Tuition and Fees

Just as the University of California is considered the nation's best public university system, so the Bren School is ranked as one of the top U.S. schools for graduate study in Environmental Science & Management. Furthermore, the cost of a graduate education at UCSB is significantly less than at most other well-respected universities, and unlike many professional schools, the Bren School does not charge extra tuition.

The University of California charges both fees and out-of-state tuition. California residents pay only fees; non-residents and international students pay fees and tuition; however, most non-residents are able to establish residency after one year. All graduate students must also pay for health insurance ($719/quarter) unless they can provide proof of existing coverage.

Total fees and health insurance for residents are approximately $11,553/year. Non-resident fees, health insurance, and tuition are approximately $26,589/year.

Total cost of the 2-year MESM program:

Click here for detailed information on fees:.

If you are currently not a California resident but attended high school in California for at least three years and graduated from a California high school, you may be eligible for in-state rates. Visit the UCSB Offfice of the Registrar web site for more information about establishing residency for fee purposes.

An up-to-date graduate-student cost budget, including living expenses, can be found on the UCSB Financial Aid pages.

Financing Your Education

MESM students meet a substantial portion of their educational costs through personal funds, federal loans, work-study, extramural fellowships, and/or self-generated employment. In addition to the information below, you may want to review the financial information available on the UCSB Graduate Division Financial Support pages.

School-Based Awards

Recruitment Incentives

Every year, the Bren School receives some funds from the Graduate Division, which are known as block grants and are used as recruitment incentive awards in the form of payment for fees, non-resident tuition, and/or stipends. The Bren School has additional funds available for recruitment incentive awards, thanks to the generosity of a number of donors who have provided the school with gifts and/or endowments to be used for student prizes and fellowships.

This support is awarded on the basis of merit, and recipients have high GPAs and GRE scores and show professional and academic promise. Prospective students who submit their Bren School applications no later than January 10 are automatically considered for these school-based awards. No additional application is required. School-based fellowships for MESM students generally range from $2,000 to $15,000 and provide incoming students with financial support for their first year.

UCSB abides by the Council of Graduate Schools resolution stating that prospective students are under no obligation to accept a financial award until April 15. Click here to see a PDF version of the resolution.

Fee Fellowship

Each year, the Bren School receives a special allocation of funds from the Graduate Division to be used for Need-Based Fee Fellowships for Continuing Students. Students are invited to apply in spring quarter of their first year. Awards are generally made for one quarter of fee payment, and recipients are selected primarily on the basis of need.

Doris Duke Conservation Fellows Program

The Bren School is one of only eight university programs in the United States to host The Doris Duke Conservation Fellows Program. Founded in 1997, funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, and managed by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, it is the nation’s premier leadership development program supporting future conservation leaders who are pursuing master’s degrees in multidisciplinary environmental studies programs.

Each Doris Duke Conservation Fellowship provides up to $26,000 for fees, health insurance, and tuition (if applicable) for the second year of the MESM program, plus a $5,000 stipend to cover the cost of a summer internship. MESM students can apply during fall quarter of their first year. Normally, five students are selected as Fellows.

University-Based Fellowships

MESM students are not eligible for University-wide fellowships administered by the Graduate Division, which are awarded only to PhD students.

Teaching Assistantships

Because the Bren School does not have an undergraduate program, no TA positions are available for MESM students. The few TA positions that Bren does have available are to support MESM courses, and the University requires that they be filled by PhD students.

Each year, a few MESM students are able to secure TA positions in other departments at the University. The UCSB Academic Student Employee Positions page has contact information for all departments that have TA positions available. However, TA positions in other departments are not abundant, and each department gives first priority to its own students, so you should not count on fully financing your education through such positions. Students should apply directly to departments for available TA positions.

The most abundant source of TA positions for Bren students has been the Environmental Studies Program (ES), a large undergraduate program in the College of Letters and Sciences. Since ES does not have a graduate program, it employs graduate students from other departments to cover its teaching needs. Typically, in late April or early May, the ES Program posts an application for TA positions for the upcoming academic year. The deadline for submission is usually near the end of May.

Teaching assistants earn a salary of ~$5,200/quarter (for half-time employment). Student TAs who work quarter-time or more also earn payment of the Graduate Students Health Insurance Premium (GSHIP), as well as payment of all but about $220 of their fees.

