Tuition Exemption

The Office of the Registrar cannot determine an employee's eligibility to participate in this program. For questions about if your position is eligible to participate in the tuition exemption program, please contact the Professional & Organizational Development (POD) at pod@uw.edu, and include your Employee Identification Number (EIN) and quarter you wish to attend in your email. Non-UW state employees must contact their respective human resources office to determine eligibility and requirements for participating in the tuition exemption program.

A Tuition Exemption Request form must be submitted every quarter that you wish to register for courses and is due at the Office of the Registrar no later than two (2) weeks or (10) business days before to the start of the quarter. Forms submitted after this date are considered late. You may have one late submission only; after that we cannot accept your late tuition exemption form.

The form cannot be processed without the required signatures from the employee and their supervisor.

Courses Covered by Tuition Exemption

Generally, all state funded courses 599 and below are covered with tuition exemption with the following exceptions. Please check with the school or your advisor to verify that the course you wish to take is eligible.

Click here for lists of graduate courses that are eligible for tuition exemption offered at each school.

Courses Not Covered by Tuition Exemption

All classes and programs offered through the UW Tacoma Professional Development Center (PDC) are not covered by tuition exemption.

Tuition exemption program does NOT cover:

• All self-sustaining or fee-based courses and degree programs, such as the Master of Accounting, the Master of Cybersecurity and Leadership, Graduate Certificate in Software Development Engineering and study abroad courses
• Distance learning (online) courses
• Cohort based programs, such as Bachelor of Arts in Social Welfare, Master of Social Work and the Doctoral in Educational Leadership are large enrollment majors with no space-availability for tuition exemption. 
• TMATH 098
• UW Extension and UW courses ENGL 100, 101, 102
• Early start courses that begin and end prior to the first day of the quarter
• Graduate level independent study courses numbered 600, 700, and 800
• All independent study, thesis, dissertation, research, internships, tutorials, private lessons, culminating projects or practicums

In addition, certain state funded courses, schools or programs may be excluded from the tuition exemption program on the basis of academic or fiscal consideration.

Beginning Summer Quarter 2021, the University of Washington Tacoma will limit the number of graduate credits to which a state employee may apply tuition exemption benefits to a total of twelve (12) credits toward the requirements of any graduate degree program it offers.

Tuition exempt students may enroll on a space-available basis in courses that the degree program designates as available for tuition exemption. A list of those courses appears below and will be provided on each degree program’s website. Class size limits are carefully considered in curriculum and course design. To maintain the academic integrity of each course and ensure every student receives appropriate support, class size limits will be adhered to strictly when determining space availability.

Graduate Courses Eligible for Tuition Exemption

The courses listed below are eligible for tuition exemption, subject to the guidelines proposed in this policy. The list of courses eligible for tuition exemption was determined by members of the graduate faculty in each School based on the pedagogical and curricular design of their degree programs. Washington law requires that tuition exemption cannot be used for thesis credits, independent study options, culminating project courses, practicum courses, fieldwork, any courses requiring individualized instruction, or distance learning (online) courses.

• New and non-matriculated applications must be accompanied by a non-refundable application fee of $60 online.
• New and non-matriculated graduate applications must be accompanied by a non-refundable application fee of $75 online.
• Returning undergraduate and professional students who have not attended for two or more quarters must complete the Returning Student Form and pay a non-refundable submission fee of $60 online.
• After registering for classes, please check your UW student account balance, available through MyUW. You will be billed $30 non-refundable registration fee and any additional tuition for credits over 6. You will be billed the quarterly Student Technology Fee, in addition to course fees and program fees. This balance is due when UW tuition is due. Please review the Academic Calendar for the specific date; it is typically the 3rd Friday of the quarter.
• A $25 late fee will be assessed if the student initially registers on or after the eighth calendar day of the quarter. A $75 late registration fee will be assessed if the student initially registers for the quarter on or after the 15th calendar day of that quarter.
• A $20 fee will be charged for all registration changes made on a single day beginning the eighth calendar day of the quarter.