Information and resources for prospective students
To be eligible for full financial consideration, applicants must submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by January 15 of each year. The FAFSA is available online at www.fafsa.ed.gov.
The Federal Direct Stafford Loan Program (both unsubsidized and Graduate Plus loans), and the University of Washington School of Medicine Loan are the primary sources of aid. Washington residents who apply on time will be considered for Graduate University Grant and Graduate Tuition Exemption. Parental information must be included on the FAFSA for a student to be considered for the UW School of Medicine scholarship and Title VII aid.
The UW School of Medicine scholarship is need-based and requires financial information from the student and parents.
The UW School of Medicine Financial Aid office works specifically with UW medical students and applicants to UWSOM. This office not only acts as a liaison with the main UW Financial Aid office but caters to the unique financial questions and issues relating to medical school.
Financial aid process and types
The UWSOM's Financial Aid office is located in the Health Sciences building on the fifth floor of the T-wing, room T-557. There are two staff members who serve as liaisons for medical students to the main UW Financial Aid office. Diane Noecker serves as Director and is responsible for administering the School's scholarship and loan funds and the Title VII federal aid programs. Tabitha Fletcher is the Financial Aid Program Coordinator.
General advice on financial aid, questions about the aid awarded and assistance with understanding the impact of indebtedness are among some of the important issues that you can discuss with those in the office.
All students, including those at a regional first-year site or a clinical rotation site outside of Seattle, are encouraged to contact the UWSOM Financial Aid staff with questions regarding their aid or financial needs relating to medical school. We encourage students and applicants to use somfao@uw.edu for inquiries. This e-mail is checked frequently; however, during times of high volume it may take several days to receive a response.
All financial aid forms are available in the Financial Aid office and should be submitted back to the UW School of Medicine Financial Aid office in T-557.
- Release of Information - This online form can be completed via a student's MyUW account and is only required if a student wishes to give another person permission to discuss the student's financial aid record with financial aid personnel. Permission must be resubmitted annually.
- UWSOM Financial Aid - Revision Request Regarding a Change in Financial Situation
Check with SOM Financial Aid office to determine if you need to fill out this form. - UWSOM Financial Aid - Revision Request for Additional Expenses
Available by request in the Financial Aid office or by emailing somfao@uw.edu.
The following forms should only be submitted if requested by the main Office of Student Financial Aid or the UW School of Medicine Financial Aid Office. You can find them under Graduate & Professional Forms; select the 'Verification' tab.
- Asset Summary Worksheet - Student
- Expense Resource Worksheet - Independent Student
- Household Size - Student
- Income Exclusion Worksheet - Student
- Non-Taxable Income Worksheet - Student
The UWSOM Financial Aid Office accepts documents in person, by regular mail and by fax. You may submit documents to either the UWSOM financial aid office or the main financial aid office. Please note that during times of high volume, the turnaround time for processing can be up to 12 weeks, so it is imperative you submit documents (especially verification documents) early.
Students submitting documents should exclusively use their UW e-mail, and send them to dnoecker@uw.edu or tabitha2@uw.edu.
For all submitted documents, please ensure that:
- Your full name is clearly printed on the document
- You include your student number or social security number (if you do not have a student ID number yet).
- Please read instructions carefully to ensure you have included all necessary documents. Missing or incomplete information may delay action on submitted paperwork.
- Make copies for yourself prior to submitting your paperwork to us. For students at the Seattle Campus, copiers are available in the Health Sciences Library.
- Please note: UWSOM Scholarship Application documents should always be submitted separately from other financial aid paperwork.
- Any documents submitted by email must be in PDF format. Pictures/PDFs taken from your phone are not acceptable.
The University of Washington FAFSA priority deadline is January 15, 2019. The financial aid priority deadline applies regardless of admission status, and prospective students can file their FAFSA starting October 1, 2018. Students applying for a UWSOM scholarship are required to provide parental information on their FAFSA regardless of age, marital status or independent status. Providing parental information will not affect eligibility for a student's standard loan package. A financial aid award will generally consist of a combination of Direct Stafford Unsubsidized loans and Graduate Plus (Gplus) loans. Parental information may also be required, however, to determine eligibility for Primary Care Loans, Loan for Disadvantaged Students and Scholarship for Disadvantaged Students - students will be notified if they are eligible.
University of Washington FAFSA School Code: 003798.
The UW School of Medicine need-based scholarship application will be available in March for 2019-2020. The deadline is May 31 each year. Incoming students who are admitted after the deadline should contact us and we will work with you to ensure you can still submit your information. You must include parental information for 2017 when you submit your FAFSA if you are applying for this scholarship. If you have already submitted your FAFSA, you can go back and add parent information later without losing your initial submission date. Scholarship awards are finalized by the end of autumn quarter 2019 and recipients will receive an e-mail notifying them if they qualify. Awarded scholarships will generally be applied to winter and/or spring quarters. An e-mail will be sent out to all students who have been admitted or who are still under consideration when the scholarship is available.
These awards are for medical and Pharm.D. students enrolled in an accredited US program for the 2017-2018 school year. Since inception, National Medical Fellowships' scholarships and awards have been at the core of its programming. NMF scholarship programs recognize merit as well as financial need. Over the years, funding for scholarships has come from hundreds of foundations and from individuals. NMF actively seeks and welcomes partnerships to build the scholarship program.
Visit https://www.nmfonline.org/ to learn more, and apply: https://nmf.fluidreview.com/
Contact scholarships@nmfonline.org for additional scholarship information.
