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The Tuition Exemption Program is one of the most valuable benefits offered to Washington State employees, covering up to 6 credits of qualifying coursework per quarter on a space-available basis.
The University’s Tuition Exemption Policy is governed by Chapter 28B.15.558 of the Revised Code of Washington (RCW) and UW Administrative Policy Statement 22.1.
All quarterly application, registration, and payment dates referenced herein are based on the Academic Calendar.
Eligible Washington States employees may enroll for and receive a tuition exemption for up to 6 credits each quarter on a space-available basis. Eligible students are allowed to enroll for more than six credits and will be charged tuition accordingly for the additional credits.
Space availability applies to degree programs as well as courses, and fully enrolled programs may not have space to accommodate students using the tuition exemption. Also, certain schools or majors may be limited or have exclusions to the tuition exemption program; read on for more information or contact the school or major for further details.
Other UW Campuses
University of Washington (Seattle) and University of Washington Bothell maintain their own policies and procedures regarding tuition exemption. Review the following resources and contact their offices for more information or assistance.
Tuition Exemption Eligibility
The Office of the Registrar cannot determine an employee's eligibility to participate in the tuition exemption program. UW employees with questions about eligibility should contact Professional & Organizational Development (POD) at pod@uw.edu. Include your Employee Identification Number (EIN) and quarter you wish to attend in your email.
Non-UW state employees must contact your respective human resources office to determine eligibility and requirements for participating in the tuition exemption program.
| Employment Program | Eligible for Tuition Exemption | Eligibility Begins |
|---|---|---|
| Classified Staff (minimum 50% FTE) | Yes | Completed 6 month probationary period |
| Professional Staff (minimum 50% FTE) | Yes | First day of employment |
| Faculty (minimum 50% FTE) | Yes | First day of employment |
| Hourly or Temporary Staff | No | N/A |
Fixed duration classified staff project appointments are not eligible for the program, nor are most hourly employees (exceptions noted above). Spouses and dependents of UW employees are not eligible.
"State of Washington employees" means persons employed half-time or more in one or more of the following employee classifications:
-
Permanent employees in classified services under chapter 41.06 RCW
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Permanent classified employees and exempt paraprofessional employees of technical colleges; and,
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Faculty, counselors, librarians, and exempt professional and administrative employees at institutions of higher education as defined in RCW 28B.10.016
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Classified staff may receive waivers as part of teacher preparation programs (as an alternative to the current limitation to being relevant to their work assignment as defined in RCW 28B.15.558
Eligible state employees must hold this status on the day the exemption form is approved, and must be in that status on the first day of the quarter for which the tuition-exemption is granted.
Steps to Apply
Step 1: Obtain Student Status
First, you must apply for admission to the UW Tacoma (you will be required to pay the application fee). Applicants are subject to the same priority application dates as other new students. Individuals wishing to apply as a matriculated student, a non-matriculated student, or a graduate non-matriculated student should contact the academic program for details regarding the application process and space availability in the program.
Former UW Tacoma students may re-enroll as a returning student and will return in the same classification, or as non-matriculated students.
Step 2: Request Tuition Exemption
A Tuition Exemption Request Form must be submitted every quarter that you wish to register for courses and is due at the Office of the Registrar no later than 2 weeks or 10 business days before to the start of the quarter. Forms submitted after this date are considered late. You may have one late submission only, which can be submitted no later than the 7th day of the quarter. After that, we cannot accept your late tuition exemption form.
On the online form, you will be required to attach documentation of your eligibility for tuition exemption benefits from your supervisor or human resources office.The form cannot be processed without the required signatures from the employee and their supervisor.
You will also provide information on all classes you are planning to take, as the Office of the Registrar staff will register you for your courses on your registration date.
Request Tuition Exemption
UW Employees and WA State Employees may use this online form to request tuition exemption at UW Tacoma.
Registering for Classes
Once you have obtained current student status and have submitted your Tuition Exemption Request Form, you will wait to be registered by the Office of the Registrar staff for the courses that you indicated on your Tuition Exemption Request Form. Tuition exemption students are eligible for registration during Registration Period 3. Click here to learn more about registration periods and eligibility. In summary,
- UW employees register on the 3rd day of the quarter
- Washington State employees register on the 4th day of the quarter
Review the Academic Calendar for specific registration dates for each quarter.
Course registration is not permitted before the appropriate registration eligibility date for all courses when using tuition exemption; this includes any additional courses even if they are not taken as tuition exempt. Students, however, may attend space-available classes with the instructor's permission prior to the registration eligibility date.
