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Application Fee Waivers

Application fee waivers are available for students with financial need. To be considered for an application fee waiver, you must be a domestic student that has already applied for the Graduate Division’s Application Fee Waiver, or be an international student. Thirty fee waivers are available per application cycle. Students who received a fee waiver in a previous application cycle will be deprioritized in future cycles.

To apply for an application fee waiver through the mathematics department, please follow the below instructions carefully:

1. Upload a one-page (500 word maximum) Statement of Financial Need addressed to the Mathematics Recruitment Committee describing your need for financial assistance within your application.
2. Include what personal resources and other fellowships or grant opportunities will be pursued to help cover graduate education expenses if you are admitted.
3. Domestic Students
   • Submit your application and request an application fee waiver on the Payment/Fee section of the application.
   • Once you have received a response on your request from the graduate division, forward the result to mathgradadvising@ucsc.edu and notify them that you would like to apply for a department fee waiver.
4. International Students
   • On the “Fee Waiver/Payment” page of the application, Select NO to the question, “Do you believe you will need assistance paying for your application processing fee?”
   • Select YES to “Has the program you are applying to agreed to pay for the application processing fee?” The page will tell you a credit card payment is required. Do not pay the application fee.
   • Once your application is submitted, email mathgradadvising@ucsc.edu and notify them that you have submit your application and would like to be considered for an application fee waivers.

Please note, fee waiver requests without a statement of financial need attached to the application will not be considered. Statements of financial need must be attached the application, and will not be considered if emailed directly to the department.

All applicants are eligible to apply for a fee waiver and we encourage you to submit the request if it would support you due to financial hardship.

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Financial Support

The Mathematics Department is strongly committed to the financial support of graduate students who are making good progress toward either the Master’s or the Ph.D. degree.

Students are guaranteed funding by way of Academic Student Employment and fellowships for their first five years, and are usually funded up to six years provided they remain in good academic standing. Funding beyond six years may be considered with prior discussion with the department at the beginning of the sixth year, but should not be expected nor relied on.

The Master’s program is a self-supported program. Historically, we have been able to provide funding to Master’s students in the form of Teaching Assistantships, however, it should be noted that this support can not be guaranteed and should not be expected nor relied on.

Academic Student Employment as a Teaching Assistant (TA) is the most common form of financial support for graduate students in our department. TA appointments are made at 50 percent time (an assigned workload of approximately 220 hours for the quarter, or 20 hours per week). Teaching assistants are under the supervision of the faculty member responsible for the course.

All students are strongly urged to complete a Free Application for Financial Student Aid (FAFSA) each year by the start of fall quarter to determine eligibility for need-based awards. Students are also encouraged to apply for support from the Financial Aid Office as well as from the Mathematics Department. Graduate students are also encouraged to pursue fellowship and scholarship opportunities.

No need-based fellowship can be awarded to a student who does not have a current FAFSA on file. Students facing special financial hardship are urged to make this known to the department in a timely manner. The Mathematics Department will do everything in its power to ensure that all students in good standing are granted sufficient access to financial aid to continue their study of mathematics.

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