- Gerber Scholarship in Pediatrics Program
This award provides a $5,000 scholarship to two underrepresented minority medical students with an interest in pediatrics with an emphasis on nutrition. Application Deadline: June 23, 2017 - Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation Scholarship
This award provides a $5,000 scholarship to six, second-year or third-year underrepresented minority medical students in financial need. Application Deadline: June 23, 2017 - Mary Ball Carrera Scholarship
This award provides a $2,500 scholarship to one Native American woman currently enrolled in an accredited US medical school. Application Deadline: June 23, 2017 - NMF National Alumni Council Scholarship Program
This award provides a $5,000 scholarship to eight fourth-year underrepresented minority medical students. Application Deadline: June 23, 2017
Medicine and the Military, Medical School Scholarships (HPSP)
Airforce – Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP)
Army - Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP)
Navy – Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP)
The American Medical Association (AMA) Underrepresented in Medicine Award (formerly the Minority Scholars Award)
Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Herbert W. Nickens Medical Student Scholarships
Committee on Minority Faculty Advancement (CMFA) Endowed Diversity Scholarship
GE-NMF Primary Care Leadership Program
Indian Health Service Scholarship Program
National Health Service Corps
The Washington Academy of Family Physicians (WAFP) Minority Diverse Constituencies Scholarships
We also periodically send out e-mails to admitted or prospective students about outside scholarship opportunities beginning in late December. Any outside scholarships you receive must be reported to the UWSOM Financial Aid Office.
Out-of-region students (those who are not in one of the WWAMI states: Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, or Idaho) may apply for residency status in Washington state after demonstrating a year of primary residency in Washington state. If residency status is not granted, students will continue to pay non-resident tuition. Gaining residency status is not assured, and generally requires proving that a student did not move to Washington purely for the purposes of education. Please contact the Residency Office directly with any questions regarding your personal situation.
Loan management resources and tools
The University of Washington School of Medicine Financial Aid Office provides this debt management information to potential applicants, current medical students and medical student graduates. These resources will assist you in making knowledgeable decisions about managing various kinds of debt, including school loans and credit cards. This information also covers important links to loan management and repayment.
FIRST offers a full range of Financial Information, Resources, Services, and Tools for applicants, medical school students, residents, advisors and financial aid officers. Their goal is to help medical school borrowers expand their financial literacy, make smart decisions about student loans and manage their student debt wisely.
AAMC: FIRST for Students - includes a menu that links to information for students as well as residents.
- The Financial Aid Application Process
- Transitioning to Medical School: Financial Tips
$ALT - Modules addressing crucial topics of the unique financial needs of busy medical students.
Loan Repayment/Forgiveness Programs - The State and Federal Repayment, Loan and Scholarship database. This searchable database provides detailed information about many of the state and federal programs available to allopathic medicine and other health professions students.
Med Loans Organizer & Calculator - The above calculator comes highly recommended as a way to track your loans through medical school. Graduating medical students must fill this out prior to meeting with Diane Noecker if they wish assistance with managing loans post-graduation.
- Federal Direct Stafford Loan Information - Federal Direct Stafford Loans are low-interest loans for students to help pay for the cost of their education. The lender is the U.S. Department of Education (the Department) rather than a bank or other financial institution. Find information on applying for, managing and repayment here.
- Electronic Master Promissory Note - This website is for completing a Federal Direct Stafford Loan Program electronic Master Promissory Note (MPN) for student Subsidized Unsubsidized and/or Graduate PLUS loans. You will have to log in to view your account. Click the green button "Sign In".
- NSLDS - The National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) is the U.S. Department of Education's (ED's) central database for student aid. NSLDS receives data from schools, guaranty agencies, the Direct Loan program, and other Department of ED programs. NSLDS Student Access provides a centralized, integrated view of Title IV loans and grants so that recipients of Title IV Aid can access and inquire about their Title IV loans and/or grant data.
- Direct Loan Servicer - A list of Direct Loan servicers. If you do not know who your servicer is, you can check the NSLDS site.
Servicers allow you to make online payments, view your account balances and payment history, change your billing options, enroll in electronic services, get a copy of your 1098, or look into consolidating your loans. - Entrance Counseling - Before receiving a student loan, borrowers have to complete entrance counseling. You will have to log in to view your account and go through this session.
- Exit Loan Counseling - The Direct Loan Exit Counseling will remind you of your rights and responsibilities as a Direct Loan borrower.
- Loan Repayment Options - Includes Standard and Income-Driven Repayment Plans
- Public Service Loan Forgiveness
Please note: UW Loan Servicer Heartland ECSI uses quarterly billing for the Perkins Loan, but you can request it be changed to monthly once it goes into repayment.
5% interest rate, 9-month grace period
- UW Loan Servicer Heartland ECSI - (Formerly Campus Partners) - Provides billing, accounting, and data processing services for Federal Perkins and institutional loans.
- NSLDS - The National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) is the U.S. Department of Education's (ED's) central database for student aid. NSLDS receives data from schools, guaranty agencies, the Direct Loan program, and other Department of ED programs. NSLDS Student Access provides a centralized, integrated view of Title IV loans and grants so that recipients of Title IV Aid can access and inquire about their Title IV loans and/or grant data.
5% interest rate, 12-month grace period
- UW Loan Servicer Heartland ECSI - (Formerly Campus Partners) - Provides billing, accounting, and data processing services for Federal Perkins and institutional loans.
5% interest rate, 12-month grace period
- UW Loan Servicer Heartland ECSI - (Formerly Campus Partners) - Provides billing, accounting, and data processing services for Federal Perkins and institutional loans.
5% interest rate, 6-month grace period
- UW Loan Servicer Heartland ECSI - (Formerly Campus Partners) - Provides billing, accounting, and data processing services for Federal Perkins and institutional loans.
- Institutional (SoM Long-Term) Loan Deferment Information - Please see your original Promissory Note for details.