Financial Support

Financial support for graduate students is provided by Scripps Research, the student’s advisor, and national fellowships. This support covers tuition, health insurance, and stipend. Effective October 1, 2024, the stipend level for academic year 2024-25 is $43,680 on the Florida campus and $45,760 on the California campus.

The stipend is subject to change based on cost of living increases and national competitiveness.

PREDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIPS
Scripps Research encourages students to apply for fellowships during their senior year of undergraduate study. It is possible to apply for fellowships after matriculation in graduate school, but history demonstrates that they are much more difficult to secure after leaving the undergraduate institution.

Predoctoral fellowships are available from several agencies including the National Science Foundation (NSF). This highly competitive fellowship recognizes undergraduate achievement and future promise. NSF predoctoral fellowships will provide stipend support and a yearly allocation to procure computers, books and travel related to graduate studies.

STIPEND SUPPLEMENT
A stipend supplement is extended to graduate students who have secured a fellowship from external sources. The fellowship must cover at least 50% of the base stipend to be eligible for the supplement. Typically, the supplement is $10,000 above the base stipend. Thus, with the 2024-25 base stipend between $43,680 and $45,760, students who secure fellowships can anticipate a total stipend of between $53,680 and $55,760.

Effective August 1, 2024, the $10,000 stipend supplement is only available to graduate students while their fellowship award is active. As soon as a fellowship’s coverage time reaches the end date (as defined by the fellowship granting organization), the student’s stipend supplement also ends, and the student’s stipend will revert to the base stipend level in effect at that time.

For new students arriving on campus with an eligible fellowship, Scripps Research will allow students to defer the start time of their fellowship (if permissible by the granting organization) for up to one (1) year and still receive the $10,000 stipend supplement during the deferral period. In other words, a new student who chooses to defer the start time of their fellowship for one year will receive the $10k supplement in year one, then also in any subsequent years that the student is supported by the fellowship funds (e.g., through year four for a three-year fellowship).

If the amount of the external fellowship exceeds the combined amount of the base stipend plus supplement, the student’s stipend shall return to the current base stipend plus supplement amount; e.g., a $60,000 fellowship shall be set at $55,760.

Questions related to the stipend should be directed to the Office of Graduate Studies.