To qualify for financial aid at the University of Washington, you must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, be admitted to the University in a degree granting program, demonstrate financial need, not be in default on a previous student loan or owe a repayment on a grant, and be making satisfactory progress toward a degree. To begin the financial aid process at the University of Washington, please visit the UW Office of Student Financial Aid website. For priority consideration, your FAFSA must be received by the federal application processor by the University’s deadline of January 15. You must file a FAFSA every year and applications will be available online for the following year starting January 1. For more information regarding financial aid, please contact The UW Office of Student Financial Aid.
Funding for International Students
The University of Washington is a public institution; therefore no state or federal financial assistance is offered to international students. Students, their families, and sponsors must assume all financial responsibility for tuition and living expenses. It is very important that applicants review the expected expenses before deciding to apply for admission.
Although financial aid or work-study positions from the University of Washington is not available for international students, the UW International Student Services website provides helpful information to international students attending the University of Washington.
International students may qualify to apply for some Department Scholarships. The Department Scholarship descriptions are announced in winter quarter to all current architecture students. Since these scholarships vary from year to year we cannot provide a current list, however a list from the previous year is available on our website here.
Western Regional Graduate Program for Reduced Tuition
The Department of Architecture’s Master’s program has joined with other programs in the College of Built Environments to be part of the Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP) of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE). This makes our Master of Architecture and Master of Science in Architecture degree programs available at resident tuition rates to students from the following 14 states and 2 UW territories: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Montana, North Dakota, New Mexico, South Dakota, Oregon, Wyoming, Utah, Guam, and Northern Mariana Islands.
Please note: WRGP selection is competitive based on merit, evaluation in the candidate pool and financial need. Visit this page for more information.
Admissions Scholarships
The Department of Architecture offers a limited number of scholarships and awards to top tier candidates at the time of admissions. These include the Top Scholar Award, which provides a full tuition waiver and stipend for one year to students in our Master of Science in Architecture programs (both History & Theory and Design Computing) as well as our Master of Architecture program. Our Master of Science in Architecture programs also have limited department or faculty research funded support that involves teaching and/or research. There is no separate application form to complete for these various awards, as all who submit an application are automatically considered.
Financial aid awards are separate from admissions scholarships awarded by an academic unit. For information about eligibility & the process for applying for financial aid, visit the UW Office of Student Financial Aid website.
Department Scholarships
Once admitted to the Department, students are eligible to apply for our annual Department Scholarships. Eligibility for these awards varies, but a majority are need-based scholarships, so a FAFSA or Financial Need Assessment Form for Non- Citizen/Permanent Residents should be completed (form provided when Call for Applications is announced). In April of each year, current students are eligible to apply for Departmental Scholarships. There are between 20-25 scholarships each year to award. Eligibility to apply for these in spring of your first year in the program and each year of enrollment after.
Last year’s list of scholarships can be found here.
Department & UW Employment Opportunities
The Department of Architecture employs many of our students from research assistants to exhibit coordinators. For employment in the Department of Architecture, preference is given to students who are Work-Study eligible. To qualify for Work-Study jobs students must demonstrate financial need and have a Work-Study award as part of your overall financial aid award. To determine work-study eligibility, a FAFSA must be submitted.
All questions regarding work study eligibility should be directed to the UW Financial Aid Office.
Most of these are hourly paid positions but there are also a few opportunities for TA/RA ships which would waive tuition and offer student health insurance for the quarter one is hired. Our department typically hires students in their final year of study for these positions – after they have completed the core studios/coursework.
These opportunities are advertised to our students via our student email lists.
Here are the units in our College that regularly hire students:
- Fabrication Labs
- Integrated Design Lab
- ARCHNet Computing Lab
- Department of Architecture: various positions ranging from lecture & events support, exhibits support, reader/grader positions.
Graduate Funding Information Service (GFIS)
External Scholarships are sent to our school are shared via our student communication channels.
On-Campus Employment (requires UW NetID to view)
Off-Campus Employment
Our students have been successful in securing part-time positions at design firms during the academic year and full-time positions during the summer. Here is a list of local firms who engage regularly with our Department: http://archpac.be.uw.edu/