How Do I Pay for Graduate School?
Tuition and fees make up a large part of the cost of attending graduate school, but don’t forget about living expenses, travel, and other incidentals. Although graduate school is a large investment of time and money, there are ways to lessen the financial burden.
Consider these options:
Fellowships
It is never too early to start looking for fellowships—even while you are an undergraduate you can begin searching for fellowship funding for your graduate career. While many fellowships are available only for current graduate students, you can apply for some fellowships before beginning/while applying for graduate studies.
Most fellowship competitions have deadlines 9-12 months prior to the beginning date of the fellowship. There are fellowships that are discipline-specific as well as broad-based (e.g., international study).
Each fellowship is different—read the criteria carefully and be sure to address them in your application. Provide the fellowship information/criteria to your recommenders so that they can also address them. Fellowships can last several years or just one quarter and are usually very competitive, so do not hesitate to apply for a number of different fellowships at one time.
Pay attention to what is offered through the fellowship: What is the length of the fellowship? What is the funding level? Does it include insurance or a tuition waiver? Does the funding come to you through the university or are you paid directly by the sponsor?
More information regarding fellowships can be found here.
Assistantships
Assistantships are a form of paid academic employment in which students receive compensation for tasks they perform for faculty members, departments, or colleges. There are three types of assistantships:
- Teaching Assistant/Predoc Instructor
- Research Assistant
- Staff Assistant
Some assistantships provide coverage of tuition and health benefits. Once admitted, you should contact your department to determine whether assistantship positions are available. Many departments on campus hire their own students, but others recruit widely for positions from relevant degree programs across campus.
You are eligible to hold an assistantship in any department on any of our three campuses. Assistantships are open to all graduate students authorized to work in the U.S., including international students.
More information about assistantships is available on the Graduate School website.
On-Campus Employment
There are multiple resources for locating on-campus employment at UW. These appointments are not assistantships, but may come with other
benefits, such as tuition remission or housing.
Visit UW Hires to see general campus job openings.
Visit Handshake to search and apply for campus jobs that are open to all students.
Apply to become a Resident Assistant here
Where To Look for Fellowships
Office of Fellowships & Awards: The Office of Fellowships & Awards provides many services for graduate students and departments, including administrative and counseling information services. They publicize upcoming deadlines, provide some applications, and participate in the administration of some campus-wide awards. See their list of fellowships here.
Graduate Funding Information Service (GFIS): This is a service, funded by the Graduate School and UW Libraries, that shares fellowship and employment opportunities, offers workshops and 1:1 advising, and assists with funding searches. Check out the GFIS website for more information.
Graduate School Website: View “Helpful Funding Videos” to jumpstart your search and review our List of Fellowships for popular funding opportunities that cross a wide field of disciplines. More information can also be found here.
Your Department: Talk to advisors, faculty, and peers in your department and find out what other graduate students have been awarded or have applied for.
Internet Search: Don’t limit yourself to looking within your discipline—be as broad as possible and try multiple terms in separate searches (discipline, research topic, countries, gender, ethnicity, etc.)
