Finance & Support
Ph.D. Fellowship Tuition Support Program
Some fellowship awards fall short of meeting a graduate fellow’s educational expenses. The Ph.D. Fellowship Tuition Support Program (pdf) allows eligible students to receive support from the Graduate School to augment their fellowship award by providing a supplemental tuition waiver support.
ABD Waiver Program
The Graduate School Finance team manages the posting and eligibility review of ABD tuition waivers assigned to Academic Student Employees. For additional information and to submit an application, please visit the ABD Tuition Waiver Program.
WICHE Waiver
Do you have a graduate student who is eligible for the Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP)?
Contact us to ensure they receive the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) tuition waiver!
Graduate School Commitments
The Graduate School is committed to supporting departments in advancing the university’s land-grant mission, beliefs, and values. Through the GS Commitment Request Log, departments can request financial support for graduate assistantships, awarded fellowships and grant proposals. Requests are to be submitted weeks in advance prior to the grant proposal deadline. Allow 4-6 weeks for financial support decision.
This process helps ensure transparency, alignment with institutional funding policies, and appropriate financial planning for graduate student support.
Flex Tuition Waivers may be requested under one or more of the following conditions. In all cases, justification and supporting documentation must be provided through the Graduate School commitment request process and will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
- Sponsor-Mandated Cost Share: When the sponsor requires direct cost share, or it is necessary to meet the minimum institutional commitment outlined in the funding announcement.
- Tuition Explicitly Disallowed by Sponsor: The sponsor prohibits charging tuition as a direct expense, yet the grant project requires graduate student research effort within its scope of work.
- Grant Budget Constraints: During proposal development, allowable total direct costs are insufficient to support both fully funded graduate assistantship(s) (including tuition) and the other essential direct costs required for the project. Tuition waiver support may also be considered post-award if significant budget limitations or unexpected constraints emerge during project execution.
- Prestigious Doctoral Fellowships: A doctoral student has received a competitive fellowship that provides a stipend, but support for tuition is limited.
- Submit a Request: Complete the GS Commitment Request form with all required details about the grant proposal or fellowship recipient.
- Initial Review: The Graduate School Area Finance Officer will review the submission to confirm that all necessary details and documentation are provided.
- Approval Process: The Dean of the Graduate School and Vice Provost for Graduate Education will review the request.
- Notification & Commitment Number: Departments will receive a notification of the final decision. If approved, a GS commitment number will be issued through an email notification.
Graduate Students Receiving Non-Service Pay
Graduate students receiving non-service pay are not employees of Washington State University (WSU) and do not provide services to the university. This type of pay is common for students who have been awarded fellowships or internships. Students receiving non-service pay are not WSU employees and, therefore, not members of the bargaining unit under WSU/UAW Contract 2024-2026.
The Nonservice Payment Form is used to authorize disbursements to individuals who are not obligated to provide services to WSU in exchange for the payments. Non service pay typically includes payments for fellowships, traineeships and internships. For more information, please visit the Accounts Payable website or refer to the Business Policies & Procedures Manual 30.30.