University of Washington Biostatistics

A limited amount of financial support is available for students. The department provides the following:

Traineeships (Fellowships): All traineeship stipends are for $1,731 per month and 60% of tuition. There is no work obligation. Each trainee is expected to enroll for ten credits per quarter. Students must be U.S. citizens or hold permanent resident status to be eligible. There are five training grants awarded in the Department of Biostatistics providing traineeships as described below. Most traineeships are restricted to Ph.D. students. The approximately $700-800 per month of tuition that the training grants do not cover is usually made up for by a ten-hour-per week Research Assistantship.

Click here for Training Grant program information.

Graduate Assistantships: An assistantship appointment requires 220 hours of work per quarter by the student. Two types are available: teaching and research. The amount of remuneration is dependent upon the recipient's academic level, as indicated below. A student's tuition is paid by the employing department except for fees of approximately $250/quarter to be paid by the student. Note that an advantage to this system is that students are not liable for raises in tuition. Appointees receive health insurance.

Research Assistantships: There are a number of research assistantships available which are associated with the various research projects of faculty of the Biostatistics Department. Duties include data processing, statistical analysis, report writing, etc. Students holding research assistantships are expected to enroll for at least ten credits each Autumn, Winter and Spring quarters, and for two credits in Summer quarter. Both M.S. and Ph.D. students are eligible for research assistantships.

Teaching Assistantships: A limited number of teaching assistantships are available which are associated with courses taught by the faculty of the Department of Biostatistics. (Teaching assistantships are usually assigned to students who have completed an M.S. degree.) Duties include grading homework papers, providing lab instruction, and holding office hours. Teaching assistants are expected to enroll for at least ten credits per quarter.

Satisfactory progress: A recipient of financial support must make adequate progress towards his or her degree and meet the conditions of support as outlined below. In the case of an assistantship, if a student cannot meet the work obligation, due to language or personal problems, for example, then the department can withdraw support.

Washington State Residency: All graduate students who are U.S. citizens are strongly encouraged to take steps immediately upon arrival to become Washington State residents. (This entails registering to vote, changing driver's license, transferring vehicle plates.) Otherwise they may be charged the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition during periods of self support. This is because traineeships and assistantships cover in-state tuition only (for in-state and out-of-state students) unless a special nonresident differential (NRD) tuition waiver is granted. In our department most of these waivers are committed to incoming out-of-state and international students.