Federal Partnership

Groundbreaking research, world-class health care and an affordable education don’t just happen.  

UC produces the leaders of the future and fosters an environment of exploration and discovery that stimulates education, innovation and invention. This is possible, in part, because of the strong partnership with the federal government.

Providing funding support in three crucial areas—student financial aid, research and health care delivery and training—federal investment helps UC educate our nation’s workforce, advance scientific and technological breakthroughs, and provide world-class medical training and patient care, for a total of more than $12 billion in federal support each year. But we need your help to keep funding sources strong, to remind Congress that its investment in UC is for our students, faculty, researchers and staff, as well as for the impact the University has on California, the nation and the world.

With the help of federal student aid, UC enrolls a higher percentage of low-income students than any of its public or private peer institutions, with 35% of undergrads receiving federal Pell Grants (targeted aid for low-income students). Not only do UC’s Pell Grant recipients have comparable graduation rates to non-Pell Grant recipients, within five years of graduation, the majority of these students go on to earn more than their family’s income during the time they attended UC.

And UC’s graduate and professional students—they are valuable members of our University community serving as mentors, role models and instructors for UC’s undergrads, helping guide them through academia and preparing them for success beyond the classroom. They also drive UC’s research mission, working alongside faculty to advance knowledge and make new discoveries.

Many of California’s leading industries grew from UC research, including biotechnology, computing, semiconductors, telecommunications and agriculture. And federal funds play a major part in this, as they are the university’s single most important source of support for research, accounting for more than half of UC’s total research awards. UC’s three affiliated Department of Energy national laboratories—Lawrence Berkeley, Lawrence Livermore and Los Alamos—not only conduct world-leading research, they further provide thousands of UC students and researchers with access to unique scientific resources, research capabilities and on-the-job training.

The federal government also plays a significant role in UC’s health mission. University of California Health—the nation’s largest public academic health care system—trains nearly half of the medical students and medical residents in California, which is possible because of the federally-funded Graduate Medical Education program. UC is also leading the way in medical innovation with groundbreaking studies and numerous clinical trials taking place throughout the system—all with significant support from the federal government. 

From fighting to protect Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) participants, to standing up for federal investments in research, to calling on Congress to help California and UC recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, together we’re advocating for a shared future that we can all be proud of.