Frequently Asked Questions

The Statement of Purpose is an application requirement. In no more than 1000 words or 2 pages, explain your educational and professional objectives. Write about your academic background, scientific interests, career goals, what motivates you to pursue PhD studies, and what attracts you to the UW Department of Pharmaceutics graduate programs specifically. Also, please list at least three Pharmaceutics faculty members who you see as potential research mentors.

On the other hand, the Personal Statement is optional. We evaluate all applicants holistically, looking beyond academic records alone for evidence of personal development, resilience, relevant experience, and contributions to outreach, inclusion, and equity in science. In particular, UW Department of Pharmaceutics welcomes applicants from communities and backgrounds that have been historically underrepresented in science based on factors including – but not limited to – race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, mental or physical disability, socioeconomic status, age, and veteran status. To that end, we invite you to include an optional Diversity Statement (no more than 500 words or 1 page) describing relevant experiences and accomplishments. This statement could describe how your lived experiences have shaped your scientific interests and future goals, how you have overcome barriers, and how you have helped others overcome their own obstacles.

No. For both of the PhD program and MS program, the Department only accepts applications for Fall Quarter. For exact start dates, see the academic calendar.

The $85 application fee can be waived in certain circumstances. Need-based waivers are available to applicants who qualify, if their family or individual income for the most recent tax year falls below certain defined limits. Current McNair Scholars and PPIA (Public Policy and International Affairs Program) Fellows are also eligible waivers, if they have sent documentation to the Graduate School at uwgrad@uw.edu in advance. Note – fee waiver requests must be submitted in the online application after all steps of the application have been completed and at least 7 calendar days prior to the Department of Pharmaceutics’ application deadline.

Unfortunately, applicants studying on F or J visas are not eligible for application fee waivers. You can find more information in the Application Fee and Fee Waiver section on this page.

For specific details, see the UW Graduate School’s web page. In general, The Graduate School does not require you to send official transcripts during the application process. Once you are accepted into the program, you will provide your official transcripts to the Graduate School at the address shown on their web page.

Every year it is different. For our PhD program, we receive anywhere from 60 to 90 applications and accept 2 to 5 students per academic year. For our MS program, we receive anywhere from 40 to 80 applications and accept 2-5 students per academic year.

Yes, we conduct zoom interview interviews of 8-15 selected applicants in February for the PhD program and may bring in qualified candidates for in person visits at the end of February or early March.

For our MS program, we conduct zoom interviews of selected applicants in early April.

Contacting individual faculty members will not increase your chance of getting admitted to the programs. Reviewing process is through the first-round selection by the Graduate Program Committee with all faculty members’ approval. Zoom and/or in-person interviews are also done by randomly selected faculty members depending on their availability. In other words, admissions decisions are through faculty’s collective efforts, not by specific individual faculty members.

Please refer to the following link for estimated cost for international students: https://iss.washington.edu/resources/campus-resources/money-matters/annual-expenses/

Depending on whether you are a resident or nonresident, the cost for the program could differ. Here is the link you can check the current tuition cost for the program: https://www.washington.edu/opb/tuition-fees/current-tuition-and-fees-dashboards/graduate-tuition-dashboard/

All our MS students are required to join a lab for research. Students will be assigned to work in a lab when they first join our program based on their own research interests and the availabilities of labs accepting students.

MS students are self-funded. There are scholarship opportunities for students from the Department of Pharmaceutics, the School of Pharmacy, and the University. However, the eligibility and the award amount for these scholarships vary and students should not count on these opportunities alone for funding the program.

There might be paid TA opportunities through the Department or other academic departments on campus, however, these are not guaranteed opportunities, and students need to submit separate applications when these opportunities are available.

MS students are required to submit a master’s thesis. The content of the thesis is usually a research summary of their laboratory project.

Students admitted into the PCEUT MS program can formally apply to the PhD program if desired. However, automatic transfer option is not available. One can either apply to the PhD program at the end of their first year for the MS program, and if accepted, transfer to the PhD program without needing to complete the MS thesis. Alternatively, they can apply to the PhD program after completing the MS program requirements (including submission of a MS thesis).