Students who register before the assigned tuition exemption registration eligibility date will not be permitted to convert to the tuition exemption program. Students who have registered for any classes in advance of this date will not be allowed to convert to tuition-exempt status and will be required to pay regular tuition for the quarter.
There are no course additions accepted after the third week of the quarter.
What is Covered by Tuition Exemption?
Generally, all state funded courses 599 and below are covered with tuition exemption with some exceptions, as described in greater detail below. Check with the school or the program’s advisor to verify that the course you wish to take is eligible. Click here for lists of graduate courses that are eligible for tuition exemption offered at each school.
What is Not Covered by Tuition Exemption?
All self- sustaining, fee-based, or cohort-based degree programs, study abroad courses or programs, and large enrollment majors with no-space are not covered by the tuition exemption program.
The following majors and programs of study are not eligible for tuition exemption:
- Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice
- Bachelor of Arts in Education
- Bachelor of Arts in Social Welfare
- Master of Social Work
- Education Specialist in School Psychology
- Education (non-matriculated status students)
- Master of Accounting (fee-based)
- Master of Cybersecurity and Leadership (fee-based)
- Graduate Certificate in Software Development Engineering (fee-based)
- Doctoral in Educational Leadership
- All classes and programs offered through the UW Tacoma Professional Development Center (PDC) are not covered by tuition exemption.
- Distance learning (online) courses
- TMATH 098
- UW Extension and UW courses ENGL 100, 101, 102
- Early start courses that begin and end prior to the first day of the quarter
- TNURS 414
- T EDUC 563, T EDUC 564, T EDUC 565, T EDUC 569 and T EDUC 599
- Graduate level independent study courses numbered 600, 700, and 800
- All independent study, thesis, dissertation, research, internships, tutorials, private lessons, culminating projects or practicums
- All fee-based, self-sustaining and study abroad courses.
In addition, certain state funded courses, schools or programs may be excluded from the tuition exemption program on the basis of academic or fiscal consideration.
Graduate Tuition Exemption Policy
As of Summer Quarter 2021, the University of Washington Tacoma has limited the number of graduate credits to which a state employee may apply tuition exemption benefits to a total of 12 credits toward the requirements of any graduate degree program it offers.
Tuition exempt students may enroll on a space-available basis in courses that the degree program designates as available for tuition exemption. A list of those courses appears below and will be provided on each degree program’s website. Class size limits are carefully considered in curriculum and course design. To maintain the academic integrity of each course and ensure every student receives appropriate support, class size limits will be adhered to strictly when determining space availability.
Graduate Courses Eligible for Tuition Exemption
The courses listed below are eligible for tuition exemption, subject to the guidelines proposed in this policy. The list of courses eligible for tuition exemption was determined by members of the graduate faculty in each School based on the pedagogical and curricular design of their degree programs. Washington law requires that tuition exemption cannot be used for thesis credits, independent study options, culminating project courses, practicum courses, fieldwork, any courses requiring individualized instruction, or distance learning (online) courses.
Students are limited to twelve credits in courses eligible for tuition exemption, as listed below (up to six credits per quarter).
| Course Prefix | Course Number | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| T BUS | 501 | Financial Theory | 4 |
| T BUS | 503 | Financial Reporting and Analysis | 4 |
| T BUS | 504 | Marketing Management | 4 |
| T BUS | 507 | Individual & Team Dynamics | 4 |
| T MGMT | 512 | Business Ethics & Social Responsibility | 4 |
| TBANLT | 510 | Business Analytics | 4 |
| TBANLT | 520 | Analytics Strategy & Big Data Management | 4 |
| TBANLT | 550 | Analytical Decision Making | 4 |
Students are limited to twelve credits in courses eligible for tuition exemption, as listed below (up to six credits per quarter).
| Course Prefix | Course Number | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| TCSS | 540 | Theory of Computing | 5 |
| TCSS | 543 | Advanced Algorithms | 5 |
| TCSS | 558 | Applied Distributed Computing | 5 |
| TCSS | 598 | Masters Seminar in CSS | 5 |
Washington State Employees enrolled in the Masters of Education for Practicing Educators program are able to choose (up to 6 credits per quarter) whichever eligible courses that fall within the 12-credit maximum using their tuition exemption benefit with the exceptions of restrictions noted in Section B as stated in the existing School of Education policy.
Continuing UW employees currently enrolled in the Master of Education for Practicing Educators program prior to summer 2021 have until spring quarter 2023 to use tuition exemption benefits under the current UW Tacoma policy beyond the four core courses.
