Emergency Fund

The Emergency Fund was established to provide financial assistance to graduate students and undergraduate students who are faced with an emergency that impacts their ability to effectively continue their studies. Some examples of events that may qualify include:

• Onerous medical or dental expenses not covered by insurance
• Bereavement travel; travel for an urgent family matter
• Other emergencies

Requests for funding are made through an online graduate request form and are reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the graduate deans. Undergraduate students should contact the office of the Dean of Undergraduate Studies for similar emergency resources. Sufficient documentation is required to evaluate the expense; for medical and dental reimbursements we ask for a billing statement and proof of payment and any applicable insurance applied, but we do not need a detailed disclosure of private medical information. For medical or dental expenses, we ask students first consult with Kevin Lee, Student Benefits Specialist in HR, to discuss coverage and make sure that the insurance has been fully applied.

Our goal is to make a decision within two weeks, if not sooner. Applications are reviewed and awards made by at least two members of staff. If you require immediate assistance, please contact the Graduate Studies Office to set up an appointment with one of the Deans. If approved, the reimbursement will be applied to the next available payroll and applicable taxes may apply. Direct payment via P-Card is also possible for unpaid, approved costs.

Review process

1) Has the student previously applied for emergency funding and if so, how much? To ensure we can support as many requests as possible, priority is given to students who have not already accessed the emergency fund within the same academic year.

2) Review documentation of expenses (airfare, hotel, medical and dental bills, etc.). Medical bills must show evidence that insurance has been applied (We ask students to consult with the HR Benefits Specialist before submitting the request).

3) To protect privacy, we do NOT require detailed medical information, just the bill showing insurance coverage, any payments made, and evidence of treatment (sensitive information can be redacted or we can work with HR Benefits or Student Wellness Services if that is more comfortable).

The Emergency Fund is supported by gifts and donations to Caltech. Awards are contingent upon the availability of funds.

Please note:

• Students must be actively enrolled and in good academic standing to receive funding.
• Requests must be for emergencies that occurred in the past year. Expenses earlier than 12 months from time of request are not eligible.
• Reasonable "emergencies" will be covered. This does not include legal fees/litigation expenses, elective surgery or cosmetic dental work, non-essential car maintenance and repairs, etc.
• For medical expenses, priority will be given to students with Caltech health insurance coverage.
• Only student expenses are eligible; due to limited resources we are unable to provide support for any emergencies through the emergency fund impacting a student's partner, spouse, child, or family member. Emergency loan funds are available, however.
• If deemed not eligible for consideration under the emergency fund, graduate students may still apply for an emergency loan.

A summary follows of the utilization of the Emergency Fund for the past five years to provide an overview of the requests and funding levels.