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 2025-26 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 competitive fellowship from external sources. The fellowship must be awarded to the student, have a funding duration of at least one (1) year, and cover at least 50% of the base graduate student stipend to be eligible.

The following are not eligible for the supplement: 1) student appointments to training grants or, 2) training supplements made to a Scripps Research faculty member, Scripps Research as an institute, or to a collaborating faculty member or institution.

Typically, the supplement is $10,000 above the base stipend. Thus, with the 2025-26 base stipend between $43,680 and $45,760, students who secure eligible 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.

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 or stipend supplement should be directed to the Office of Graduate Studies.