Admissions to the graduate program are suspended at this time; a course list will be developed following curriculum revision.
Effective Spring Quarter 2024, there are two courses (10 total credits) eligible for tuition exemption.
| Course Prefix | Course Number | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| T NURS | 539 | The Science & Art of Leading & Managing in Healthcare | 5 |
| T NURS | 548 | Biopsychosocial Interventions for Advanced Nursing Practice | 5 |
Eligible MN TE students admitted prior to the 2023‐2024 academic period may continue to use their current tuition exemption benefits through spring quarter 2024.
For details, review the School of Nursing & Healthcare Leadership Tuition Exemption policy.
Does not permit tuition exemption for any graduate courses due to space restrictions.
Students are limited to twelve credits in courses eligible for tuition exemption, as listed below (up to six credits per quarter).
*Admissions to the Master of Science in Geospatial Technologies program is suspended at this time.
| Course Prefix | Course Number | Course Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| TCMP | 521 | Planning Theory and Practice | 5 |
| TCMP | 525 | Property and Capital | 5 |
| TCMP | 546 | Strategic Influence | 5 |
| TCMP | 554 | Community Development | 5 |
| TCMP | 557 | Urban Spatial Design | 5 |
| TCMP | 566 | Analyzing Community | 5 |
| TCMP | 571 | Legal Urbanism | 5 |
| TCMP | 572 | Planning for Equity | 5 |
| TCMP | 573 | Power and Decentralization | 5 |
| TCMP | 582 | Movements and Organizing | 5 |
| TCMP | 590 | Community Planning Studio I | 5 |
| TCMP | 591 | Community Planning Studio II | 5 |
| TCMP | 595 | Special Topics in Community Planning | 1-15 |
| *T GIS | 501 | GIS Customization and Automation | 5 |
| *T GIS | 502 | Introduction to Geospatial Technology | 5 |
| *T GIS | 503 | Web-Based GIS | 5 |
| *T GIS | 504 | Mobile Geospatial Application Development | 5 |
| *T GIS | 505 | Cartography and Data Visualization | 5 |
| *T GIS | 506 | Environmental Planning Applications | 5 |
Fees
- New and non-matriculated applications must be accompanied by a non-refundable application fee of $60 online.
- New and non-matriculated graduate applications must be accompanied by a non-refundable application fee of $75 online.
- Returning undergraduate and professional students who have not attended for two or more quarters must complete the Returning Student Form and pay a non-refundable enrollment confirmation fee of $60 online.
- After registering for classes, check your UW student account balance, available through MyUW. You will be billed $30 non-refundable registration fee and any additional tuition for credits over 6. You will be billed the quarterly Student Technology Fee, in addition to course fees and program fees. This balance is due when UW tuition is due. Please review the Academic Calendar for the specific date; it is typically the 3rd Friday of the quarter.
- A $25 late registration fee will be assessed if you initially register on or after the eighth calendar day of the quarter. A $75 late registration fee will be assessed if you initially register for the quarter on or after the 15th calendar day of that quarter.
- A $20 fee will be charged for all registration changes made on a single day beginning the eighth calendar day of the quarter.
- Tuition exemption students are not charged the UWY Center quarterly fee, therefore do not automatically receive a membership. Tuition exemption students can join as a community member. Learn more about YMCA membership rates and the membership joining process.
Frequently Asked Questions
See the UW Graduate School for UW Tacoma Program for majors and requirements.
Tuition exempt students who register for 6 credits or less do not pay Student Services and Activities Fee and therefore are not entitled to the services funded by those fees. Nor are they eligible to purchase tickets to athletic or performing arts events at student rates. However, tuition exempt students who do register in excess of 6 credits must pay the Student Services and Activities Fees and may use these services with their Husky card. Please note a UPASS is no longer included as a service with this fee.
All tuition exempt students may use the libraries with their Husky card (faculty/staff identification card). Participating Washington State employees may obtain student ID cards for library services from the Office of the Registrar.
Tuition Exempt students are not automatically billed for the UPASS Program with their tuition or services fees. All tuition exempt students, including non-UW employees, are eligible to purchase a UPASS from the Transportation Services Office at the employee rate. It is not refundable and not pro-rated. For more information about the UPASS program and other commuting options, please contact Transportation Services.
UW employees pursuing graduate programs or graduate-level coursework claim the amount of the quarterly exemption as income on their federal income tax return unless the supervisor has certified that the program or coursework is job-related. If it is determined that the course is not job-related, the value of the exemption will be considered income and subject to withholding.
Email reguwt@uw.edu with any questions.
