Funding
Understanding the challenges that funding your education presents, we work with you to make your program as affordable as possible. Our students are often supported by a combination of research assistantships (RAs), teaching assistantships (TAs), as well as fellowships, student loans, Washington State Employee Tuition Exemption, and outside employment. To identify the best sources of financial support, we encourage you to review each funding source below. For additional information about the variety of funding opportunities available to Epi students, please review the “Epi Funding FAQs” section.
Contact our Student Academic Services staff at epi@uw.edu if you have any lingering questions! We are here to support you through your academic journey.
How do Epi masters and doctoral students commonly finance their education? There are so many options to choose from!
Epi students find funding in a variety of ways. Some students combine a mixture of sources, such as: RA, TA, scholarships, and outside grants or loans. There is no “one size fits all” way to approach funding at UW Epi, but remember to prioritize what works best for your personal situation!
Does every Epi funding opportunity come with a tuition waiver and benefits?
Unfortunately, no. In Epi, the term “funding” typically refers to RA or TA opportunities within the Epi Department, School of Public Health, or broader UW community. While these various roles are paid, it’s important to remember only students receiving a minimum of 50% FTE (total across all qualifying positions) in these roles receive a tuition waiver and benefits.
What does FTE mean? How do I get 50%?
FTE is defined as full-time equivalent, meaning that only funding opportunities listed with 50% of this equivalence are eligible for tuition and healthcare benefits. Funding appointments that total less than 50% FTE only pay a salary and do not include tuition coverage or health insurance. At UW, full-time employment is considered 40-working hours per week, meaning 50% FTE is 20-working hours per week. 25% FTE is 10-working hours per week.
Some of our students combine funding opportunities to maximize possible benefits. For example, it is common for students to undertake two separate 25%FTE positions in order to qualify for tuition benefits. Both roles do not have to be from the same department (e.g. Epidemiology and Global Health could each offer you 25% FTE roles). This is perfectly acceptable. Important note: If you are planning on combining roles outside of the Epi Department, you will need to consult with that individual hiring Department on any specific rules or regulations.
Are there other ways to get a tuition waiver/exemption? Or can I only acquire them through RA or TA opportunities?
Yes. If you are a current UW employee, or you are considered a Washington State Employee, you may be eligible to cover up to 6 credits of qualifying coursework per quarter. If you have questions about whether you are classified as either a UW or Washington State Employee, please visit the State Employee Tuition Exemption webpage for more information. Please note that state tuition coverage comes with additional conditions that you will want to review prior to deciding if it is the appropriate option for you.
I am an international student. Am I eligible for RA or TA appointments?
Yes! International students are eligible to apply for these positions. For more detailed information on navigating the international student on-campus employment process, visit the International Student Services’ F-1 Visa for On-Campus Employment webpage.
You will need to provide the hiring department with work authorization and any constraints related to your specific Visa.
I am an undocumented student. Am I eligible for RA or TA appointments?
Yes! Undocumented Students are eligible to apply for these positions. To better understand your options, visit UW’s Resources for Undocumented Students webpage that provides a breakdown of eligibility based on position type.
How do I find all of these various opportunities?
Be proactive! All available positions are posted on our website, and you will also receive email communications from the Epidemiology Students email list that all students are included in (cheat code: monitor your UW@ email account!). If you are still unclear on how to get started, your first step should be to contact Epi’s Student Academic Services staff at epi@uw.edu.
Begin your funding search by regularly reviewing these resources:
- UW Epi Funding website–you are here now!
- UW School of Public Health Jobs & Internships – A centralized location for funding opportunities across the SPH, UW, and greater Seattle region.
- UW Jobs – All UW Bothell, Seattle, and Tacoma professional positions (including UW Medical Center, Harborview, and more).
- Handshake – UW student job board, including internships, local employment options, and more.
- UW Assistantships, General Overview – General information regarding UW’s approach to student funding.
Should I contact individual faculty, staff, or project leads to inquire about funding opportunities that may not be advertised?
For the quickest response and most updated information regarding available positions, please send all of your funding questions to Epidemiology Student Academic Services staff at epi@uw.edu. This helps avoid our faculty and staff’s growing email volume and it provides you with consistent information. All currently available Epidemiology and/or School of Public Health funding options are listed above.
Please refrain from contacting faculty, staff or project leads directly regarding funding to ensure we are following university, departmental and fair equitable hiring practices.
Research assistantships (RAs) provide funding for a significant number of both new and continuing students. As is the case with funding in general, a higher percentage of PhD students will be supported through RA positions than Master’s students. Most students who secure RA positions find them through faculty within the Department of Epidemiology. However, some of our students have had success securing RA positions in other departments at the School of Public Health. For instance, the START Center, housed in the Department of Global Health, hires 3-5 new Epi students as RA’s each year. Some students find positions across the University outside of the School of Public Health, and outside the UW at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Seattle Children’s Hospital. We encourage you to explore those possibilities and are happy to help you make those connections if possible.
Teaching Assistantships, particularly those associated with graduate level courses, are matched primarily to PhD students in their second year or beyond. The growing number of undergraduate courses being offered in the Department of Epidemiology have begun to expand TA opportunities for all our students. All open-hire opportunities for TA positions in the department are broadcast to students on a quarterly basis, and will also be posted at the “Find a TA Position” link below as they become available. Some students have had success finding TA positions in non-SPH departments such as Biology and Statistics. We encourage you to explore those possibilities and are happy to help you make those connections if possible.
The Epidemiology Department houses several training grants that offer fellowship positions for PhD students and postdoctoral students. Additionally, the School of Public Health job listings include fellowship opportunities available across the university as well as opportunities outside the UW.
The UW Graduate Funding Information Service (GFIS) will work with you once you officially enroll at the UW, helping you to identify and locate funding opportunities for graduate school-related expenses including tuition, research, conference, and research travel. You can visit GFIS during drop-in advising hours, schedule individual appointments, or request information by email.
Visit the GFIS Funding Resources Guide and blog to learn more.
The goal of NIH Diversity Supplements is to increase diversity in the research workforce by providing training, mentorship and career development opportunities to individuals who are underrepresented in biomedical, behavioral, clinical, social and basic sciences research. The UW School of Public Health (SPH) Diversity Supplement page contains resources to help you be successful in applying for these supplements.