Data Science Masters

Application Fee Waiver and Pre-Payment Processes

The MSDS program is committed to reducing barriers to joining our community of data scientists. We recognize that the $90 application fee is a significant barrier for some of our applicants. There are two processes for applicants to address this barrier: fee waivers from the UW Graduate School, and fee pre-payment options for students in participating pipeline programs (see below). Applicants should check if they are eligible for a fee-waiver through the UW Graduate School first, before pursuing a fee pre-payment request through the UW MSDS program: 

  1. The central UW Graduate School offers application fee waivers to U.S. residents who demonstrate financial need or have participated in the McNair Scholars or PPIA Fellows program. Please consult the UW Graduate School application fee waiver criteria and process in detail. You must complete all application materials before requesting this fee waiver, and we recommend that you submit this request the the Graduate School at least 7 days before the MSDS application deadline. 
  2. If you do not qualify for fee waivers from the central UW Graduate School, the MSDS program offers to pre-pay the application fee of applicants participating in pipeline programs which support broader access to data science careers and education (see list below). Please complete the Application Fee Pre-Payment Request Form to request payment, and wait for a response from our program staff, before submitting your application. We cannot pay fees retroactively for applications that have already been paid for and submitted. If you are a participant of a program not listed whose mission explicitly aligns with our access and equity goals, you may request a fee pre-payment by including program details in the Application Fee Pre-Payment Request Form. Please submit your pre-payment request form no less than 7 days before our application deadline so that we have time to review your request. 

** Please note that application fee waivers and application fee pre-payments are not available to applicants who plan to study on F or J visas. All other applicants, including other visa holders and undocumented immigrants, are encouraged to apply.

Eligible Pipeline Programs

Following are a list of Pipeline Programs that the UW MS in Data Science accepts as eligible for an Application Fee Pre-Payment. Please submit .pdf documentation of your participation in one of the following programs to uwmsds@uw.edu as part of your request, along with your name and the email you used in your Application Fee Pre-Payment Request Form.