The Office of Research & Graduate education (RGE) administers an emergency loan program available to graduate students in the School of Medicine. This loan program is designed to support students who face exceptional circumstances, with expenses that cannot be met with their UW salary or stipend. It has been used by people experiencing a housing crisis or a family emergency, for example. Each loan must be approved by the Vice Dean.
Eligibility and Application
Emergency loans of up to $4,000 can be used by SOM graduate students in the school’s PhD programs (including students in associated interdisciplinary graduate programs).
Applicants must be in good academic standing and have the written support of their department chairs or interdisciplinary program directors. International students are eligible, as are citizens and permanent visa holders.
Students must be enrolled for a minimum of 5 credits at the time of the loan and throughout their graduate program in order to be exempt from the payment schedule.
In addition to the application form and the loan request form, a letter of support from the Department Chair is required. RGE will make every effort to review requests for loans within two working days.
Timing
Once we have approved the request, the loan request form requires 24-48 hours processing time by the Student Fiscal Services at in Schmitz Hall, Room 129.
- Student contacts RGE to request assistance
- RGE provides the application form and loan request form
- Student completes the application and loan request forms
- Student attaches a letter of support from their department chair
- Student sends to RGE at rgeadmin@uw.edu
- RGE Director reviews and recommends action to Vice Dean, along with available balance in budget.
- Vice Dean approves or declines.
- Approved applicants must go online and complete the Student Fiscal Services loan form: http://www.washington.edu/students/sfs/forms/loan_app.pdf .
- Student returns a hard copy of the loan to RGE. RGE then routes the completed form to Student Fiscal Services.
- Student Fiscal Services track repayments.
- No interest rate applies while the student is attending the University.
- 3% interest applies while serving in a required professional training program. No payment on principal is required. Interest may be paid quarterly, annually, or capitalized as part of the loan principal.
- 3% interest applies while in repayment status, which begins 9 months after ceasing to be a halftime student at the University.
- Maximum repayment period is 10 years.