Graduate Student Fees

2021 ASUC Elections

VOTE NOW!

In addition to tuition, graduate and professional students pay a variety of student fees.  This year, three graduate student fees will be voted on during the ASUC Elections on April 5th – 7th through through CalLink by following the directions at the ASUC Elections webpage. 

All graduate and professional students are encouraged to exercise their right to vote in ASUC Elections to ensure that graduate voices are heard on campus.  At least 2,400 graduate and professional school students (approximately 20 percent of the graduate student body) must turn out for fee referenda to be considered.  This year, all  voters will receive a discount for a purchase at the CalStudent Store and automatically be entered into a raffle for $50 Amazon and CalStudent Store Gift Cards!

For more information, check out the ASUC Voter Guide and the Committee on Student Fees Voter Guide. The following three fees will be on the ballot:

• Graduate Assembly (GA) Fee
  • The full language of the Fee Referendum, including background, is here.
  • Further background  on this fee can be found in GA Resolution 2102F.
  • The referendum would update the fee that graduate students already pay for student government.
  • From the DailyCal:  Graduate students set to vote for updated student government fee in ASUC election
  • For more information, contact Emily Mullin (emily.mullin@berkeley.edu)
• Student Technology Fee
  • The full language of the Fee Referendum, including background, is here.
  • Further background on this fee can be found in GA Resolution 2102E.
  • The Student Tech Fee is an existing fee that is up for renewal. 
  • For more information, contact Ellis Spickerman (espickermann@berkeley.edu) or Martin Siron (martin.siron@berkeley.edu).
• DailyCal Initiative – INK Fee
  • The full language of the Fee Referendum, including background, is here.
  • Further background on this fee can be found in GA Resolution 2103A
  • The Ink Fee is an alteration of an existing fee.
  • For more information, contact Sarah Harris (editor@dailycal.org) 

For more information on the UC Berkeley fee process, please reference the Fee Referendum Guide.

Here is a breakdown of all current graduate student fees:

Congratulations to the winners of the 2019 GA Data Visualization Contest on Cost of Attendance!

Winner for best overall visualization:  Cal Grad Data by Alex Dunn and John Dagdelen
Winner for best professional degree program visualization:  Cost of Attendance by Heqing Huang

How to make the most of your money: Apply for grants!

Many of the student fees go into funds which provide grants to student initiatives and projects on campus and in the community.  Read on to learn more about available funding opportunities.

Student Technology Fund

The Student Technology Fund (STF) is comprised of the fees that undergraduate, graduate, and professional students pay into. It uses these fees to fund software licensing and the funding pool for three grant cycles per year. The grants are available to all members of the Cal community and can fund a wide range of project categories:

• Apps & Software Development
• Commercial Software Licensing
• Equipment Acquisition
• Investigative & Planning Projects
• Technology Events
• Training, Support & Access to Technology

Wellness Fund

The Wellness Fund provides grants for one-time or multi-year funding for any campus unit or student group which aims to create a culture of Wellness for the student body. Proposals might address wellness needs of underserved student populations or promote general wellness services. Some examples of projects include:

• Individual-level projects: conducting health classes, providing access to health-related supplies, providing access to holistic health and wellbeing activities.
• Community-based projects: expanding prevention and treatment services into community-based settings, culturally-informed programs and services which address the unique needs of underserved student populations.
• Campus culture and environment projects: creating new campus spaces to address the volume and frequency of use of cardio, strength training and multipurpose spaces; creating new or improved relaxation spaces; advocating for wellness promoting policies and practices that support a healthy campus culture.

The Green Initiative Fund

The Green Initiative Fund (TGIF) is UC Berkeley’s Campus Green Fund. TGIF provides funding, via grants, for projects that improve and support UC Berkeley’s campus sustainability efforts. TGIf provides grants for projects which…

• promote sustainable modes of transportation
• increase energy and water efficiency
• restore habitat
• promote environmental and food justice
• reduce the amount of waste created by UC Berkeley

Health Opportunity Fund

Did you know you might be eligible to use the Health Opportunity Fund (HOF) to help pay for services and prescriptions at the Tang Center? These funds (currently up to $130 per eligible student) can be used for any services at the Tang Center, including pharmacy prescription and over-the-counter items (but excluding Tang Optometry Clinic). HOF is available to the following students:

• Pell Grant and Dream Aid recipients
• Graduate students who have filed a FAFSA for the current year and have Pell Grant equivalent eligibility
• Actively registered students in the Disabled Students Program (DSP)