FAQs

This is a list of Frequently Asked Questions handled by the department staff, Grad Director, and Chair.

The information on this page was last updated August 27, 2024. Sometimes departmental or University policies change, so you should take this as general guidance and be sure to reach out to the Grad Director (cogsci-graddirector@uci.edu) or other relevant party if any of these situations immediately apply to you. We also update this FAQ as often as possible when new information becomes available, so check back often.

Also note that some of these questions can be answered in excruciating detail by reading the Graduate Policies and Procedures document and the UCI Catalog. Some answers are paraphrased below for clarity and for specific application to the Cognitive Sciences department. There are also some cases where you personally have specific requirements or guidelines that are outlined in your individual official offer letter for admission. The UCI Catalog, Graduate Policies and Procedures document, and/or your official offer letter overrides any information in this FAQ if there is a discrepancy.

Here are the current Questions and Answers in this FAQ:

Questions about program requirements, enrollment, and status as a student

Q: Is it possible to advance to candidacy before completing the 3rd year talk?

The normal sequence is to complete the 3rd year talk before the advancement to candidacy. However, we have had a handful of students do their advancement before the 3rd year talk. A majority of these students were dealing with the NRST (non-resident student tuition) requirement which impacts international students in particular (see here for more: https://grad.uci.edu/funding/nrst-remission-program/). However, you can technically do the advancement before the 3rd year talk even if this doesn’t apply to you. 

For convenience, please refer to the links below about the advancement to candidacy committee makeup/paper/exam format (CogSci Corner), the request form (departmental staff will route for approval after you advance and submit the form), and the link to the fee that you’ll need to pay after you advance (and before the form is routed). 

Q: Can I have a non-UCI faculty member on my [ XYZ ] committee?

Yes, but it is a little complicated. In cases where a tenured, tenure-track, or otherwise ‘permanent faculty’ member at another accredited, degree-granting institution (of ‘equivalent standing’ to UCI, so not e.g. a local high school or online/for-profit institution) may provide critical expertise to your research that is not effectively offered by UCI faculty members, you can request that they serve on your committee. 

The approval process and timeline is different for the second year exam versus the advancement/dissertation committee. Read on for details.

Second-year exam committee

The second-year exam is a departmental requirement, so the department has the responsibility for reviewing these requests. Send an email to the Graduate Director (cogsci-graddirector@uci.edu) and the department admin office (cogsci@uci.edu) that:

  1. explains why you want to add this person to your committee; and
  2. includes the person’s CV. 

CC your advisor on this email. 

The department approves these as quickly as possible, but you will need to wait for departmental approval before you can officially add this person to your committee and hold your second-year exam. 

Advancement to candidacy and dissertation committees

For the advancement to candidacy and dissertation committees, to add a non-UCI faculty member you’ll need to file paperwork that goes all the way up to Graduate Division for approval. This means it takes time and you need to request this well in advance of your intended advancement or defense.

The paperwork you’ll need to submit includes: 

  1. A formal letter your committee chair (your advisor) will need to write on your behalf justifying adding this person to your committee. Here is a template.
  2. A CV of the proposed faculty member to add to your committee.

Once you and your advisor have filled in the template letter and acquired the proposed faculty member’s CV, send the packet to the Graduate Director (cogsci-graddirector@uci.edu) and the department admin office (cogsci@uci.edu) for routing to the appropriate parties. Submitting these documents does not mean that the request is approved. The Dean of Graduate Division has final authority for approval. You will need to wait for this approval before you can officially add this person to your committee and hold your advancement exam or dissertation defense. 

Note: This is not a way for you to replace your ‘outside member’ for the advancement to candidacy committee. The Academic Senate Manual under Regulation 918: Candidacy Committee – Section D (additional membership) defines “outside member” as follows:

“They may also choose to require that one member of the Candidacy Committee be an “outside member,” i.e., a member of the Irvine Division of the UC Academic Senate, who does not hold a primary appointment in the student’s department or academic unit.”

