadvantaged. If necessary, nonresident supplemental tuition for the first year only.

University Fellowship: Each entering doctoral student will receive a fellowship to cover tuition for their first year if they are not covered by another fellowship.

Special Fellowships: Various special fellowships are described on www.grad.ucla.edu. Applicants from across the campus compete for these awards.

A Teaching Assistantship (TA) is a meaningful way for graduate students to obtain teaching experience. Teaching assistants are selected on the basis of scholarship and promise as teachers. A Graduate Student Researchers (GSR) assists faculty with scholarly research under the direction and supervision of a faculty member. GSRs are selected on the basis of scholastic achievement and promise as creative scholars. Students who are placed in a TA or GSR position will be awarded fee remissions to pay that quarter's tuition plus a stipend starting fall quarter of their second year.

Fee remissions are benefits paid for by the hiring department to cover partial graduate tuition and fees. Graduate students who meet AAP eligibility requirements can expect to see credits in their BruinBill account. 

The following fee categories are covered by fee remissions benefits:

  • Health Insurance - 100%
  • Tuition - 100%
  • Student Services Fee - 100%
  • Campus Fee - 100% (ASE only)
  • Nonresident Supplemental Tuition - 100% (GSR only)

Learn more about working at UCLA.

Qualifying career employees at UC may be eligible to receive a two-thirds (66%) reduction in the Tuition and Student Services fees. Enrollment for nursing students is limited to twelve (12) units or four (4) courses, whichever is greater. More information on Employee Reduced Fee Enrollment may be found here.

Applications must be submitted quarterly once term fees are assessed. UCLA employees may access the Employee Experience Center to submit the Employee Reduced Fee Enrollment Application. Employees at other UCs must complete a paper application

Choosing how to finance your education is one of the most important decisions you will make - and the impact of that decision will follow you well beyond graduation. Once you have exhausted your eligibility for Federal, State, and University financial aid and loans, you may need to consider applying for a private educational loan, also called an alternative loan. These loans are not federal student loans. They are offered by private lenders and are used to supplement other types of financial aid. The interest rates and repayment terms on these loans may vary.

Students may refer to the UC Preferred Lender List which includes lenders that have been extensively evaluated by the University of California Office of the President and found to provide competitive rates and loan terms to students.

UC Code of Conduct for Preferred Lender Arrangements

 

Applying for Aid

Students entering the UCLA School of Nursing are advised to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or California Dream Act Application (CADAA). The priority deadline is March 2. The UCLA school code is 001315

Learn more about applying for aid

 

Corbett Disclosure Statement

Students considering student loans need to be aware of the differences between federal student loans and private student loans.

 

Important Notice: Federal student loans are available to most students regardless of income and provide a range of repayment options including income-based repayment plans and loan forgiveness benefits, which other education loans are not required to provide.

  • Federal student loans are required by law to provide a range of flexible repayment options including, but not limited to, income-based and income-contingent repayment plans, as well as loan forgiveness benefits that private lenders are not required to provide.
  • Federal direct loans are available to most students regardless of income. Other qualification criteria do apply. For more information, please visit the Federal Student Aid Website.
  • Private student loan lenders can offer variable interest rates that can increase or decrease over time, depending on market conditions.
  • The interest rate on a private loan may depend on borrower's and/or cosigner's credit rating.
  • Private student loans have a range of interest rates and fees and students should determine the interest rate of, and any fees associated with, the private student loan included in their financial aid award package before accepting the loan.
  • Students should contact the lender of the private student loan or their UC campus' financial aid office if they have any questions about a private student loan.