Updated 8/24/2023

Graduate students who are candidates for the Ph.D. degree are generally accepted into the MCB Program with a commitment of financial support while their research and academic studies progress satisfactorily. Most students entering the MCB Program receive one full year of support as division fellows; a few exceptional students might be awarded a University or Dean's Fellowship for their first year. Second-year students typically receive support during one semester of the academic year as teaching assistants. Occasionally in the first year, and more commonly in the second or third years, students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents and who show exceptional academic promise may be appointed by the MCB Executive Committee as NIH training grant trainees. Faculty who accept graduate students into their laboratories under the auspices of the MCB Program are expected to provide both academic year and summer support for their students who have fulfilled the minimum teaching requirement, and who are not receiving support from other sources. This support will include stipends for both academic year and summer; one tuition credit or registration fee per semester as appropriate; and the health services fee.

All students receive the same amount of yearly stipend regardless of its source. The exceptions to this rule are individually awarded external fellowships (such as from the National Science Foundation) that pay a different amount from the MCB stipend. Students who are awarded external fellowships also receive a stipend bonus of $250 per month during the period covered by the fellowship.