This means that your “outside member” needs to be a senate (i.e., tenured or tenure-track, not adjunct or temporary/visiting faculty) member of the UCI faculty who does not hold any primary or affiliate position in Cognitive Sciences.

Q: Can I stay past 5 years? How do I fund a 6th year? Can I do a TAship in my 6th year?

The normative time to degree (NTD) in the Cognitive Sciences program is 5 years, or the equivalent number of quarters if you take an approved leave of absence. It is possible to stay for a 6th year (maximum), but there are impacts to funding and other requirements that you should be aware of.

Generally, based on all students’ offer letters, funding is guaranteed for 5 years regardless of its source, be it GSR, fellowship, or TAship. Note that this does not mean that 5 years of TAship are guaranteed – you can’t use a fellowship for e.g. 1 quarter in your 4th year in order to ‘move’ that TA quarter to your 6th year. So while it may be possible to support you as a TA in your 6th year (regardless of previous fellowship/GSR support or number of TA quarters), you will be lower on the priority list below students who do specifically have guaranteed funding through their 5th year. With changes that have been made to the TA stipends and the number of TAships available in the past couple years, there are fewer TAships to go around. This means that students who have guaranteed funding left in their 5 year timeline are prioritized for those fewer spots. Given this, you can request a TA position as usual with the centralized TA office for Social Sciences, but you should understand that such funding and position is not guaranteed and that your request would be of lower priority than the students at earlier stages in the program.

As of August 2024, we have been informed that there will be no TAships available from the School of Social Sciences for students past the normative time to degree (NTD; 5 years in Cognitive Sciences). The amount of funding required to support each quarter of study past NTD consists of tuition payments and related fees if you are enrolled as a student (see here for details https://www.reg.uci.edu/fees/2024-2025/graduate.html, as well as your own personal living expenses. Because no TA support will be available from the School of Social Sciences, you will need to discuss with your advisor about alternative arrangements for finishing up.

Options for remaining enrolled as a student in your 6th year

  • GSR from your advisor or another group, if funds are available. GSR should support tuition/fees and provide you a stipend.
  • Apply for TA-ships in other schools at UCI. TA opportunities in other schools vary, but are usually advertised just before the start of each quarter. If you are interested in these opportunities, please let Jennifer Gerson (gersonja@uci.edu) know so she can pass along information she receives. These TAships should support tuition/fees and provide you a stipend.
  • Apply for external funding, particularly if you start early. Many funding opportunities require applications six months or more in advance. Please email the Social Sciences Graduate Grant Writing Coordinator, Sarah Burke, at burkes1@uci.edu for help identifying funding opportunities and preparing applications. Keep in mind that some external funding sources may not be sufficient to support tuition/fees and provide you a stipend.
  • Take out student loans to pay tuition/fees and support living expenses. This is the most common way that students past NTD are funded.  Contact Financial Aid (https://www.ofas.uci.edu/) for more information.
  • Support both tuition/fees and your own living expenses with personal funds. 
  • Special considerations for international students: If you pass the NDT (5 years), as an international student you may incur additional non-resident tuition amounts that are not covered by the school, depending on when you advanced to candidacy. “Nonresident doctoral students who have advanced to candidacy are eligible for a 100% reduction in the non-resident supplemental tuition (NRST) for a maximum of three consecutive calendar years including time on leave of absence. The reduction in NRST begins with the first academic term following advancement to candidacy, and is based on the prevailing NRST rate for the year it is applied. Any nonresident student who continues to be registered, or who re-registers following the three-year maximum allowance, will be charged the full NRST rate that is in effect at that time of enrollment.” See here for more: https://grad.uci.edu/funding/nrst-remission-program/ 

Other options for finishing: Filing Fee status

Students in their 6th year can also apply for Filing Fee status for a maximum of one quarter, and finish by the end of the quarter on which they are on Filing Fee. See the Filing Fee FAQ for more details. 

