Overview:
2025–2026 GSEE Graduate Tuition and Graduate Supplemental Awards.
Please note: There are several changes to the nomination process this year, so please read the eligibility criteria carefully
GSEE has a limited number of graduate tuition and graduate supplemental awards for prospective and current master’s and doctoral students.
- The GSEE Graduate Tuition Awards are need and merit-based awards totaling $12,000 for the upcoming 2025-26 academic year ($4,000 per quarter). These awards can only be applied towards a student’s tuition balance and cannot be disbursed directly to a student’s account. If a student has no tuition balance or if it is entirely covered by another award, these awards will not disburse.
- The GSEE Graduate Supplemental Awards are need and merit-based awards totaling $6,000 for the upcoming 2025-26 academic year ($2,000 per quarter). These awards are applied towards a student’s tuition balance but can also be disbursed directly to a student’s account in the event that they have no tuition balance and still have demonstrated need. These awards are made in partnership with the Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA).
For a prospective or current graduate student to be considered for these need-based, merit awards, nominations must be made by the student’s college/department/program.
While there is no individual student application, students may submit a separate personal statement to supplement the departmental nomination. A statement may be especially useful if a department does not require a personal statement as part of their application. This can address factors that the department may not have information on, such as financial hardships, personal adversities, etc.
In addition to merit, awards require a student to be eligible for need-based funds as determined by the Office of Student Financial Aid. Students must have a current and evaluated FAFSA on file unless they are an undocumented student. Undocumented students should contact GSEE directly for more information.
Important Note: Graduate Tuition Awards will be capped at $12,000, however, they may be reduced if a student’s financial need is lower than this amount. Graduate Supplemental Awards will be capped at $6,000, however, they may also be reduced if a student’s financial need is lower than this amount.
Deadline: Priority consideration will be given to applications received by April 25, 2025 at 11:59 pm PT. Applications submitted before this priority deadline will be notified with a decision in early May. The final deadline for nominating all returning and incoming graduate students is June 16, 2025 at 11:59 pm PT. All applications submitted after the priority deadline and any waitlisted applications will receive a decision in late June.
Nomination Process:
Due to limited funds and high demand, it is difficult to allocate multiple awards to any one program. Each graduate program will be able to nominate between 1-4 students, depending on cohort size. Please use the following formula to determine your nomination limit for the upcoming academic year. You will need to rank your nominations in order of preference.
- Anticipated program cohort size 0-50 graduate students = maximum of 2 nominations
- Anticipated program cohort size 50-100 graduate students = maximum of 3 nominations
- Anticipated program cohort size 100+ graduate students = maximum of 4 nominations
Nominations must be made in the MyGrad awards management system. Please log in to nominate a student (please be sure to click on the “MyGrad Department View” tab and not the “Slate” tab).
After logging in, nominators must then determine which of the following four award profiles to submit the nomination under:
- GSEE Graduate Supplemental Awards – Current Student
- GSEE Graduate Supplemental Awards – Newly Admitted Student
- GSEE Graduate Tuition Awards – Current Student
- GSEE Graduate Tuition Awards – Newly Admitted Student
How to determine which profile to submit under?
First, determine if the student being nominated is:
a. A current student, or
b. A newly admitted student
Next, determine whether they are in:
a. A fee-based graduate program, or
b. A state-funded graduate program
If they are in a fee-based program, please nominate them for a Supplemental Award. If they are in a state-funded graduate program, please nominate them for a Tuition Award. For example: if you are looking to nominate a current graduate student from a state-funded graduate program, you would submit their nomination under the “GSEE Graduate Tuition Awards – Current Student” profile in MyGrad. Finally, be sure to submit the required departmental letter and answer all the additional questions.
Please note: If you are nominating a student in a state-funded program and they will be holding an ASE (Academic Student Employee – TA, RA, SA) position throughout the 2025-26 academic year, please nominate them for a Supplemental award. Holding an ASE position significantly reduces a student’s financial need. Please be advised that if you are nominating a student who will be holding an ASE position, their low financial need may reduce award amounts or make them ineligible.
Departmental letters of nomination must address the following in detail:
Please note: Due to high demand, nominations that do not include detailed information addressing the following three prompts, will not be considered.
- MERIT: What factors influenced your admission of this student? Where does/did this student rank among applicants/current students? If known, include competitive offers from other institutions or describe progress in the program. Please include any additional information you feel is relevant regarding the student’s merit (600 words max).
- DIVERSITY: Provide general statistics on underrepresented students in your program and/or discipline. How will/does this student add to the diversity of your program? What diverse perspectives will/do they bring to your program, by past experiences and achievements, by community involvement, or by scholarship? Please include any additional information you feel is relevant regarding the student’s diverse perspectives (600 words max).
- FINANCIAL NEED: Indicate the department’s funding plan for the student. What departmental resources are/have been committed to the student? If your department is not providing funding, please explain why. Are there any unique circumstances that add to the student’s need, such as dependents, medical expenses, daycare costs, etc.? Please include any additional information you feel is relevant regarding the student’s financial need (600 words max).
For incoming students, please indicate why this award is important for recruiting this candidate.
The following are ineligible:
- Professional degree programs (Dentistry, Law, Medicine, Pharmacy)
- Students who hold a temporary or student visa (F-1 or J-1)
- Study abroad programs
Please email Fernando Puga, GSEE’s Fellowships & Awards Specialist at fernp21@uw.edu with any questions.
Please note:
- GSEE funding is allocated mostly based on departmental nominations. Please contact your department’s Graduate Program Advisor (GPA) for more information on the nomination process and for additional departmental funding opportunities.
- Due to the state-based funding GSEE receives, students in fee-based programs are only eligible to be nominated for the GSEE Graduate Supplemental Awards. They can also individually apply for the Latinx Scholars Graduate School Fellowship if they meet eligibility requirements. To check if you were admitted or are enrolled in a fee-based program, please contact your department or review the Fee-Based Degree Programs List.
- DACAmented students are eligible for GSEE funding opportunities. Undocumented students (without DACA status) are eligible for the GSEE Graduate Supplemental Award, GSEE Graduate Tuition Award, and Latinx Scholars Graduate School Fellowship. If you are DACAmented or undocumented and would like more information, please connect with GSEE (uwgsee@uw.edu).
- International students and students enrolled in professional programs (School of Dentistry, School of Law, School of Medicine, and School of Pharmacy) are ineligible for GSEE funding.