Quarterly Tuition and Fees:
See a summary of the quarterly tuition and fees in the table below.
Please note that fee and tuition costs are subject to change at the discretion of the University of California Office of the President (UCOP) and the PDST is considered for a 3% increase annually.
Most out-of-state domestic students establish California residency for tuition purposes and do not pay NRST in the second year.
For more information about fees, visit the Office of the Registrar's website.
Estimated 2024-2025 Quarterly Fees + Tuition Costs
The Master of Environmental Science and Management is a 6-quarter program.
| California Residents | Non-Residents | International Students | |
| Academic Fees + Tuition | $4,672 | $4,672 | $4,672 |
| Professional Degree Supplemental Tuition (PDST) | $3,642 | $3,642 | $3,642 |
| Campus-based Fees | $370 | $370 | $370 |
| Health Insurance (UC SHIP) | $2,891 | $2,891 | $2,891 |
| Year 1 Non-resident Tuition | $4,082 | $4,082 | |
| Year 2 Non-resident Tuition | - if residency is established | $4,082 | |
| Total Cost of 2-year (6-quarter) program | $69,450 | $81,696 | $93,942 |
BARC and UCSB Business & Financial Services
The Billings Accounts Receivable Collections unit (BARC) is the UCSB campus centralized receivable system. This system allows students to view any outstanding balances, including registration fees, campus housing charges, phone bills, and student health services. Visit the Business & Financial Services website for more information on how to access your BARC account and pay your bill.
Paying your Bill
UCSB students must pay their fees in full by the first day of instruction (Thursday, September 26, 2024). Acceptable forms of payment include cash, money order, checks, E-checks, credit card, or domestic and international wire transfers. All checks should be made out to UC Regents and include your PERM number or billing account number on the check.
If for some reason you cannot make a payment in full, call the UCSB Business & Financial Services Office at 805-893-3756 to set up a payment plan.
Statement of Legal Residence (SLR)
All new graduate students are required to submit a Statement of Legal Residence (SLR) under a UC system-wide policy. Please do this as soon as possible after submitting your Statement of Intent to Register (SIR). Students are considered non-CA residents and assessed non-resident fees until their SLR is reviewed and residence classified.
Establishing California Residency for Tuition Purposes
To establish California residency, students must 1) be continuously physically present in California for more than one year (366 days) immediately prior to the residence determination date (e.g., the first day of classes), AND 2) intend to make California their home permanently. You can demonstrate your intention to stay in California by relinquishing legal ties to your former state and establishing legal ties to California. View some of the ways to establish intent, as identified by the University of California Office of the President (UCOP), by visiting the How to Establish Residency section of UCOP's Understanding Residency website.
Out-of-state students who wish to establish in-state residency for their second year of study may wish to begin the process during their first year of study. Questions regarding residency may be answered at the UCSB Registrar's website or submitted to the UCSB Residency Deputy (residency@sa.ucsb.edu).
Fellowship Award Disbursement
For students receiving a Bren School recruitment fellowship, your BARC account will be credited by the first day of instruction, as long as you are registered for class well in advance of the first day of school. You may still receive an email from BARC prior to the start of the fall quarter regarding required payment of fees. Your account will be credited with your quarterly award amount by Thursday, September 26, 2024 (first day of fall quarter). If for some reason you still do not see a credit after the start of the quarter, please contact the Bren School Student Affairs and Admissions team.
All students receiving departmental awards for the 2024-2025 academic year have already been notified. Unless notified by the Bren School, there is nothing further you need to do as a fellowship recipient to process these funds (other than making sure you are registered for class!).
Financial Aid and FAFSA
Students' Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) forms are processed by UCSB's Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships (not the Bren School). UCSB graduate students are notified of eligibility for student loans by the Financial Aid Office during the summer. You can check your financial aid status by logging-in here. Any questions regarding financial aid packages and loans should be directed to the UCSB Financial Aid office at 805-893-2432.
When you complete the FAFSA, you may qualify for work-study, which can be applied to employment opportunities both on and off campus (if the employer qualifies). Hiring students with work-study awards is beneficial to employers because the work-study program pays a percentage of the student employees gross wage. You must elect to use your work-study award, so please make sure you fill out the appropriate paperwork. You can search for on and off-campus work-study positions on the UCSB Career Services website. In most cases, Student Assistant and Research Assistant Positions are eligible to use work-study.
On-Campus Employment Opportunities
Bren Students have many opportunities to work as Student Assistants, Research Assistants, or as Teaching Assistants. Students can read more about on-campus employment opportunities in the On-Campus Employment Opportunities section under Current Student Resources here.
We encourage all new MESM students to consider not working as TAs during their first quarter at Bren, if financially possible. Fall Quarter can easily become overwhelming if you’ve been out of school for a while, if you’ve never been away from home, or if you’re simply not used to the quarter system. It’s ideal to use this quarter to focus on doing well in core courses, getting acclimated to graduate school and the quarter system, and connecting with your cohort.
INTRODUCTION & TIMELINE
What should you be doing now?
REGISTRATION INFORMATION
MESM curriculum overview, core courses, elective coursework, how and when to register
NEW STUDENT ORIENTATION
Important information on mandatory Bren School orientation events, including writing and calculus workshops, TA orientation, lab safety training, Graduate Division orientation, activities for international students, and more.
FINANCIAL & RESIDENCY RESOURCES
Cost of attendance, paying your bill, BARC, FAFSA, establishing residency, and employment opportunities.
CAMPUS RESOURCES
Graduate Student Housing, UCSB student ID cards, computing, university email, health insurance, transportation, campus resources, and more.