Financial Support

PhD Student Financial Support
- PhD graduate students are appointed on 0.5 FTE (full-time equivalent) academic-year graduate assistantships, typically as a research assistant (RA). This appointment usually includes payment of tuition, a 12-month stipend, and comprehensive health insurance coverage.
- The annual salary for graduate students is currently set at $27,018. Effective January 2020, the annual salary will increase to $27,423.
- If the primary funding source of the graduate appointment (e.g., training grant, teaching assistantship, RADS, or external fellowship) is less than the standard compensation, then the individual mentors, departments, or programs are required to supplement
the primary source to bring it to a level equal to the standard compensation.
- PhD students in the IID program may be eligible for a number of Graduate School and private foundation scholarships/assistantships.
- NIH Protein Biotech Training Program
“Biotech students” rotate with biotech trainers and they are expected to complete a 12-week summer internship with a private company. This is possible because biotech students receive two full years of stipend support rather than the conventional 9-month appointment before an advisor has to start supporting his/her student. The stipend, tuition waiver and other fees are covered at the same level as students who enter the program through other pathways.
The current list of biotech trainers include:
- NIH Protein Biotech Training Program

Douglas Call
Regents Professor of Molecular Epidemiology,
Associate Director for Research and Graduate Education, Allen School.


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- Poncin Scholarship
The Poncin Scholarship Fund is a medical research scholarship trust created by the Will of Cora May Poncin. These awards are intended to aid worthy and ambitious young people who are engaged in medical research at any recognized institution of learning within the State of Washington. Applications must be submitted through the IID program. Deadline is May 1st.
- Research Assistantship for Diverse Scholars (RADS)
These assistantships are intended to increase access and opportunities to graduate education for US students from underrepresented/underserved communities. The RADS awards are funded through a partnership of the Graduate School and the department/program of the prospective student
- Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS)The Seattle Chapter ARCS Foundation contributes to the advancement of science and technology by funding PhD fellowships for academically outstanding scholars in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math at the University of Washington and Washington State University.
- National Institutes of Health (NIH) Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Predoctoral Fellowship (F31).
To provide predoctoral individuals with supervised research training in specified health and health-related areas leading toward the research doctoral degree (e.g., PhD)
- National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program. Recognizes and supports individuals early in their graduate training in STEM (Science, Technology, Education, and Mathematics) fields
- Karen P. DePauw Leadership Award. This fellowship is open to all doctoral graduate students
in good standing who have successfully passed their preliminary examination and have at least a 3.5 graduate GPA. Requires submission through the WSU Association for Faculty Women (AFW); deadline in early January.
- Richard R. and Constance M. Albrecht Scholarship and Anne and Russ Fuller Fellowship for Interdisciplinary Research/Scholarship For these two awards, the College of Veterinary Medicine can submit up to three nominations.
The IID Executive Committee can select one eligible candidate for each award. Please see the webpage information for eligibility and selection criteria https://gradschool.wsu.edu/scholarships-2016/
- The Graduate School Recruitment Scholarship for STEM Disciplines The nominations will come from the Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine. Nominations are accepted up until April 1st of each year. Please see
the webpage information for eligibility and selection criteria (https://gradschool.wsu.edu/scholarships-2016/).
- Poncin Scholarship
Master's Student Financial Support
- For a student to enter into the M.S. program they must identify an IID faculty mentor before they can be admitted.
- As a matter of policy, the IID program does not typically provide financial support for Master’s students (via Teaching Assistant (TA) or Research Assistant (RA)). Master’s students must provide their own financial support for living expenses and tuition, unless the mentor is willing to provide such support. Awarding an RA from mentor-derived funds is at the discretion of the mentor.
- Master’s students in the IID program may be eligible to apply for these awards:
- Ann Chittenden Holland Master’s Thesis Award for Graduate Student Excellence This award is restricted to WSU students who completed an MS thesis (at WSU) in the past year and continued into a doctoral program at WSU. Requires submission through the WSU Association for Faculty Women (AFW) https://afw.wsu.edu/awards/outstanding-students-in-graduate-studies/
- AFW Founders Award Presented to outstanding Master’s degree students. Both full- and part-time students are eligible. Requires submission through the WSU Association for Faculty Women (AFW) https://afw.wsu.edu/awards/outstanding-students-in-graduate-studies/