Funding Opportunities
WSU Graduate School Funding
Assistantship appointments provide financial support to a graduate student who engages in teaching (TA), research (RA), and/or service (SA or GA). Departments and programs generally make assistantship offers during the admissions process; however, current students may be eligible for an assistantship in their program when funding is available. Graduate assistantships may include a tuition waiver, health insurance, and a monthly stipend. Students should contact their department or graduate program to learn more about assistantship opportunities.
Each year the Graduate School and the Graduate and Professional Student Association (GPSA) recognize graduate students of outstanding achievement with numerous awards, including:
ARCS
Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS)
GPSA
The Graduate School provides a number of donor-funded scholarships within specific disciplines that require nomination from your department. To learn about these scholarships and request nomination from your department, visit the scholarships website.
Graduate School Scholarships include:
- Richard R. and Constance M. Albrecht Scholarship
- Ann Chittenden Holland Award for Graduate Student Excellencein Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in STEM
- The Charles Allen Award for Graduate Student Excellence in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the social sciences, arts and humanities
- Karen P. DePauw Leadership Award
- Arnold and Julia Greenwell Memorial Scholarship for Social Sciences and Humanities
- Anne and Russ Fuller Fellowship for Interdisciplinary Research/Scholarship
- Graduate School Recruitment Scholarship for STEM Disciplines
- Graduate School Dissertation Year Fellowship
Visit WSU’s general scholarship page.
Visit the Open Education Database for more scholarship opportunities.
For Army ROTC scholarships for graduate students, visit the WSU Army ROTC website.
Students should work with their faculty advisor to identify potential internship opportunities that fit within their program of study. Students who wish to participate in a fall or spring internship are required to meet the University’s continuous enrollment policy by either enrolling in a minimum of two graduate credits, be in continuous doctoral status, or be approved for official internship leave. Please see the complete leave policy.
Applying for external fellowships and grants is an excellent professional development experience for many students who will be seeking academic career placement where grant funding is a necessity. The Graduate School offers training every spring to help students apply for a number of prestigious fellowships. Find out more about how to apply for these prestigious fellowships HERE.
WSU Offered Programs
Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP)
The WRGP allows master’s graduate certificate, and Ph.D. students who are residents of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) states to enroll in any participating programs within the participating institutions and pay resident tuition. The average savings is about $14,900 per student.
How to apply
Apply for admission and identify yourself as a WICHE WRGP applicant to be considered for the discounted tuition rate. Programs give a limited number of reduced tuition seats each year, so apply early.
NIH Biotech Training Grants
The NIH Protein Biotechnology Training Program at WSU offers interdisciplinary training to enhance the graduate experience and produce versatile scientists and engineers to address the future needs of biotechnology in academic, industrial, or government service. The program provides state-of-the-art training in basic science relevant to biotechnology and education in the applied aspects of biotechnology with a particular emphasis on protein science.
Trainees in the Program are admitted for graduate studies through one of the participating academic units, then nominated for a traineeship:
- Department of Chemistry
- School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering
- Paul G. Allen School for Global Animal Health
- School of Molecular Biosciences
- Program in Molecular Plant Sciences
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology
Trainee positions are supported by a grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, part of the NIH, and contributions by WSU.
PNNL-WSU Distinguished Graduate Research Program
Washington state is home to several research institutions, and Washington State University and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory are paving the way in clean energy, smart manufacturing, sustainability, and national security innovation. And they’re seeking fresh minds.
Through the PNNL-WSU Distinguished Graduate Research Program (DGRP), Ph.D. students will earn a stipend along with benefits, funded by their WSU and PNNL advisors, while working under a prestigious graduate committee on nationally relevant research. It is a unique opportunity to tap into the knowledge and world-class research infrastructure available at both institutions.
DGRP students will work with faculty at WSU and scientists at PNNL while completing their graduate coursework and subsequently transfer to PNNL for the remaining years of their PhD program to gain hands-on research experience with PNNL scientists. Research opportunities include but are not limited to the following areas:
- Radiochemistry
- Electric power and Smart Grid
- Biofuels, bio-products, and catalysis
- Environmental, water and soil science and engineering
- Current and past areas of research can be found here