Several types of financial assistance are available to graduate students at UCI. These include fellowships, teaching and research assistantships, tuition fellowships (for non-resident students), grants-in-aid and student loans. Support is often provided through some combination of these awards.

Financial assistance to transportation students is provided by the UCI campus, UCI's participating academic departments and UCI's Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS). These awards are highly competitive and are made on the basis of academic achievement and potential, among other factors. All fellowship, teaching assistantship and research assistantship awards are made in accordance with the affirmative action policies of the University of California.

Graduate students in transportation are eligible for Regents' Fellowships, UCI Chancellor's Fellowships and UCI Chancellor's Opportunity Fellowships. These fellowships are awarded each year to especially promising students entering the M.S./ Ph.D. and Ph.D. programs.

Through the Graduate and Professional Opportunity Program, a number of fellowships and assistantships are awarded to entering and continuing graduate students from groups including targeted minorities and women in certain fields who have traditionally been underrepresented in higher education in the United States.

In addition to these campus awards, graduate students in transportation who are either U.S. citizens or permanent residents are eligible for University of California Transportation Center (UCTC) Fellowships. These awards are made to both master's and doctoral students.

UCI's Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS) has a rich history of providing financial support for UCI graduate students in transportation through its sponsored research programs. In the last 15 years, we have provided more than $1 million in graduate fellowships and funding for over 500 graduate student research positions. At any given time, 75%-100% of graduate students are fully supported by assistantships and/or fellowships.

Applicants interested in assistantships or fellowships should indicate this on their application for admission. Graduate applications should be completed by January 15 to receive full consideration for these awards. Continuing students interested in assistantships or fellowships should contact the graduate student advisor for their program. The award of fellowships for the subsequent academic year begins in the winter quarter (January-March).