University profile

UC Davis

Location: Davis, CA

Minimum graduate stipend

$38,088 to $50,220/yr Official

Paid over 12 months · 2026-2027 · Fall 2026 scale, effective Oct 2026 · GSR 1 ($3,174/mo) to GSR 5 ($4,185/mo), 12-month, annualized by arithmetic from the published monthly scale. GSR 1 is $2,996/mo until October 2026. GSR rates are uniform across all UC campuses. The GSR 1 step is eliminated in 2029. Actual packages usually mix TA quarters, GSR summers and fellowships. Source is the union transcription of the contract scale.

Official: published by the university · Source: UAW 4811 ASE Salary Scales (UC-UAW contract scale through 2029) · Verified 2026-09-28

Other stipend figures

Supporting detail: pay scales, specific schools or departments, and prior years. These are not the headline figure above.

University-wide · Ta scale $36,900 per 9-month appointment Official Paid over 9 months · 2026-2027 · Fall 2026 scale, effective Oct 2026 · TA 1 (50%) $4,100/mo x 9 months ($3,929 until October 2026). Source: UAW 4811 ASE Salary Scales (UC-UAW contract scale through 2029) · Verified 2026-09-28
University-wide · Gsr scale $35,952 to $48,456/yr Official Paid over 12 months · 2025-2026 · GSR Step 1 ($35,952) to Step 5 ($48,456), 12-month. Annualized by arithmetic from the published monthly scale. Actual packages usually mix TA quarters, GSR summers and fellowships. UC tables change in Fall 2026. Source: UAW 4811 ASE Salary Scales (UC contract scale); UC Davis Grad Studies: Understanding your student salary · Verified 2026-09-27
University-wide · Ta scale $35,361 per 9-month appointment Official Paid over 9 months · 2025-2026 · TA1 (50%) $3,929/mo x 9 months. Annualized by arithmetic from the published monthly scale. Actual packages usually mix TA quarters, GSR summers and fellowships. UC tables change in Fall 2026. Source: UAW 4811 ASE Salary Scales (UC contract scale); UC Davis Grad Studies: Understanding your student salary · Verified 2026-09-27

Cost of living in Davis, CA

City-median rent is a city-level figure, not a near-campus price; university graduate housing lines are the university's own published rates. Each line is labeled with its own source.

Rent, 1-bedroom (university graduate housing, single occupant) $1,926/mo Official Orchard Park studio. 2026-27. Source: UC Davis Housing: Orchard Park leases · Verified 2026-09-29
Rent, 1-bedroom (city median) $1,697/mo Estimated City median 1BR Source: Zumper city median asking rent (Sept 2026) · Verified 2026-09-27
Rent, 2-bedroom split two ways (university graduate housing, shared, per person) $1,208 to $1,374/mo Official Orchard Park private bedroom per person: 4-bedroom $1,208; 2-bedroom $1,374. 2026-27. Furnished; utilities and Wi-Fi included; $250 deposit. Source: UC Davis Housing: Orchard Park leases · Verified 2026-09-29
Rent, 2-bedroom split two ways (city median) $1,046/mo Estimated City median 2BR, split two ways Source: Zumper city median asking rent (Sept 2026) · Verified 2026-09-27
Utilities (nearest-metro stand-in) $279/mo Estimated Nearest-metro proxy (Sacramento). No Numbeo figure for this town; Sacramento stand-in. Excludes internet. Source: Numbeo (Americas table, Sept 27 2026) · Verified 2026-09-27
Public transit $2/ride Official Unitrans: graduate students pay per ride or buy a pass. Free for undergraduates only. UC graduate employees may get a transit allowance (double-match up to $30/mo). Source: Unitrans: fares and paid passes · Verified 2026-09-27
Parking Not yet available
Groceries (state-level estimate) $375/mo Estimated State-level estimate (California). About $4,500/yr, single adult; not a city basket. Source: MIT Living Wage food cost via Bankrate · Verified 2026-09-27

Master's tuition

Published tuition (before any aid). PhD students usually have tuition waived; their offer letter confirms. This is not part of the stipend-versus-cost-of-living comparison.

Master's tuition at UC Davis Not yet available

PhD program profiles at UC Davis

Biology PhD · Biology/Life Sciences