UC LEADS Fellowship

About

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

Eligibility and Applications

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. Beginning with alumni applying to a UC STEM Ph.D. program to enroll in fall 2025, all admitted UC LEADS alumni are eligible to receive competitive funding packages of at least 5 years. There is no additional application, and there is currently no limit to the number of awards that will be given.

Award

Fellowship Funding
The UC LEADS Fellowship is a cost-shared award package between UCOP and UC graduate programs, and includes tuition and fees, stipend/salary support (at the competitive level for the student’s program), and a summer stipend (for at minimum the 2 years being covered by UCOP). UCOP is flexible regarding which years the student is supported by the UC LEADS fellowship vs. by the department/program. The only restriction is that the student cannot be on UCOP fellowship resources for the first two consecutive years. (For example, a student may be supported by the fellowship for years 1 and 3 and by the department for years 2, 4, and 5; or a student may be supported by the fellowship for years 2 and 3 and by the department for years 1, 4, and 5, etc.)

Year	Salary/Stipend	Tuition/Fees	NRST	Total	Source
Year 1 (e.g. AY 2025-26)	Stipend (AY 25-26): $36,000	$18,500*	$15,102	$69,602	UCOP or Department**
	1st yr living supplement: $3,000			$3,000	UCOP
	Professional development: $5,000			$5,000	UCOP
Total Year 1				$77,602
Year 2	Summer stipend: $7,500			$7,500
Year 2	AY stipend: $36,000	$18,500.00*	--	$54,500
Total Year 2				$62,000
Year 3	Summer stipend: $7,500			$7,500	UCOP or Department**
Year 3	AY stipend: $36,000	$18,500.00*		$54,500	UCOP or Department**
Total Year 3				$62,000
Year 4	Summer stipend: $7,500			$7,500	UCOP or Department**
Year 4	AY stipend: $36,000	$18,500.00*	--		UCOP or Department**
Total Year 4				$62,000
Year 5	Summer stipend: $7,500			$7,500	UCOP or Department**
Year 5	AY stipend: $36,000	$18,500.00*	--	$54,500	UCOP or Department**
Total Year 5				$62,000

*Please see the Registrar's website for current graduate student tuition and fee rates at UC San Diego.

**UCOP is flexible regarding which years the student is supported by the UC LEADS fellowship vs. by the department/program. The only restriction is that the student cannot be on UCOP fellowship resources for the first two consecutive years.

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.

UC LEADS Graduate Application Fee Waivers

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