Congratulations and welcome! The Student & Instructional Services team is excited to welcome you to the School of Biological Sciences at UC San Diego. 

We, Meagan Daly and Valeria Zaporozhets, are your Program Coordinators at the School of Biological Sciences PhD program. We will be your contacts for administrative questions related to the program. This communication serves as a follow up to the BioSci admissions offer letter, and will give some preliminary information that we hope will be useful. It is the first correspondence of several that will be sent before you begin your graduate career here at UC San Diego. You are encouraged to bookmark this link for future reference and updates to information.

UCSD Email:

Email is the official means of communication for UC San Diego and the School of Biological Sciences. From this point forward, all communication with Student & Instructional Services will take place via your @ucsd.edu email account. It is important and expected that you regularly check your UCSD email for time-sensitive information on deadlines and program requirements. If you haven’t already done so, please see Activating and Accessing your Email Account to set up your UCSD email. Your @ucsd email was copied on this communication, so if you did not receive the message via that account, please let us know as soon as possible.

Welcome Day:

The first day incoming students will meet in-person will be Tuesday, September 3rd, 2024. Welcome Day is mandatory for all incoming Biology PhD students. You will hear from our Dean, Graduate Program Faculty Chair, current student leaders, and representatives from several of our administrative offices. New PhD students must be able to participate in all activities beginning Tuesday, September 3rd.  For those relocating to San Diego, please schedule your move so that you are ready to begin on this date.

Grad Launch: 

The Grad Launch course is mandatory for all incoming PhD students. The purpose of Grad Launch is to kickstart your PhD by building connections with classmates and faculty, to provide vital information for navigating the program and completing a successful PhD, and to provide experiences involving collaboration and scientific inquiry. 

Grad Launch will begin on Wednesday, September 4th, 2024. A full schedule will be provided prior to arrival. 

Students should plan to bring refillable water bottles that can be filled at campus water fountains. Coffee and tea will be provided in the mornings and lunch will be provided each day. Students with dietary restrictions should plan on bringing their own food. Vegetarian options will be available at each meal; however, we are unable to accommodate any other dietary restrictions when ordering. There are also other eateries on campus available. More information can be found by visiting this link: https://blink.ucsd.edu/facilities/services/general/personal/dining.html

International Students:

International students are required to attend the International Student Orientation. For more information, please see the International Student Orientation guidelines.

Students with questions regarding travel, visas, and iPortal requests in preparation for starting studies at UC San Diego are encouraged to contact the International Students and Programs Office (ISPO) directly.  ISPO provides helpful and detailed instructions for Newly Admitted Students on the website. Students with potential visa complications are urged to communicate with the International Students and Programs Office (ISPO) about their needs as soon as possible.  In those cases where the visa delay impacts the student’s arrival for the start of the fall term, ISPO will coordinate with the department and student to determine if the student is eligible to defer their admissions/return and update the I-20 accordingly.  

Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs (GEPA) New Student Orientation: 

Find more information by visiting Grad Life's New Student Orientation information page. Please check back over the summer for updated information on Fall 2024 new student orientation. 

Vaccinations/Immunizations:

Please view the Immunization Requirements for current information. COVID-19 vaccinations are currently required. Please watch for further university communications. 

Academic Calendar:

Fall 2024 quarter instruction begins on Thursday, September 26th.  Refer to the campus Academic Calendar and Enrollment & Registration Calendar for these and other important dates.

Enrollment for Fall Quarter:

Instructions for enrolling in courses for FA24 will be sent in June.  Students are expected to enroll each quarter in a timely manner as failure to enroll in accordance with campus deadlines could affect stipend payment.  

Rotations:

Students are strongly encouraged to begin the process of identifying a thesis advisor. The first step in that process is to look more closely into the research topics under active investigation by our many Biological Sciences faculty. Identify some potential labs and advisors with research topics of interest that students may consider for a rotation. Students should feel free to reach out to faculty of interest at any time. Faculty availability for rotations in 2024-25 will not available until September 1st, but some faculty may already be able to share their plans for taking rotation students. Please note, not all faculty will be accepting rotation students in the coming year. Rotation blocks and dates are included in the calendar below. Faculty Rotation Availability Matrix will be available after students arrive on campus. 

To help guide the search for potential thesis advisors, students should consider their scientific interests, mentorship style preferences, potential experimental approaches of interest, and any other components of a research environment that may be important to them. The rotation program is designed to help students identify thesis advisors that align with their research goals and mentorship styles.

