FAQs
- Applications must be submitted by January 31 for the following fall semester.
- Prospective students with prior research experience will be given priority consideration.
- Applications submitted by January 10 will receive priority consideration.
- If space is available, applications submitted after January 31 and before June 30 may be considered for fall enrollment.
We currently only accept applications for our PhD program at WSU Pullman.
At the discretion of the chemistry graduate studies committee, a limited number of waivers may be offered to selected applicants who cannot pay the application fee. After you have uploaded all of your materials for consideration through the graduate application portal, if you think your situation warrants consideration for a waiver, please email your request to chem.grad@wsu.edu.
Please note that the granting of a waiver does not guarantee admission.
Letters of recommendation are important indicators of a strong candidate; three are required for your application.
Research experience is also one of the best indicators of success in our graduate program.
No, previous research experience is not required. However, applicants with chemistry-related research experience will be given priorty consideration.
April 15 is your deadline to accept an offer of admission from Washington State University.
You must have a cumulative 3.0 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) to be considered for admission.
A student in good academic standing must have a 3.0 GPA in all WSU courses as a graduate student.
Unofficial transcripts are acceptable for the application, but official transcripts will be required if you are admitted.
For Fed Ex, UPS, or DHL, use the following:
Graduate School Staff
WSU Graduate School
410 Dairy Road
French Administration 324, MS-1030
Pullman, WA 99164-1030
For the U.S. Postal Service, use the following:
Graduate School Staff
WSU Graduate School
P.O. Box 641030
Pullman, WA 99164-1030
No, the GRE test is optional, but you are welcome to include your score if you have taken the test. The WSU institutional code is 4705 (do not include a departmental code).
Self-reported scores are accepted for the initial application review; however, you may need to submit official scores for the final application review by the Graduate School.
International applicants need a minimum English proficiency of 80 on the TOEFL or a 7 on the IELTS.
When an international student is accepted into the program, they are required to take the IAE exam at the beginning of their first semester. A score of 1 is required to receive a teaching assistantship.
Additionally, you must demonstrate a high spoken English proficiency to be offered a teaching assistantship. Conversations by phone, online mini-interview, Zoom, Teams, or an in-person presentation could be required before an assistantship is offered.
Review information about international student admission requirements, as well as visas and fees and orientation.
Each year, we welcome 18-25 new chemistry graduate students to the WSU Pullman campus.
An 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.
For the 2023-24 academic year:
- Gross salary would be approximately $2,155 per month.
- Depending on federal exemptions, net (or take home) salary would be around $1,600 per month.
Learn more about graduate student benefits and funding.
The usual duties of an assistantship involve teaching two laboratory sections per week, usually around 20 hours including office hours, prep, and grading.
An 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.
Learn more about graduate student benefits and funding.
An 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.
Learn more about graduate student benefits and funding.
Beyond tuition, all WSU students are assessed fees for University services and student-approved spending. You will be responsible paying these fees at the start of every semester. For 2023-24, the fees for all graduate students were $1051.58 per semester (fall and spring).
Learn more about tuition and fees and the cost of attendance at WSU.
Yes! If students sign up for payroll deduction, they need to resubmit the request every semester. For more information see Graduate Student Payroll Deduction. Some course fees not included.
If you are on an assistantship, yes. Assuming you are making satisfactory academic progress, you will have support throughout the summer. Summer salary support is often available through teaching assistantships, research assistantships, departmental jobs, or grant support from individual faculty members.
Yes, your assistantship begins one week before the first day of classes and your training is held during that week.
You will receive guidance on how to run labs and tutorials, a refresher course in safety and first aid, learn of the fire evacuation routes, etc. If you are a general chemistry TA, you will also be given a hard copy of the General Chemistry TA Handbook.
As soon as possible. Students are encouraged to meet with faculty and speak with current graduate students to determine where they might like to work. Once they reach an agreement with the faculty member, they may join their lab. Students must be in a lab by the middle of their second semester. Some students can start research during the summer before they begin attending classes.
Milestones: Review activities and responsibilities in Year One and beyond.
Yes! Students are encouraged to participate in such activities. Research advisors frequently pay for a student to attend national meetings. Our graduate students are often awarded competitive travel grants to also attend international meetings. Additional travel grants and funding may be available through the chemistry department, Graduate School, GCS, GPSA/GRSA, and more.
Many graduates find post-doc, teaching, industry, and Department of Energy positions. WSU graduates have found post-docs and careers at national labs such as Argonne, Idaho, Los Alamos, Oak Ridge, Pacific Northwest, and others. Some of our alumni hold leadership positions at international corporations and/or faculty members in chemistry departments around the country.
Yes! The Graduate Chemistry Society is committed to improving the social and academic life of chemistry graduate students. GCS organizes social activities, gives information about life in Pullman and about the WSU chemistry graduate student experience, and helps you prepare for exams.
WSU has many other clubs and organizations that graduate students can get involved with. View WSU Presence to learn more.
Pullman is a small town with recreational trails, golf (driving range, 3 courses, frisbee golf), a bowling alley, multi-screen movie theater, a Farmer’s Market each week May-October, community gardens, dog parks, trivia nights at local bars, local theatre performances, festivals, community fitness classes, and many coffee shops and restaurants.
On campus, many events are arranged by the WSU Student Entertainment Board. The CUB student union includes a food court, banking, meeting rooms, a quiet study area, art displays, and, of course, the Student Bookstore, better known as The Bookie. There are sports as well as comedy and music entertainment performances at the Beasley Coliseum,
Moscow, Idaho is eight miles east across the Washington border and home to the University of Idaho. With two universities within eight miles, there are many activities available for students to be entertained while taking a break from their studies.
Pullman is also within a 30-minute to six-hour drive of snowboarding, alpine and cross-country skiing, rock climbing, fishing, hunting, hiking, camping, river rafting, boating, biking trails, Glacier National Park (Montana), Hells Canyon (northeastern Oregon and western Idaho), the Washington coast, and Canada. Outdoor recreational gear is available to rent through the Outdoor Recreation Center.
Need a little city life? Seattle is about a five-hour drive west, and Spokane and Coeur d’Alene are each less than two hours to the north.
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Visit WSU Enrollment Verifications for details and to request verification.
If you have questions, contact the WSU Office of the Registrar at official.statements@wsu.edu.