Graduate Student Researcher

A Graduate Student Researcher (GSR) is a graduate student who assists a faculty member with scholarly research and is paid from extramural funds that the faculty member has secured through funding agencies. Often, a GSR collaborates in the publication of research results, as determined by supervising faculty members. As such, GSRs are selected for their high achievement and promise or for their productive scholarship. GSRs are not assigned teaching, administrative, or general assistance duties.

GSR positions are arranged on an individual basis between the student and a faculty member who is the Principal Investigator on a research grant, and generally are not “applied for” as one would a Teaching Assistantship. Most faculty members use PhD students to fill their GSR positions and hire MESM students more often as student assistants (described below).

Graduate student researchers earn a salary of ~$4,000 to $5,000/quarter for half-time employment, depending on their qualifications. Employment as a GSR for quarter-time or more includes payment of the Graduate Students Health Insurance Premium. Employment as a 35%-time or more GSR generally also includes payment of fees and nonresident tuition (dependent on funding agency limitations).

Student Assistants

Periodically, Bren School administration and individual faculty have part-time employment opportunities for students to provide administrative, tutoring, or research assistance (not typically provided by or appropriate for a GSR). Students who have a work-study allocation are especially attractive applicants for these positions. Student assistant positions pay an hourly wage but do not provide any fee or GSHIP remittance.

Other On-campus Employment

Some UCSB departments employ graduate students as Readers and Tutors. Campus Learning Assistance Services (CLAS) employs students as Tutors, Peer Learning Skills Counselors, and Intake Counselors for course-specific tutoring and academic skill development.

A number of UCSB faculty, departments, and organizations employ students in administrative and service functions. Visit the the following sites to explore on-campus employment opportunities:

Kiosk Listing (UCSB Student Jobs and Careers)

Current UCSB Employment Bulletin

Student Affairs Student Positions

Off-campus Employment

Depending on their workload, Bren MESM students may work part-time or complete local internships during the academic year.

The Santa Barbara News-Press classified section lists job openings in the Santa Barbara area. Gaucho Link — the UCSB "job board" — has listings from area businesses and residential employers for full-time, part-time, and seasonal employment.

Free Application for Federal Student Aid

The Bren School expects all prospective and current domestic students to submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), available online or at the financial aid office of any college or university in the United States. The FAFSA is required in order to be considered for any federal, University, or Bren-based financial support. The FAFSA is used to compile a “need analysis” in determining distribution of all financial support packages, including grants, fellowships, work-study, and loans. The application deadline for the subsequent Fall Quarter is March 2.

Federal Financial Aid

U.S. citizens and eligible non-citizens may apply for need-based loans and work-study awards through the UCSB Financial Aid Office. Eligible non-citizens are those who are in the U.S. for other than a temporary purpose. You meet this requirement if you have an I-151 Alien Registration Card, an I-94 Arrival-Departure Report Card stamped "refugee" or "applicant for adjustment," or have been granted asylum in the U.S.

These financial aid programs are based entirely on demonstrated financial need. Students' eligibility for aid is determined by comparing the "Estimated Student Budget" with the individual student's actual resources. Assistance from the Financial Aid Office is usually offered as a combination package of work study and direct loans.

At UCSB, financial aid in the form of federal work-study and federal subsidized and unsubsidized direct loans are handled by the UCSB Financial Aid office, not by individual units, such as the Bren School. You will need to work with the Financial Aid office, not the Bren School, to obtain information about aid available to you through federal financial aid programs .

Funding Resources

Numerous public and private fellowships and scholarships are available to graduate students. The Graduate Division website has list of resources for helping to identify extramural funding. The Bren School also maintains a list of potential funding opportunities that are brought to our attention students in the environmental field.

Time Constraints

Incoming students should bear in mind that the Bren MESM program is a full-time program that most students find quite challenging. You should expect to spend at least 40 to 50 hours per week on your studies. As such, most students find it difficult to work more than about 10 hours per week, though this varies from student to student. Many choose not to work at all, while others have worked as many as 20 hours per week. We generally advise students to take the first quarter and assess whether they truly have the time and energy for both the MESM program and a job.

If you have significant constraints on your time due to work, family, or personal considerations, please feel free to discuss with us the possibility of taking more than two years to complete your degree, keeping in mind that the University requires that full fees, etc., be paid each quarter regardless of how many units a graduate student takes.

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