Rotation program guidelines:

• Students are required to complete four rotations with faculty in Biological Sciences, including Salk adjuncts (see Faculty List for eligibility) during rotation periods 1-4.

• It is recommended that students select a thesis advisor after the 4th rotation.

• Students that have been unable to identify a thesis advisor after 4 rotations can then complete rotations with faculty outside the School of Biological Sciences in rotation periods 5 and 6.

• Students can only rotate in labs outside of Biological Sciences/Salk after completing four rotations with BioSci/Salk faculty. 

• Students may not repeat a rotation with a faculty member until after the 4th rotation.

• Faculty may receive more rotation requests than can be accommodated during a rotation period.

Dates of Rotations:

Rotation 1: 9/26/24 - 11/1/24

Rotation 2: 11/4/24 - 12/13/24

Rotation 3: 1/6/25 - 2/14/25

Rotation 4: 2/17/25 - 3/28/25

Rotation 5: 3/31/25 - 5/9/25

Rotation 6: 5/12/25 - 6/20/25

Classmates:

In previous years, students in the incoming class have been in contact with each other prior to arriving at UCSD. Please enter your contact information here by June 17th, 2024, if you would like to be in touch with other incoming classmates.  Note that faculty, staff, and incoming students will have access to this information. 

Shared contact information can be viewed here.

Campus ID Cards:

ID cards will be distributed by the program during Grad Launch  (please do not contact the ID office, they will not distribute the ID cards to individuals).  

Please submit your photos via the online photo tool no later than August 1st, 2024.

Questions about or issues with submitting photos can be directed to the online support portal.

Housing: 

For students who will be living in on-campus housing, please visit HDH for up to date information about move-in and COVID19 related questions.

On-Campus: Visit Graduate Student Housing Information for on-campus housing options and waitlist wait times.

Off-Campus: Visit UCSD Off-Campus Housing Directory for housing options away from campus.

(Note: to access these systems, you will need your Personal Identification Number (PID) which was created when you submitted your application to UC San Diego. It is available in your application portal.)

This VeryApt Guide, specifically for BioSci students, with input from current BioSci graduate students, may also be helpful when making housing decisions. 

UC San Diego Basic Needs Hub Housing Resources 

Off-Campus Housing Webinar recording

California Residency:

Students who are U.S. citizens, but not California residents must apply for CA residency at the end of the first year. See Criteria to Establish Residence for Tuition Purposes for information outlining the documents needed to apply for residency. Begin collecting documentation as soon as you arrive in California.

Student Health Insurance Plans (SHIP):

BioSci PhD students are eligible for the Early Start Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) which starts on Monday, September 2nd, 2024. All BioSci PhD students have SHIP premiums and supplemental fees (Early UC SHIP) included as part of the student’s financial support packages.

Students are required to OPT IN to the Early Start SHIP coverage. The UCSD SHIP team will be sending out Insurance Agreement Forms, please be sure to complete it and indicate if you would like to OPT IN Early Start SHIP premium. Please note that students who accept Early Start coverage are not eligible to waive Fall 2024 SHIP coverage. Details about SHIP premium can be viewed here. If you have any questions about your coverage, please reach out to ship1@ucsd.edu.  

Before You Arrive:

Visit the Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs Admitted Students website for helpful information. Please continue to check your SLATE Student Portal for up to date communications and information from the Graduate Division for new students.

Billing/Triton Pay:

In order for the Financial Aid & Scholarship Office to comply with federal regulations, fee payments will be disbursed no sooner than 10 days prior to the start of each quarter. To assist students with understanding their online bill payments, Financial Aid and Student Financial Solutions has created a “Pending Awards” box section on E-Bill that will reflect estimated awards and provide an “Adjusted Amount Due”.  Students can view this information by selecting “Current Account Activity” or “Unpaid Transactions” in the E-Bill.

Once the September billing statement is issued, tuition/fees that were put in the Financial Support Request tool will be reflected in the “pending awards” box. 

Student Financial Solutions has launched Triton pay where students can pay rent, charges etc., without having to pay the whole bill. 

Financial Support:

Payments are issued monthly both thru UCPath Payroll and SAM a month in arrears. The 1st paycheck for the pay period between 9/1/24 – 9/30/24 will be disbursed on 10/1/24 and around the 1st of the month thereafter.  Incoming bonuses will be paid on the first check.