well, i got into uc riverside last night and they included my funding package. i also got my funding package from uc davis yesterday as well. i guess in california they have a non-resident supplemental tuition charge that is like $15,000/year. i can become a resident after a year and not have to pay that, but the first year it will apply to me. the good news is that uc riverside has given me the money to pay that fee and davis said that "at this time, the department cannot cover your first year of Nonresident Supplemental Tuition." do you guys think this is more of it's not that they cannot, it's that they have decided not to for me specifically? also, both schools gave me a stipend for the first year and notated that i will be working for pay as a TA the second year, but riverside didn't mention anything after that as far as TA/Reader potential income. is this the usual way this works, or will i be up a creek after two years of schooling at riverside? davis said they are "committed to funding your graduate work for five academic years so that you can concentrate on your Ph.D. studies at UC Davis." which i found encouraging.