University of Washington Human Resources

To be eligible for tuition exemption your position must be 50% FTE or more.

• If you are Classified staff you must satisfy a 6-month probationary period before becoming eligible for the program.
• If you are a regular hourly employee from the Print Plant or UWMC Northwest you must satisfy a 6-month probationary period before becoming eligible for the program.
• If you are Professional staff, you are eligible immediately.

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.

Tuition exemption is a space-available waiver program. To access this benefit:

• First, you must apply for admission and be accepted into the college you wish to attend.
• Next, determine your school’s tuition exemption form and procedure. See “Request tuition exemption at schools other than UW” for additional information.
• Once any required forms have been completed, you must attend class on the first day of the term and check in with the instructor about available space on the roster and your intention to use the Washington State Employee Tuition Exemption Program.

NOTE: You may register for a class only after space has been determined. Registration prior to the determination of space availability is strictly prohibited and will disqualify you from utilizing the tuition exemption program for that term.

Tax liability

If you’re using tuition exemption to take graduate courses that are not job-related, you may have to pay taxes on excess savings. For details, see tuition exemption tax withholding.