Overview
The School of Urban Studies provides funding assistance in the form of scholarships and travel/research support to undergraduate and graduate students to support their studies and research.
Scholarship Guidelines
- IMPORTANT! Students need to use a UW email address and access the UW Google drive. Do not log into Google using a person account.
- Students will not need to specify a particular scholarship on the application; we will match you to those for which you may be eligible.
- Students can submit one application per cycle.
- Students can accept one Urban Studies scholarship award per year.
- Applications are accepted on-line only.
- Applications that fail to meet the requirements or are incomplete will not be reviewed.
- Scholarship applicants may be asked to provide additional information.
- An email will be sent to all students who submit a complete application letting them know if they have been selected for an award.
Application Deadlines
| Application Closed | Autumn 2022 Application Cycle |
October 15, 2022 |
Nov 20, 2022 |
December 2022 | Winter 2023, Spring 2023, Summer 2023 |
| Application Closed | Spring 2022 Application Cycle | March 28, 2022 | April 20, 2022 | May 2022 | Autumn 2022, Winter 2023, Spring 2023 |
Available Scholarships
Urban Studies Endowed Scholarship
Amount: up to $2,000
Purpose: Undergraduate or graduate student tuition, books, & fees
Eligibility criteria: Recipients shall be full time enrolled undergraduate or graduate students accepted to or enrolled in an Urban Studies program - Urban Studies (BA), Sustainable Urban Development (BA), Urban Design (BS), Master of Arts in Community Planning, or Master of Science in Geospatial Technologies. While not a requirement, consideration will be given for any of the following: active participation in programmatic student organizations; community engagement/involvement; or have international urban activities/interests.
History of this scholarship: This endowment was established by Dr. Brian Coffey and his wife. Brian was the founding Director of Urban Studies from 1999-2013, and retired from the UW in 2014.
Erling O. Mork and Ryan Petty Endowed Scholarship
Amount: up to $1,000
Purpose: Undergraduate student tuition & fees
Eligibility criteria: Selection of recipients will be based on academic merit or financial need. Financial need determined by the Office of Financial Aid; FAFSA required. Recipients must be accepted to or enrolled as an undergraduate student in an Urban Studies degree program - Urban Studies (BA) or Sustainable Urban Development (BA), or Urban Design (BS). While not a requirement, consideration will be given for any of the following: active participation in programmatic student organizations; community engagement/involvement; or have international urban activities/interests.
General Urban Studies Student Scholarship
Amount: up to $1,000
Purpose: Undergraduate or graduate student tuition & fees
Eligibility criteria: Enrolled full-time for at least one quarter during the academic year and be accepted to or enrolled in an Urban Studies degree program - Urban Studies (BA), Sustainable Urban Development (BA), Urban Design (BS), Master of Arts in Community Planning, or Master of Science in Geospatial Technologies.
History of this scholarship: This scholarship is funded by financial gifts from Urban Studies alumni, community members, board members, and faculty and staff.
Columbia Bank Scholarship
Amount: up to $5,000
Purpose: Financial support for graduate student tuition & fees
Eligibility criteria: Enrolled in either the Master of Arts in Community Planning or Master of Science in Geospatial Technologies program. Students must demonstrate high proficiency for success through academic performance and the ability to leverage the degree to improve the community.
General UW Tacoma Scholarship Application
Open to: All newly admitted or continuing undergraduate and graduate students who are residents of Washington state and are federal or Washington state financial aid eligible.
Award: Up to $2,000 over one academic year
Application available: March 1
Application deadline: April 30
Other Funding Sources
UW Graduate School Travel Funding
In partnership with the UW Graduate School, Urban Studies offers support to graduate students with travel to major national or international conferences so they may present papers or posters, or to serve as invited speakers. For more information about the UW Graduate School GSFEI Travel Awards, click here.
Submitting a Request
Submit the following information by email or hardcopy to Abbey Schwarz, Administrator for Urban Studies at Schwarz3@uw.edu.
- Cover letter with justification for the request. The letter should include the title of the paper, poster or talk student is presenting and the amount of funding requested. Maximum award amounts from UW Graduate School are $300 for domestic travel and $500 for international travel; and $300 from Urban Studies.
- Copy of acceptance documentation confirming participation in conference(s)
- Urban Studies Student Travel Pre-Authorization Form
Deadlines
Requests must be submitted on the 1st of the month prior to the month the travel is to take place. For example, for travel in April, requests are due by March 1. For travel in August, requests are due on July 1. The Urban Studies Program will submit student funding requests to the UW Graduate School on your behalf.
Undergraduate Student Support for Research
Undergraduate research can complement and connect to your academic major and can lead to many opportunities for intellectual contributions. The UW Undergraduate Research Program and Urban Studies can offer some financial support for student research that is supervised by a faculty member that leads to the presentation, poster session, etc. To learn more about the UW Undergradaate Research Program, click here.
Submit a request
Submit the following information by email or hardcopy to Abbey Schwarz, Administrator for Urban Studies at Schwarz3@uw.edu.
- Cover letter with justification for the request. The letter should include the title of the paper, poster or talk student is presenting and the amount of funding requested. Maximum annual award amount is $300 from Urban Studies.
- Copy of acceptance documentation confirming participation in conference(s)
- Urban Studies Student Travel Pre-Authorization Form
Fellowship & Award Opportunities
Are you a motivated student with ambition and passion for what you do? Interested in transformative opportunities such as research, language study, public service, study abroad, advocacy work, or graduate school? Student Fellowships & Awards, within the Office of Global Affairs (OGA), is here to support engaged students in their applications to nationally competitive fellowships as well as some UW-wide opportunities. Not sure what a fellowship is? Find out on the website, or better yet, attend one of their upcoming info sessions.
Fellowship Opportunities for Urban Studies Students (pdf)
UW Undergraduate Research Conference Travel Award
Visit their website for more information, guidelines, and application process