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A Memo from the Interim Graduate Dean
2024-25 BLOCK GRANT ALLOCATION
December 4, 2023
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| As you know, we have all had to work carefully over the past year to distinguish between employment and fellowship (student aid) in making offers to our students. To that end, we will be providing an offer letter template, described below. We already shared the good news that we have increased Central Fellowship stipends, for both incoming and continuing students, to $32,500. As we continue to move toward providing full support for all of our doctoral students, we encourage you to think carefully about the right size of your graduate program based on resources (including ASE funding, which the EVC has promised will be available by the end of the quarter) and the potential for students to achieve their goals when they finish.
Continuing with the model that was implemented with the 2015-16 block-grant allocations, block-grant allocations to departments for 2024-25 will be distributed in three layers: the majority will be allocated to departments by formula; a small portion will be provided to departments that have demonstrated significant commitment to and success in recruiting and retaining students from non-traditional or under-served backgrounds; and a third portion has been distributed to the academic deans, who can then allocate it to departments in support of their strategic priorities and programming.
Departments may now see their final 2024-25 Block Grant Allocations and guaranteed minimum allocations for 2025-26 and 2026-27 via the GradPoint Financial Portal in the “Allocation Report.” A user guide on accessing this report is available in the related Graduate Division User Manual located here. You may access the portal here.
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| Formula-based allocation
The formula for allocating most of the block grant to departments takes into account doctoral enrollments, master’s enrollments, department performance (in the ability of graduate students to finish within department-specified time standards), and the number of students not supported by employment (so that departments with fewer resources get slightly increased allocations).
The Graduate Division will once again hold to the principle that no department will experience a reduction in its allocation compared to the prior year even if they would have received less strictly by the formula. Thus, departments will receive either the same amount as last year or the amount allocated by formula, whichever is greater. This encourages departments right-sizing, since departments that reduce graduate enrollment will not lose funding, and departments that need to grow can gain more.
Last year, the Graduate Division provided rolling three-year allocations pertaining to the formula-based layer of the block grant. The 2024-25 guaranteed minimum allocation will now be replaced by the actual final allocation. The 2025-26 and 2026-27 guaranteed minimum allocations are calculated at 90% of their preceding year, respectively. As has been the case in the past, we do not expect to need to retract allocations to these levels in future years, but given the future uncertainties, allowing a bit more flexibility is wise. We encourage your department to use these numbers to construct multi-year recruitment packages, balanced by consideration of the needs of continuing students.
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| Diversity Augments
A portion of the block grant is being allocated to departments that have been actively engaged in building and supporting a diverse domestic graduate student population. This year, the allocation is based on data showing progress in recruiting underrepresented minority students, first-generation students, and, in relevant cases, women. These funds are added to a department’s total block-grant allocation and may be distributed without any additional restrictions. Departments will receive separate notifications of these allocations in the month of January.
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| Deans’ Allocations
The third layer of the block-grant allocation has been allocated to the divisional, school, and college deans for distribution to their departments in support of their strategic goals. These allocations were based on the permanent faculty FTE in each unit. The school, college, and divisional deans will notify departments individually about these additional block grant allocations.
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| Purposes of Block Grant
- According to the UC Office of the President and our own campus policies, block grant funds are intended primarily to support the cost of attendance (i.e., tuition, fees, UC Student Health Insurance [UCSHIP], and non-resident supplemental tuition) for new or continuing students.
- Block Grant may also be used for fellowship stipends. Stipends paid from Block Grant are student scholarly support (financial aid) and should not require work as an ASE or GSR.
- Maximum stipend amounts and supplementation policies are available on the Graduate Division website. Because stipends have more impact in larger amounts, the minimum stipend allocation will continue to be $350, as effective from the 2019-20 academic year.
- Block grant funds may also be awarded in the spring to supply stipends for the immediately following summer.
- Stipends may include consideration for support of research activities or conference attendance. It should be noted, however, that these are not reimbursements but are fellowship funds, over which students have full, discretionary control. Block grant funds may not be used to reimburse students for department expenses or in exchange for work.
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| Purposes of Block Grant
- To receive these awards, students must be continuously enrolled and remain in good academic standing. Please include these conditions in award letters.
- As a reminder, departments should note that there has been an eligibility change applicable to students who are P3 in that they are now able to be funded through available central funds, including block-grant and other central awards.
- U.S. citizens and permanent residents awarded block grant are required to have a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on file by March 2, 2023.
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Crafting Packages
The Departments are encouraged to craft multi-year support packages using a combination of block grant, available department-specific Regent’s Fellowship(s), central and extramural fellowships, academic appointments, and endowment funds. Commencing with the 2024-25 recruitment class, when drafting student offer letters, Departments will be required to use the Graduate Division Department Recruitment Offer Letter Template. This template will help distinguish when support described in recruitment offers is student aid (fellowship) and when it is employment. The updated template will be provided via GradPoint later this month.
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- Departments have found that an effective recruitment strategy is to use block grant to supplement central fellowship packages (i.e., to provide supplemental salary or summer support above and beyond what is provided by the fellowship). However, it is advisable to think carefully about the timing of informing students of such awards, as doing so early may instigate a “bidding war” with competing schools.
- If constructing a package of financial support for an undocumented student, you are welcome to contact the Financial Unit for support on offer construction.
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Informing Students of Awards
Departments must provide a written letter of financial support to each award recipient, outlining the terms and conditions of the award.
Each letter provided by departments directly to applicant recruits must be uploaded to the AppReview system and will form the basis for the financial record for each student.
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- Instructions on how to upload offer letters in AppReview can be found here.
- Instructions on accessing Financial Reports in GradPoint can be found here.
- Details on the described Recruitment Offer Report can be found here.
- Instructions on how to view uploaded offer letters in GradPoint can be found here. Letters can be seen in the “Financial Letters” category.
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Department letters to students must specify all of the costs to be covered: UC Health Insurance, in-state tuition and fees, partial fees, non-resident supplemental tuition, and/or stipend.
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Reporting Requirements
Please input 90% of your committed use of these funds in the Financial Web Portal by Tuesday, July 9, 2024.
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Why 90% by July 9th?
It is important that students are notified in a timely fashion about what their funding status will be for the upcoming year. Also, late fellowship awards may reduce a student’s Financial Aid Work-Study and loan eligibility. However, we also recognize that some departments consider it prudent to hold back a small percentage of funds to address unforeseen needs, so we are only requesting that 90% of a department’s allocation be determined by late June.
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Carry Forwards
Block-grant is intended to support students during a particular academic year. If circumstances unexpectedly result in residual block grant, departments should consider using the funds for summer support. If funds remain by the end of the academic year, up to 10% of the department’s block grant for that year (not including prior year carryforwards), will automatically carry forward to the following academic year.
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