Other things to consider for a 6th year

You’ll also need to be aware of potential impacts to housing, if you’re living in graduate housing. The graduate housing guarantee is listed here: https://housing.uci.edu/grad/. Students who accept the housing offer will be guaranteed placement in on-campus housing for the NTD for their academic program (5 years for CogSci). Students need to contact housing directly to see if any arrangements can be made beyond this guarantee to stay in grad housing. 

Defending past the end of 6th year

See the “What happens if I do not complete [ XYZ ] program milestone on time?” FAQ section on the dissertation defense for more information.

Q: Can I advance to candidacy and defend my dissertation in the same quarter?

No. University policy requires students to advance to candidacy at least one quarter before they can earn the degree. See here for more: https://grad.uci.edu/current-students/advancement-to-candidacy/ 

Q: What happens if I do not complete [ XYZ ] program milestone on time?

Second year exam, third year talk, or advancement to candidacy

Normative time for the second year exam, third year talk, and advancement to candidacy in our program is:

See here for an overview of these milestones. This planning poster may also be helpful. 

If you do not complete your second year exam, third year talk, or advancement to candidacy in the normative time, you will need to work with your advisor and the Graduate Director to develop and adhere to a detailed timeline for completion; this timeline must be approved by both your advisor and the Grad Director, as well as any other relevant parties (e.g. Jennifer Gerson for TAship funding, the Stats Masters Program if applicable, etc.). Regular check-ins with these parties will be required, and failure to adhere to the timeline that all parties agreed on may result in a lower grade in COGS299 or referral to Graduate Division for remediation strategies to get you back on track. Should you continuously fail to adhere to your timeline and make satisfactory progress towards your degree, academic probation or even dismissal may occur.

Special considerations for international students and the advancement to candidacy: If you’re an international student and you entered in Fall 2021 or later, you need to complete your advancement to candidacy by the end of your 3rd year. This has to do with the way you will be classified for tuition and stipend purposes. Failing to advance on time means that there will be additional fees incurred for your tuition (“non-resident student tuition”, or NRST) which will not be covered by the school, so there will need to be alternative arrangements made for paying those. More information about the NRST can be found here https://grad.uci.edu/funding/nrst-remission-program/. If you are running into this deadline and don’t have a plan to meet it, initiate a conversation with your advisor and the Graduate Director (cogsci-graddirector@uci.edu) as soon as possible to make a plan so you don’t get hit with a $5000+ bill! 

Dissertation defense

You should plan to defend and file your dissertation with the University by the end of your 5th year (normative time to degree in CogSci). If you need to stay for a 6th year to finish (either a whole year or part thereof), please refer to the “Can I stay past 5 years? How do I fund a 6th year? Can I do a TAship in my 6th year?” FAQ for information about funding, expectations, and timelines.

Under extremely rare circumstances, students will remain enrolled through the entirety of their 6th year but not defend their dissertation by the end of the Spring quarter of their 6th year. If this applies to you, you should plan to defend in the summer after your 6th year, and submit the paperwork in fall of your 7th year on Filing Fee status (see the FAQ on Filing Fee status for more info on that). 

If you don’t defend before the end of summer after your 6th year and instead intend to defend in the fall of your 7th year on Filing Fee status, Graduate Division will require a degree completion plan that 

  1. has a justification/reason for why you cannot finish by the end of the summer after your 6th year; and 
  2. clearly lays out all the steps needed to complete the degree by the end of the fall of your 7th year. 

These plans will be coordinated with Graduate Division, the Graduate Office in Social Sciences, and our department, including departmental staff and the Graduate Director as well as your advisor. CRITICALLY, it is up to Graduate Division to allow/approve this request, so you should not count on it being approved by default. We stress that this timeline is extremely undesirable for many reasons and, due to the approval resting solely with Graduate Division based on your unique circumstances, going this route could jeopardize your degree completion!

If you do not complete your dissertation defense and file your approved dissertation with the University within the constraints laid out above, you will be dismissed from the program without a PhD degree. (If you have filed for and received a Masters degree before this, you will of course retain the Masters.) 

