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The Tribal Membership Initiative

 (TMI) is administered by the UC San Diego Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs (GEPA) and aims to increase diversity by providing fellowships to incoming graduate students of Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian ancestry. These groups’ federal and state recognition depends not on their racial or ethnic designation, but on the political designation as enrolled members of a community to which the state has a political arrangement that includes responsibilities and obligations.

The following topics may be found on the TMI Fellowship website.

TMI Application Process

  • Fall & Winter
    • TMI Application Process in Slate
      • Applicants to graduate study at UC San Diego who wish to be considered for admission under the Tribal Membership Initiative must complete the standard UC San Diego graduate admission application which includes providing letters of recommendation, test scores, and academic records/transcripts.
      • The application contains a section on the personal information page that asks applicants if they would like to receive consideration under the initiative. If yes, they are prompted to indicate their tribal affiliation on the application and provide the required documentation.
        • Documentation of affiliation with a federally recognized tribe may be in the form of a valid tribal identification card, a letter of verification from the tribal chair, or chair of the tribal educational committee.  View this website for a list of federally recognized tribes.
        • Native Hawaiian applicants should provide a copy of their Hawaiian Registry card from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs or a verification letter from Kamehameha Schools.
      • Applicants should submit this documentation during the online application process or to the department/program to which they have applied.
        • If an applicant sends documentation to the department
          • The department should upload the applicant’s documentation in Slate and label it “TMI Documentation”
          • If the applicant is admitted into an eligible grad program, then the department should nominate the applicant for the TMI Fellowship 
            • GEPA will check the applicant's eligibility for the TMI. If eligible for the TMI, GEPA will award the TMI Fellowship in Slate and the applicant will be notified via Slate.
            • The applicant will then have the option to accept the award.
    • Proactive Outreach to Prospective TMI Fellowship Recipients
      • GEPA also sends communication about the TMI Fellowship and Fellowship Application Instructions to potentially eligible applicants.
      • If the applicants are interested in being considered for the TMI, they are instructed to send their documents to their graduate coordinator.
      • If an applicant sends documentation to the department
        • The department should upload the student’s documentation in Slate and label it “TMI Documentation”
        • If the applicant is accepted into an eligible grad program, then the department should nominate them for the TMI Fellowship
          • GEPA will check the applicant’s eligibility for the TMI. If eligible for the TMI, GEPA will award the TMI Fellowship in Slate and the student will be notified via Slate.
          • The applicant will then have the option to accept the award 

TMI Nomination Process

Please see Fellowship Workflow Nominations - How To For Departments

Native American Opportunity Program

Please see Native American Opportunity Plan (NAOP) & NAOP FAQs

FAQ

Can a student who has previously been awarded the TMI be awarded again?

UC San Diego students who are eligible for the TMI for their UC San Diego Master’s program may be nominated again for the TMI if they are a new PhD/EdD admit into an eligible UC San Diego PhD/EdD Program.


Can a prospective student who is currently staff at UCSD and a registered member of a federally recognized tribe qualify for a TMI? If, yes, would this change the amount of the stipend? 

They would be treated like any prospective TMI applicant


Can a student combine the TMI and NAOP awards (for example, can they use NAOP during the years they are not funded by TMI?)?

The TMI and NAOP are not separate funds. The NAOP also does not bring additional funds the UC San Diego. Student's home departments are responsible for funding students who qualify for the NAOP.


If a student is awarded the TMI and are also eligible for the TMI, then the student will start their program with the TMI. Once the TMI award time frame ends and if they qualify for NAOP, then the department would be financially responsible for covering the students tuition and fees. Departments may fulfill the requirements of the NAOP requiring their students to GSR/TA/be employed by the department etc. Please see NAOP commitment here. You will notice the TMI provides more support than the NAOP.


If the prospective student does not commit to UCSD until 1-2 weeks after April 15th, are they still eligible for the TMI and/or NAOP? When would we need to nominate the admitted student in order for them to qualify?

The TMI Deadline is Aug 30 to be considered for the upcoming Fall. They need to accept by Aug 30 in order to be awarded the TMI for the fall.


Depending on the program a student is accepted into, the TMI may comes with SHORE and a Competitive Edge Offer. But once the SHORE and Competitive Edge spots are gone, the student will not be eligible for those programs.


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