Our current model is for students to have a $1K startup fund when they start the program and $2K advancement fund.
raduate student start-up and advancement research accounts are to be used for unmet research needs that support the completion of a PhD in the UCSD Experimental Psychology graduate program. As with all university funded purchases, the expense has to be reasonable and justified based on research needs. Starting AY 22/23, each fund request submitted to a student’s Fund Manager (fund manager assignment is based on PIs fund manager) must be paired with an explanation as to why the requested item or expense is necessary for your research.
Graduate students may begin spending their start-up funds once they become active graduate students on campus, which is typically the start of fall quarter during year one. Registered graduate students may then continue to use their start-up until they defend their dissertation, or depart the graduate program. If a student is not registered but planning to defend their dissertation within the next quarter, graduate students must provide a statement of support from their advisor that confirms how the expense contributes to the completion of their dissertation.
Start-up funds will be available for student use starting the first quarter of their PhD program. Advancement funds are added to a student’s account after their advancement paperwork has been finalized by the university (The Registrar typically only processes these at the end of each quarter which means funds may not be added until several months after the proposal meeting). If advancement funds are needed earlier (only after the proposal meeting and before the advancement paperwork has been processed), the student should contact the Graduate Coordinator with an explanation as to why they are requesting expedited processing. Research funds will stay in the graduate student account until depleted, or until the graduate student leaves the program. Purchases cannot exceed the current balance in the start-up index. Neither partial reimbursement to a student nor reimbursement from a graduate student are allowed.
Faculty members may split-fund a purchase with their grad student (for example, contribute towards the cost of a more expensive computer) using discretionary funds. When the graduate student leaves the program, either the department may “buy” the faculty’s portion of the item, or the faculty member may “buy” the department’s portion of the item. In the absence of an agreement to buy out the other’s portion, the item by default will stay with the entity who covered the majority of the cost.
Allowable expenses include the following as long as they are relevant to approved research:
The list above is not exhaustive. Graduate students should contact their fund manager before making purchases to confirm eligibility of the expense and the recommended purchase method. The department reserves the right to contact the graduate student and faculty advisor to discuss the eligibility of expenses before approving expenses. Additional scrutiny will be placed on items that are purchased within one year of the student leaving the program to ensure the items purchased are necessary for the completion of the program and dissertation defense.