Timeline adjustments for leaves of absence

Milestone completion times for program requirements (second year exam, third year talk, advancement to candidacy, and dissertation) can be adjusted to account for officially approved academic leaves of absence from the university on an individual basis. You will need to work with your advisor and the Graduate Director and departmental staff for this.

Q: What is ‘Filing Fee’ status and how do I do that?

Filing Fee status means you are not enrolled as a student and do not receive a stipend. This status should be thought of as an extension of the deadline to file your paperwork with the university, rather than a ‘free’ extension of time in the program (see the “What happens if I do not complete [ XYZ ] program milestone on time?” FAQ section on the dissertation defense for more information if you’re running up against the end of your 6th year). Filing Fee is a good option if you have another job lined up that might start mid-quarter, or you just need a little extra time to finish writing your dissertation and defend (before the end of your 6th year) or you already defended and just need time to file the paperwork. Students are required to be either enrolled as a student or on Filing Fee in their final quarter, including Summer. Most Summer graduates go on Filing Fee instead of enrolling in classes, as it is less expensive ($209 Filing Fee vs. tuition/fees). 

If you choose to go on Filing Fee, please complete the Filing Fee Petition at: https://sites.google.com/uci.edu/cogsci-requests/graduate-student-requests/filing-fee-request. The department administrative staff will contact you if there are any questions with your request. Additional information can be found here: https://guides.lib.uci.edu/gradmanual/filing-fees.

Impacts on health insurance

You should be aware that Filing Fee status also terminates your enrollment in the Graduate Student Health Insurance Plan (GSHIP). But, you can purchase voluntary GSHIP, which will cost around $1700 USD (the exact amount may vary depending on year and other factors). See here for some information: https://shc.uci.edu/insurance/uc-ship-benefits-and-information/after-graduation). See also here: https://shc.uci.edu/insurance/uc-ship-benefits-and-information/voluntary-enrollment and https://myucship.org/uc-irvine/eligibility-and-enrollment/enrolling-in-coverage/, where it says, “You are completing work under the support of the University of California but are not attending classes. You can purchase UC SHIP Filing Fee coverage on a voluntary basis for a maximum of one quarter. Submit an enrollment form.”

Impacts on housing

Students must be enrolled in a degree-granting program to be eligible for graduate student housing. If you’re on Filing Fee, you’re not enrolled anymore, so that means you are not automatically eligible for graduate student housing. But you can reach out to the graduate student housing office to request an exception. These requests are handled solely by the graduate student housing office.

Impacts on email/library/VPN access

In most circumstances, students can retain access to their email/UCI login while on Filing Fee and after graduation. See here for more information: https://www.oit.uci.edu/alumni/. 

Impacts on visa status for international students

Every visa situation is different, so you’ll need to contact the UCI International Student Center and work with them to understand your individual situation.

Filing fee maximum duration

You can only file for Filing Fee status for a maximum of one quarter during your entire graduate career. If you do not finish up within that quarter, you will need to return as an enrolled student to finish your degree, which will incur tuition/fees costs. Thus, it’s very important that if you do go on Filing Fee status, you plan to finish up within that quarter to avoid this scenario!

Q: I need to take an academic leave of absence. How does that work?

In rare instances, graduate students may need to take a leave for personal and/or health reasons.

Graduate students in good academic standing may petition for a leave of absence (LOA) for up to one year (3 quarters). Students need to have completed at least one quarter with UC Irvine to apply, and petitions need to be submitted by the Friday of week 3 of the relevant quarter. Please review the Academic Leave of Absence information and then contact the following people for next steps:

You will also eventually need to fill out this form.

Impacts on departmental milestones and academic work

Students on LOAs cannot take qualifying examinations for advancement to candidacy or final examinations for the degree, nor pursue their graduate studies on the UCI campus in any other manner. Students on LOAs may not receive academic credit for work done at another institution during the leave period unless an exception is approved in advance by the Graduate Dean.

