This email was sent to GPAs and GPCs from the Graduate School Dean on July 1, 2026.
Letter from the Dean
Dear GPAs and GPCs,
As the campus quiets down, I hope you’re getting an opportunity to rest and recharge over the summer. In preparation for the upcoming academic year, I wanted to share a few updates from the Graduate School.
One of our major priorities this year is a comprehensive redesign of the Graduate School website. Our goal is to make it easier for prospective students, current students, faculty and campus partners to find the information they need while creating a more intuitive, accessible and useful experience for everyone. You are one of our most important audiences, and your perspectives will be invaluable throughout this process. Over the coming months, our communications team will be reaching out to invite your feedback through surveys, interviews and usability testing. We hope you’ll take a few moments to share your experiences and ideas to help us build a better resource for our entire graduate community.
I also want to make you aware of an important change affecting graduate student financial aid. As of July 1, 2026, the federal government eliminated the GradPLUS Loan program and instituted new caps on federal borrowing. Because many UW graduate and professional students have historically relied on GradPLUS funding, we expect current and prospective students to have questions about how these changes may affect them. To help support those conversations, I wanted to highlight new resources to help students understand funding options and financial planning. I encourage you to familiarize yourself with these materials and share them with students as appropriate. Additional information is available from the Office of Student Financial Aid, the Graduate School resource for prospective students and the Graduate School resource for continuing students. Thank you in advance for helping students navigate what will undoubtedly be a period of transition.
Finally, as another awards season comes to a close, I want to take a moment to celebrate the remarkable accomplishments of our graduate students. From nationally recognized fellowships and scholarships to outstanding research, teaching, mentorship and leadership awards, our students continue to demonstrate the extraordinary talent and impact of the UW graduate community. You’ll find highlights below.
These achievements are possible because of the support and guidance you provide our students. Thank you for all you do to help them succeed.
I look forward to working with you throughout the coming year and wish you a relaxing summer.
Warmly,
Joy Williamson-Lott,
Dean, UW Graduate School
From the Office of Academic Affairs
Academic Unit Reviews
During AY 2025-26, the Academic Unit Review team in the Office of Academic Affairs conducted comprehensive reviews of the following units: Department of Sociology; Department of French & Italian Studies; Food Systems & Nutritional Health Program; Public Health – Global Health Program; Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology; School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences; Disability Studies Program; Evans School of Public Policy; and Comparative History of Ideas department. There were nine total.
These reviews were conducted in collaboration with unit leadership, faculty, staff, and faculty review committees.
Curriculum
New Graduate Programs
The Office of Academic Affairs is pleased to have guided the following program proposals through the approval process over the past year: Doctor of Occupational Therapy (Department of Rehabilitation Medicine), Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership (College of Education), Master of Science in Finance (Foster School of Business), Master of Science in Environmental Science (Department of Science and Mathematics; UW Tacoma), Graduate Certificate in Human Centered AI (Department of Human Centered Design and Engineering), Graduate Certificate in Instrumental Performance (School of Music), Graduate Certificate in Artificial Intelligence for Organizations (The Information School), and the Graduate Certificate in Instructional Leadership (College of Education). These programs will be enrolling students in Autumn 2026 or 2027.
Graduate AI Workgroup
In response to increasing demand for graduate programs in artificial intelligence, and to promote interdisciplinarity across units while minimizing duplication of effort, the Office of Academic Affairs has established a Graduate AI Workgroup. The group, which brings together expertise from across the UW, is an opportunity for AI-interested faculty and staff to collaboratively support the growth and development of our graduate education footprint in a way that fosters innovation and identifies opportunities for shared resources and cross-unit integration. This group does so by providing feedback on opportunities for cross-collaboration on proposed graduate programs in artificial intelligence during, or prior to, the Preliminary Notice of Intent (PNOI) stage of development.
Graduate School Council
In 2025–26, the Graduate School Council—composed of graduate faculty and ex-officio campus partners—advanced a range of key initiatives.
Members reviewed 10 academic units, 5 interim reports, 6 five-year reports for newer programs, and 11 new graduate program proposals. Among the programs approved this year: a Master’s in Robotics, a Master’s in Medical Sciences, and new graduate certificates in AI, Robotics, and Statistics, fields in which graduate talent is increasingly in demand.
Working alongside the Graduate School Policy Committee, Council also reviewed and revised 14 Graduate School policies, with notable updates to admissions criteria, English language proficiency thresholds, and supervisory committee expectations. These revisions improve clarity for students and keep UW’s graduate policies current and accessible.
We are grateful to Council members for the care and expertise they bring to this work.
Updates to Graduate School Policies
Over the past several months, the Graduate School, in consultation with the Graduate School Council Policy Committee and the Policy Implementation Review Team, has implemented several important policy revisions:
- Policy 1.5 – Concurrent Degrees: Establishes a percentage-based approach to shared credits for informal concurrent degrees, replacing the previous fixed credit cap.
- Policy 3.1 – Graduate Admissions: Updates address the use of artificial intelligence in admissions processes, recognition of three-year bachelor’s degrees from international institutions, and required procedures for admitting students already enrolled as UW graduate students.
- Policies 3.2 & 5.2 – English Language Proficiency: Updates include revised test score thresholds and an expanded list of countries in which a university’s medium of instruction in English satisfies documentation requirements.
- Policy 4.2 – Supervisory Committees: Introduces a new section outlining program and student responsibilities related to the formation and reformation of supervisory committees.
Guidance for Updating Student-Facing Materials
As you update student-facing materials, including handbooks, please incorporate the following changes:
- Public presentations: For programs that require public presentations, clearly outline the process by which students may petition for a limited audience.
- Lab rotation programs: Specify the quarter by which a supervisory committee chair must be identified and note that students may progress from Academic Notification to Final Academic Alert as they approach or pass that deadline.
- Admissions materials: Clearly state your program’s expectations and any limitations regarding the use of AI in the preparation of application materials.
- TA English proficiency requirements: If your program sets English language proficiency standards for TAs above those in Policy 5.2, ensure these requirements are clearly posted on all relevant webpages and hiring materials.
- Summer enrollment expectations: For programs with summer work requirements (with or without credit), define a process for students to request a pause in summer study (similar to on-leave status during the academic year), including how requests are reviewed, approved, and documented.
Fellowships and Awards
Schmidt Fellowship
The Office of Academic Affairs solicited nominations across the UW and after a rigorous review, selected four candidates to put forward for the Schmidt Science Fellows program, a prestigious international postdoctoral fellowship that supports emerging scientific leaders pursuing a pivot from their PhD discipline to engage in bold interdisciplinary research.
Graduate School Medal Award
The Office also convened a subcommittee of the Graduate School Council to review nominations for the Graduate School Medal Award. This award recognizes citizen scholars who demonstrate exceptional academic expertise, a deep understanding of societal challenges, and a strong commitment to serving the broader community. Four finalists presented their work to the Graduate School Council who then selected Mia Hoffman of the Department of Engineering as the 2026 Graduate School Medal Award recipient. Her research integrates engineering, rehabilitation, and disability studies to advance accessible play and mobility technologies for young children with disabilities. The other finalists were: Xinmei Huang of the Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences, Lara Volski of the School of Environmental & Forest Sciences, and Lauren Wilner of the Department of Epidemiology.
Acknowledgment
We thank our campus partners, including faculty, staff, academic leaders, and members of the Graduate School Council, for their continued collaboration, expertise, and commitment to graduate education.