Who can apply
Any UW undergraduate planning a research or leadership project, from any major and at any stage of their degree can apply for Mary Gates research or leadership scholarships.
Eligibility notes
- Any matriculated undergraduate student pursuing a bachelor's degree at one of the three UW campuses of Bothell, Seattle, or Tacoma may apply.
- You may apply for both the Research and Leadership Scholarships in the same cycle, though you can only hold one financial award at a time (one type per quarter).
- Graduating seniors are eligible as long as at least one quarter of their degree remains after the Autumn application quarter. Award quarters cannot extend past graduation, so a student finishing at the end of Winter, for instance, would request a single quarter of award.
- Post-baccalaureate students are eligible while officially enrolled in an undergraduate degree program, but not if they are only taking additional classes ahead of medical school or a graduate program.
- Transfer students newly arriving at UW should upload unofficial transcripts from their previous institution through the application portal.
- Scholarships support individual students, so members of a research or leadership group should each apply on their own — you are welcome to describe collaborations, as long as your individual role and contributions are clear.
Enrollment and award quarters
Full-time enrollment is required only during your funded quarters, with the award potentially prorated if you take fewer credits.
- Full-time enrollment is required only during the quarters in which you receive the award, not during the Autumn quarter when you apply — so you are welcome to apply even if you are part-time during the application quarter. Full-time means 12 credits in Autumn, Winter, or Spring. Summer does not require full-time enrollment, but you must be registered for at least one credit if you would like to receive scholarship funds during Summer quarter.
- If you expect to enroll less than full-time during an award quarter, you can still apply; the award will be considered and adjusted to match your credits. If you have a DRS accommodation for a reduced credit load, the Endowment follows those guidelines when checking enrollment — just let us know about the accommodation if you are selected.
- Plans sometimes change, and you may be able to shift your funding to different quarters within the same academic year, provided you remain actively engaged in your project and your mentor can confirm the new timeline. Please send an email to mgates@uw.edu to start that conversation.
Review the Community Investment Scholarship pages for more information on eligibility.