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UW Graduate School - Faculty and Staff

International Student Tuition Waivers

Definition and Policy

The state of Washington has made 300 quarters of tuition waivers available to support international student exchanges and international students with the primary emphasis of creating international opportunities for Washington residents. Tuition waivers for international graduate students who attend the University of Washington as part of a degree program, or as part of a specialized fellowship program like Fulbright, are managed by the Office of Fellowships & Awards in the Graduate School.

Graduate Student Waivers

These waivers cover tuition and fees except for the Technology Fee and U-PASS. Note that waivers are not available for summer quarter.

The Graduate School is proud to support a growing number of foreign Fulbright scholars pursuing graduate study at the university. As a result, the supply of waivers has become increasingly limited. Our office will prioritize waiver requests in the following order:

  1. Students who are sponsored and financially assisted by Fulbright programs
  2. Students who are sponsored by other recognized international education programs
  3. Recruitment and retention of international students for graduate-level study with limited or no departmental funding, especially to support international students from countries underrepresented at the UW
  4. Recruitment and retention of international students for graduate-level study who have been offered a significant level of departmental funding

Tuition waivers can be used to support up to one year (three quarters) of Master’s or Ph.D. coursework.

Eligibility

  • Students may receive no more than three quarters (total) of international student waivers unless they are receiving living stipend funding (not just book allowance) through the Fulbright Foreign Student Program.
  • Students must have an F or J visa for the quarter(s) in which the waiver is applied.
  • Students must be enrolled in a degree program at the UW under the terms of their visa category for the quarter(s) in which the waiver is applied.
  • Students may NOT receive an Academic Student Employee position (e.g., TA, RA) during the quarter when the waiver is applied.
  • Students who are enrolled in fee-based or other programs that do not charge UW tuition are NOT eligible.
  • Students may NOT receive a waiver if they have or will receive Washington state residency during the period covered by the waiver.
  • Students may NOT be in the VISIT or VISER programs.

How to Request Waivers

Awards through the Graduate School will be made on a rolling basis throughout the year. Requests must come from authorized department personnel (not individual students or faculty) and are made through the MyGrad Awards portal. Students wishing to be nominated for waivers should contact their graduate program advisor.

Requests must include:

  1. Name and home country of student
  2. Quarter(s) for which waivers are requested (note: these waivers are not available for summer quarter)
  3. Amount of waiver — use the current non-resident tuition rates reflected on the Office of Planning & Budgeting website
  4. Justification questions — your responses to the below prompts should relate to the specific student for whom you are requesting waivers:
    • The reason waiver is needed
    • An explanation of the waiver’s contribution to the mission of the UW and department
    • An explanation of the waiver’s benefits for the state of Washington

Submit an International Student Tuition Waiver Request

Contact

For more information about graduate student waivers, please contact the Office of Fellowships & Awards.