Student Funding

The Department of Immunology supports graduate Immunology students for their entire student tenure with a stipend, health care benefits, and paid tuition – based on the proviso they remain in good standing both academically and in their research.

First-year students are supported by departmental resources or by training grants awarded to the department.  After the first year of study and departmental support, Immunology graduate students are expected to apply for support that is competitively awarded from departmental training grants, National Research Service Award (NRSA), National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Defense fellowships, or other sources. If a competitive stipend is not awarded, then funding is provided by faculty research grants or departmental resources.  Applicants may apply for outside funding before applying to the UW Immunology graduate program, and then bring this funding with them upon enrollment.

TRAINING GRANTS

The Department of Immunology and several UW Interdisciplinary PhD programs offer training grant opportunities to Immunology PhD students. Training grants, such as predoctoral traineeships and endowment funding, are competitive, and provide a typical funding period of one to two years.

PREDOCTORAL TRAINEESHIPS

The Department of Immunology holds a training grant which hosts predoctoral trainees annually. Its goal is to provide an outstanding group of young scientists the opportunity to conduct important research in basic and cancer-related immunology. Applications for this funding opportunity are due early August.

Fellowships provide one full year of stipend and benefits, tuition, and a small allotment to support travel to a professional scientific conference.  Fellowships are awarded annually, usually during summer, and based on a competitive process that is adjudicated by a committee of faculty in the Department of Immunology.

The Department of Immunology training grant application is emailed to eligible students and their mentors.

CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY (CMB) TRAINING GRANT

UW Immunology students may compete for a position on the Cell and Molecular Biology Training Grant, which currently has 31 slots that may be awarded to students in participating departments. The program allows a maximum of 36 months of support by NRSA Institutional Training Programs. The minimum appointment is for twelve months of continuous support. UW Immunology is a participating department.  The positions are awarded by a selection committee consisting of faculty representatives from participating departments. Each spring, eligible students complete an application, which is reviewed by the selection committee, and finalists are invited to give a short presentation of their research. The selection committee awards positions based on the student¹s application, faculty evaluations, and research presentation.

NOTE:  The Cell and Molecular Biology Training Grant is in re-submission and not currently taking applications for any new trainees for 2018.   If the CMB TG is funded again, the 2018 application process will begin in Summer or Autumn of 2018.

Learn more about the Cell and Molecular Biology (CMB) training grant.

ADDITIONAL FUNDING SOURCES

SANDRA L. CLARK IMMUNOLOGY EDUCATION FUND

This endowment established by Professor Edward Clark in memory of his sister, provides student travel bursaries for educational purposes for students active in the UW Immunology Program.  Students must be pursuing their thesis in the lab of a Department of Immunology faculty member and may be in the Immunology, MSTP, MCB, Pathobiology, or M3D Programs.  International travel is encouraged for a meeting within or outside of Immunology.  Travel to national meetings is acceptable as long as it is outside of the student’s primary field of study.  Applications are accepted throughout the year until two travel awards are made.  Only one award per lab will be awarded per year.  Maximum award is $2,500.  Immunology students can contact the Graduate Program Advisor at immgpa@uw.edu for the application.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES FROM THE UW GRADUATE SCHOOL

For ideas on finding funding before applying to any graduate program, visit the UW Graduate Fellowship Office.

OUTSIDE FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

Students may also consult these and other sources of outside funding:

•  NSRA Funding (NIH predoc funding)
• The National Science Foundation – Graduate Research Fellowship Program
• The US Department of Defense
• Howard Hughes Medical Institute – Gilliam Fellowship Program
• The Cancer Research Institute, New York