Impacts to health insurance and housing for academic LOAs

Academic LOAs will automatically de-enroll you from the Graduate Student Health Insurance Plan (GSHIP), which is for enrolled students only. But, you can pay for an extension (maximum of two quarters), which will cost around $1700 USD per quarter (the exact amount may vary depending on year and other factors). See here for some information: https://shc.uci.edu/insurance/uc-ship-benefits-and-information/after-graduation). See also here: https://myucship.org/uc-irvine/eligibility-and-enrollment/enrolling-in-coverage/, where it says, “You take a planned leave of absence. Students who take a planned leave approved by the University can purchase UC SHIP coverage on a voluntary basis for up to two quarters by submitting the appropriate enrollment form. Eligibility is contingent on prior quarter UC SHIP enrollment. Submit an enrollment form.”

Students must be enrolled in a degree-granting program to be eligible for graduate student housing. If you’re on an LOA, you’re not enrolled anymore, so that means you are not automatically eligible for graduate student housing. But you can reach out to the graduate student housing office to request an exception. These requests are handled solely by the graduate student housing office and approval is not guaranteed.

Childbirth and parental employment leave

If your intended leave of absence is for childbirth-related reasons, you’ll want to inform your advisor, the department, and  the Director of Graduate Affairs in Social Sciences (jennifer.gerson@uci.edu). You can find more information also at the following sites, which include specifics about the amount of time you are eligible for paid leave based on your employment status. As of August 2024, paid employment leave can be for a maximum of 8 weeks, once per year, for TAs, Associate Instructors, GSRs, GSR Fellowships, GSR Trainees, and those on Non-Bargaining Fellowships. Please refer to the below links as they are the most up to date and official University policy information and will override any information on this website if different.

If your employment leave of absence is for childbirth-related reasons, you are still expected to be enrolled full time (12 units) and make progress towards your degree. You will also retain your student health insurance plan through the university, and retain access to housing. In other words, this is simply a break from employment, not a leave from the university. If you plan to take employment leave for any reason, please contact the Director of Graduate Affairs in Social Sciences (jennifer.gerson@uci.edu). 

Can I hold another job while on LOA?

During an academic LOA, you are not allowed to receive any funding from UCI. However, while on academic LOA you are not enrolled in the university and so the university can’t control whether you take another job. However, because academic LOAs are typically meant for medical or personal reasons, we hope that you will focus on your health or other factors that caused the necessity of the LOA.

Degree progress timeline adjustments for LOAs

Milestone completion times for program requirements (second year exam, third year talk, advancement to candidacy, and dissertation) can be adjusted to account for officially approved leaves of absence from the university on an individual basis. You will need to work with your advisor and the Graduate Director and departmental staff for this.

Q: What happens to my health insurance after I graduate?

See here for more information: https://myucship.org/uc-irvine/eligibility-and-enrollment/when-coverage-begins-and-ends/#extending 

Q: What happens to my email after I graduate?

Your UCI netID will remain active for some time.  When OIT tells you it may expire, your PI may be able to contact them to keep it active indefinitely. See here for more information: https://www.oit.uci.edu/alumni/. 

Q: What are the expectations for working over the summer?

You will want to discuss this in detail with your advisor. If you are on GSR over the summer, it is expected you will be working the number of hours covered by your GSR funding, for the dates specified, on the objectives covered in your GSR offer and union contract. There are also options to be a Graduate Reader over the summer, with similar expectations and reporting requirements. 

Summer fellowships are available to some students in some summers, depending on your cohort, merit scholarships, advisor’s funding, and other factors. Consult your personal offer letter to see which of these applies to you, and talk with the Graduate Director (cogsci-graddirector@uci.edu) if you still have questions. 

Questions about money & conference/workshop travel

Q: Can I defer my first-year fellowship to a later year because my advisor wants to support me on GSR funding in the first year?

This is technically possible, but must be approved on a case-by-case basis by the Graduate Affairs Office. You and your advisor should contact the Graduate Director (cogsci-graddirector@uci.edu) if you want to discuss this.

Q: Is there a maximum number of quarters I can receive TA support?

