Financial Aid

The University of Washington's Office of Student Financial Aid has a variety of need-based funding available to prospective and current students. The information provided here is for M.A. and Ph.D. students.

Teaching and Research Assistantships

The Department maintains approximately 35-40 assistantships, which are merit-based awards available to students in the M.A. and Ph.D. programs. The vast majority of these are teaching assistantships (TAships), wherein graduate students assist in the teaching of undergraduate courses and receive a salary for their teaching. A few of these assistantships are for research (RAships). These students receive a salary for providing assistance to faculty research projects.

Please click here for TA and RA guidelines.

Students entering our M.A. program with an assistantship receive two years of assistance; if subsequently admitted to the Ph.D. program with an assistantship, they receive an additional three years of support. Those entering the Ph.D. program with an assistantship receive four years of support. Anywhere from 8-17 assistantships will be available to incoming students in any given year, and support is always contingent on satisfactory progress in the graduate program.

These positions normally require 20 hours of work per week, and they currently carry a minimum nine-month salary of $12,654 for MA students and $13,599 for PhD students. Students holding these appointments receive a waiver of the operating fee portion of tuition and fees but are required to pay approximately $217 in tuition and fees per quarter, or $651 per nine-month academic year. Assistantships automatically include health insurance coverage.

The Department of Communication Assistantship Application (Word format) must be included with the other application materials and arrive at the Department of Communication no later than December 15 for U.S. applicants or November 1 for international applicants. In most cases, offers of TA and RA appointment notifications are sent by the end of March.

International Students (non-U.S. Citizens) and Assistantships

The University requires a minimum official TOEFLiBTS score of 28 to receive departmental assistantships involving classroom duties unless you are a United States citizen. Permanent residency/immigrant status or a degree from the U.S. does not exempt one from this requirement. If you are submitting official TOEFLiBTS scores with your application, those should be sent directly to the Office of Graduate Admissions. See the international applications page for more details. We require this test because it is one useful indicator of English fluency, which is a requisite skill for teaching communication courses at the University of Washington.

Fellowships

The Graduate School offers a limited number of fellowships for entering students. The Jackson School of International Studies (JSIS) offers a limited number of Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowships to graduate and professional students and applicants who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents and who meet designated requirements. The University of Washington's Office of Student Financial Aid has a variety of need-based funding available to prospective students.

Grants, Fellowships, and Other Funding for Current Students

Once enrolled in the M.A. or Ph.D. program, the Department of Communication and the University of Washington awards, on a competitive basis, grants for travel, dissertation research, and related expenses. The Graduate School offers a limited number of fellowships to doctoral candidates, and the Jackson School of International Studies (JSIS) offers a limited number of Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowships to graduate and professional students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents and who meet designated requirements. In addition, the University of Washington's Office of Student Financial Aid has a variety of need-based funding available to prospective and current students.

A useful funding resource for current students seeking research support is the Grants and Funding Information Service at the University of Washington's Suzzallo library. You can use their on-line resources, visit their office at the library, or attend one of their workshops or events.

The University of Washington also offers limited work study opportunities for some graduate students. Click here for more details on this program.