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FINANCIAL AID

Each year, awards of stipends, fellowships, and research and teaching assistantships are made on the basis of grants and assistantships available, areas of student interest, and degree of financial need. The availability of financial support depends heavily on research and training grants awarded to the PhD Program, and that situation can vary greatly from year to year.
In awarding appointments and fellowships to PhD students, the following guidelines are used by the Social Welfare Faculty.

• First priority is given to first-, second-, and third-year students in the doctoral program. Second priority is given to fourth- and fifth-year students.
  
• When more applications are submitted than stipends and fellowships available, awards will be made on the basis of the following criteria, with the greatest weight given to student qualifications.
  
  1. Student qualifications as reflected in such factors as GPA, satisfactory progress in the program to date, student career potential, and instructors' evaluations of student's course work.
     
  2. Appropriateness of the student to the fellowship or teaching/research appointment in question (e.g., match of prior experience or of area of scholarly interest).
     
  3. Student's financial need.
     
• Commitment of the University and of the School of Social Work to maintain a diverse student body.

An award of an appointment or fellowship in one year is no guarantee of an award in any subsequent year of the student's program.

Students with Graduate Student Service Appointments (GSSA: TA, RA, Staff Assistant, Trainee, and Fellow), which provide salary, tuition waivers, and benefits, must be registered for at least 10 credits each quarter during the academic year.

During summer quarter the Graduate School minimum is 2 credits; however, some grants require full-time registration (7) credits during the summer. Students are responsible for determining their minimum enrollment requirements.
Students having any of the above appointments must be registered for the appropriate minimum number of credits. Also, a student cannot withdraw or resign from an assistantship during the quarter without losing the tuition wavier.

A student who desires to hold a graduate student appointment at greater than 50% in any quarter (with the exception of summer) must submit a written petition (email or printed memo) from both the student and her/his Committee Chair/Advisor. The petition is addressed to the PhD Program Director explaining specifically what is desired (over what quarters), what are the exceptional circumstances, and what actions will be undertaken so that the greater than 50% appointment will not interfere with progress toward her/his degree. The petition is reviewed by the PhD Program Director who will authorize approval or reject the petition (in writing). In the case of rejection of a petition, the student and Chair/Advisor may appeal to the PhD Steering Committee.

Those students who are recipients of stipends, teaching assistantships, or research assistantships should make inquiries with Vicki Anderson-Ellis in the School of Social Work Business Office. Students contact Kim Dennison to make payroll arrangements.

The details of GSSA Graduate School and School of Social Work guidelines and Procedures are presented in the section below on Graduate Assistantships. GSSA appointments are covered by union representation through UAW 1421. (See Graduate School website for updates.)

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ANNUAL AWARDS AND FELLOWSHIPS

The PhD program has several special funds from which awards are granted.
 

Boeing Endowed Fellowship

To provide financial assistance to graduate students who are economically disadvantaged, with a preference given to minority students.  The purpose is to support students with a commitment to research focused on providing effective services to diverse populations. This is typically a 3-quarter fellowship with tuition waiver.
 

 

J. Scott Briar Endowed Fund

In 1974, Dr. J. Scott Briar established the School of Social Work’s doctoral program. His emphasis on quality research education in the School’s doctoral and masters programs, and his leadership on the integration of practice research in the preparation of social work practitioners brought a distinctive identity and national stature to the School. The J. Scott Briar Endowed Fund acknowledges Dr. Briar’s long-standing commitment to and support for graduate students’ learning and professional development. The fund provides support to doctoral students for tuition, research, or living expenses.
 

Naomi Gottlieb Endowed Fellowship Fund

This endowment provides fellowships to doctoral students. It was established in memory of Naomi Gottlieb, a faculty member who influenced hundreds of students through active mentoring, gentle advocacy, and constant support of their learning and professional development. This fund is in recognition of her profound commitment to students, particularly those of disadvantaged background.
 

Doctoral Excellence Fund

This discretionary fund supports the general activities of the PhD Program, which includes support for conference and training travel, special events, and dissertation research related expenses.
 

Nancy R. Hooyman Intergenerational Fellowship for Intergenerational Studies

This endowment provides financial assistance to graduate students in the School of Social Work pursuing the knowledge, understanding and skills necessary to incorporate intergenerational components into their work.
 

Magnuson Award

Each year the six University of Washington Health Sciences Schools nominate a student for selection as a Magnuson Scholar for the coming academic year.  Selection criteria are academic  performance and the student's potential for contribution to research in the health sciences.  This is a full year fellowship of approximately $25,000.
 

NIMH Prevention Research Training Program

Six doctoral students are funded each year as trainees in this program (see Predoctoral Prevention Research Training Program). Application to the program is made concurrently with application to the PhD program in social welfare, and students are typically funded for up to their first 3 years of study.
 

Bank of America and Presidential Endowed Minority Fellowships

This competitive fellowship, for which all departments of the University are eligible, is intended to increase the number of doctorates granted to students of diverse backgrounds who will contribute to the level of diversity within their discipline or the graduate community at large. The fellowship provides 2 years of 9-month per year support at a financial level equivalent to a student assistantship with tuition waiver. It covers the first and last years in a program, and the School of Social Work commits to providing assistantships for two intervening years.
 

Stroum Minority Fellowship

As with the Bank of America Fellowship, this award supports students who will increase the diversity of students in a program.  It is a one-year fellowship (9 months of support) that can be either a first year recruitment award or a final-year dissertation award.
 

William and Marilyn Connor Graduate Fellowship

Graduate fellowships for recruiting outstanding students. These fellowships provide 1 to 2 years of 9-month funding with tuition waiver and benefits for new students entering the University.
 

Huckabay Teaching Fellowships

This Graduate School fellowship program provides support for 1 quarter at the TA level. The fellowship provides graduate students an opportunity to develop and work on a specific project focused on teaching and learning at the university level.  Projects are proposed by students with teaching mentors either from the UW or nearby community colleges or other colleges.
 

Graduate School Dissertation Fellowships

The Graduate School has several dissertation fellowships that are awarded competitively on an annual basis and typically cover 1 quarter of effort.

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Scholarship Funding Information

SSW Doctoral Program Grant Support
The PhD Program Assistant Director serves as grant coordinator for PhD students. Students are assisted with identifying potential training and dissertation grant opportunities, preparing grant submissions including UW forms, budgets, and text editing.

Funding $ources on the Internet
UW Graduate School Web page with links to general funding information.
Website: http://www.grad.washington.edu/fellow/funding.htm

Grants & Funding Services for UW Graduate Students (GFIS)
Cooperative Project of the Graduate School and University of Washington Libraries to support UW graduate students who are seeking any type of general or research funding.
206-616-3084, gfis@u.washington.edu
Website: http://www.lib.washington.edu/Gfis/

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