According to University policy, PhD students can accrue a maximum of 12 quarters of TA experience prior to the advancement to candidacy. The University requires that they advance to candidacy at this maximum before they will be eligible for TAship in subsequent quarters. Here is what the UCI Academic Student Employee webpage has to say:

12 Quarter TA Limit

Graduate students who have not advanced to candidacy for the doctorate may be appointed as a Teaching Assistant for a maximum of 12 quarters including the full period of the current or proposed appointment. Following advancement to candidacy, a doctoral student is allowed to be appointed to an additional 6 quarters for a total maximum of 18 appointment quarters. An allowable quarter is counted for any quarter in which the student is compensated, at any amount/rate or percent time. Eighteen quarters is the maximum any student may be appointed, irrespective of whether the student has chosen to enroll in more than one graduate program at UC Irvine. As per UC policy, a 19th quarter will not be approved.

Q: I don’t understand my funding offer. Can I get some clarification?

Details of funding offers are different for each cohort (due to changes in the University budget and tuition amounts) and each student (depending on your classification as a California resident, non-resident, or international student and the year you were admitted, and your merit fellowships or other support, if any). Please reach out to the Graduate Director (cogsci-graddirector@uci.edu) or the Director of Graduate Affairs in Social Sciences (jennifer.gerson@uci.edu) to discuss your particular funding offer.

Q: How do purchases and reimbursements work, e.g. for travel or lab supplies?

Please see the FAQs here for all the policies and links to forms you’ll need for purchases and reimbursements. Remember, all purchases and reimbursements typically need to be approved by your advisor/PI/whoever’s money it is that you’re spending. Purchases or reimbursements that are charged to extramural grants also need to provide ‘justification’ for charging that grant.

Q: How do I print a poster on campus?

The easiest way to print a poster on campus is to go through UCI ImageWorks. The information about how to do this and how to pay for it is all on their page.

Questions about mentorship and advising

Q: How often should I meet with my committee members?

Ask your committee members what they want or expect! In general, though, we recommend meeting with members of your committee (ideally one-on-one) at least once a quarter to update them on your progress; this could also take the form of a written update or email exchange, depending on what your committee members want. Remember your committee is there to help you, not just check up on you, so you should lean on them to get advice and input as you progress in your research. Sometimes committee members may request or require meetings more often than this, depending on your specific circumstance and where you are in your degree progress.

Q: I want to switch advisors due to poor academic or personal fit (or my advisor left UCI and I need a new one). Is this possible and how do I do this?

All students need to have a primary advisor, regardless of progress towards the degree. But we do understand that sometimes it doesn’t work out with the first person you start working with in the program, for many different reasons. If you want to switch, you will need to identify a potential new primary advisor within the Cognitive Sciences core faculty and ask that person if they are willing to serve as your primary advisor. You should provide this potential new advisor with your progress so far and, if you are a more advanced student, your intended timeline to completion. You do not need to provide all of the details about why it isn’t working out with your current advisor, but your potential new advisor should be made aware of any aspects of the situation that may be relevant – including barriers to your having made satisfactory progress towards your degree, if any. It goes without saying that you need to get your potential new advisor’s agreement to serve as your primary advisor before you list them on any official documents! 

If you do switch advisors, you will need to let the department and Grad Director know about the switch so we can ensure that all students have a primary advisor at all times.

Q: I have concerns – e.g. about my advisor, my progress in the program, or something else. Besides my advisor, who can I talk to?

If you have a secondary advisor, you may want to share your concerns with them first. After that, the Graduate Director (cogsci-graddirector@uci.edu) should be your point of contact for most concerns; they can help you sort through options for departmental support and other resources within the department and around campus. If you aren’t comfortable talking with the Grad Director (or the Grad Director is your current advisor!), you can also speak with the department Chair (look here for who is currently Chair) or the current DECADE mentor (look under School of Social Sciences → Cognitive Sciences). 
If none of those parties is the right fit for your problem, we recommend seeking other resources on campus including other departmental staff (cogsci@uci.edu), the Director of Graduate Affairs (jennifer.gerson@uci.edu), the UCI Title IX office, or the UCI Office of the Ombuds, depending on the nature of your concern.

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