I applied for a fellowship through their program and I did not receive it. I don't think the state of California has a lot of extra money on the table and perhaps this is why. To be honest, this school wasn't even really on my radar when applying and I sent in my application a day late and my transcript to the wrong address. Go figure. It is an excellent school though. Only after my application was sent did I find this lab and I was immediately interested--the primary reason I attended the open house on my dime. I had 2 other interviews there with my 2nd and 3rd lab choices and I was really turned off by them. Also got into NYU's MS biomedical program ($7000/yr scholarship) and although their ranking isn't that high, they have a lot more work I'd be interested in and I really like NYC. I play piano also so a move to NYC would be fantastic for my development as a musician. I'd probably just consider taking out loans for and going to NYU if this doesn't work out because it would likely be less intense and I could focus on music. I really hope this school in question works out. BTW, I am friends with one of his PhD students on facebook and she said he prefers email over phone. He has an office phone (no caller ID?) so maybe I could try calling but it's against her advice.
By finalized in an email, do you mean a breakdown of all the costs? Or just a "yeah you are funded" answer.
-Henry