Benefits & Funding

Your offer of graduate student admission to the Department of Chemistry at Washington State University will include an in-state tuition waiver, health insurance, and financial support in the form of a teaching or research assistantship.

Tuition waiver

Your first year, your waiver will cover your tuition regardless of your residency status.

The state law on residency is very specific, especially when a student has moved to the state for the purpose of attending college. Review Washington’s residency requirements and steps to take for future residency.

Non-residents of the State of Washington are expected to become residents as soon as you are eligible (no later than the start of your second year).

Students who do not establish Washington residency after one year will be responsible for covering the balance between in-state and out-of-state tuition until residency is established. For the 2023-24 academic year, the difference was $7,583.50.  

University fees

Beyond tuition, all WSU students are assessed fees for University services and student-approved spending. The benefits for you include access to the Student Recreation Center, a bus pass for Pullman Transit, and services at the Health & Wellness Center.

You will be responsible paying assessed fees at the start of every semester. For Fall 2023 and Spring 2024, the fees for graduate students were $1051.58 per semester.

Learn more about tuition and fees and the cost of attendance at WSU.

Health insurance

The University provides enrolled students with access to health insurance and covers the premium for individual students (a value of approximately $2,700 per year).

Learn more about health insurance coverage for domestic graduate students and international graduate students at WSU.  

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Assistantships

There are two types of graduate student assistantships in chemistry: teaching and research. All admitted students in good standing will be offered funding for each year they are enrolled in and progressing in their degree program. General information about WSU assistantships is available through the WSU Graduate School.

Teaching assistantships

Most first-year students, and some second-year students, will receive a teaching assistantships. Responsibilities include teaching two laboratory sections per week, class preparation and grading, and two hours of office time for student consultation (see Year One milestones). Fall and spring semesters span 16 weeks each.

International students must demonstrate high spoken English proficiency before being offered a teaching assistantship.

The Teaching Assistantship Handbook provides an overview of the general chemistry course at WSU and the expectations and responsibilities of our teaching assistants.

Research assistantships:

Opportunities and responsibilities vary depending on faculty research needs and funding. Typically, research assistantships are not available to first-year students.

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Summer Funding

You will be eligible for financial support during summer sessions as long as you maintain satisfactory academic progress.

Summer teaching assistant assignments have similar responsibilities to the academic year assistantships: teaching two laboratory sections per week, class preparation and grading, and two hours of office time per week for student consultation. Summer session courses in chemistry usually span six or eight weeks.

Most often, by your second summer in the program, you will have settled into a research group and be supported through summer sessions as a research assistant.