Applying for a Fee Grant

UW–Madison is excited that you are considering one or more of our academic programs for graduate school! The Graduate School offers a limited number of application fee grants to make sure that the application fee is not a barrier for students from our key recruiting initiatives. Fee grants are currently available to U.S. citizens, permanent resident applicants and students with DACA status who can document that they:

  1. participated in selected pipeline programs designed to prepare students for graduate studies, or
  2. grew up in a low-income family.

If any of the above criteria apply, please review and follow the instructions below. Applicants approved for fee grants will receive a coupon code to cover the application fee. If you have any questions about this process, please contact feegrants@grad.wisc.edu. Each applicant may receive up to one (1) application fee grant from the Graduate School no matter how many eligibility categories they qualify for.

The Graduate School will verify your eligibility in any of the below criteria and may consult with your academic program(s) of interest before providing a coupon code. In most cases, another party such as your undergraduate financial aid office or the program director for the pipeline program under which you are applying will need to verify your information using a separate form delivered via email, so we encourage you to start the coupon code request process as early as possible. Please ensure your completed application, including any needed verification from your undergraduate financial aid office or program director, is submitted at least five (5) business days prior to your earliest application deadline to ensure there is enough time to process your request. This code must be entered on the payment page prior to the submission of your graduate application, as no application fee refunds are possible.

The Graduate School only provides fee grants for programs that use the Graduate School application. The Wisconsin School of Business, School of Medicine and Public Health, School of Veterinary Medicine, and Law School all offer post-baccalaureate professional degrees that are not administered by the Graduate School, but instead are solely supported by their home school. For more information on the availability of fee grants for these programs, contact the admissions team for the school that houses the program to which you are applying.

1. Recognized pipeline programs:

Successful participants of the following programs are currently eligible under this category:

  • Big Ten Academic Alliance (formerly CIC) Summer Research Opportunity Program (SROP)
  • Department of Education Pathways Program
  • NIH Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD)
  • Institute for Recruitment of Teachers (IRT) at Phillips Academy Andover
  • NSF Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP), including participation in WiscAMP
  • NIH Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC)
  • U.S. Department of Education Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program
  • National GEM Consortium
  • NIH Post-Baccalaureate Research and Education Program (PREP)
  • NIH Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (RISE)
  • UW–Madison Summer Research Opportunity Program (SROP)
  • Científico Latino Graduate Student Mentorship Initiative (GSMI)
  • Karsh STEM Scholars Program at Howard University

If you participated in any of these programs, please complete the Fee Grant Verification Form. For most pipeline programs, your program director will need to complete an online verification form delivered via email to confirm your participation. Once submitted, the Graduate School will review the completed application and notify you within five (5) business days if you have been approved for a fee grant.

2. Instructions for domestic applicants who have grown up in a low-income family

You may be eligible for an application fee grant if you can document that you were low-income prior to or during college. You can document this:

  • by demonstrating that you had an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) of less than $2,000 on your FAFSA, took out a Perkins Loan, or took out a subsidized loan in each of the most recent two academic years of undergraduate studies. Your undergraduate financial aid office will need to confirm this.
  • by demonstrating that you qualified for SNAP, SSI, TANF, or WIC sometime during the most recent two academic years of undergraduate studies. You may do this by providing documentation showing you qualified for one of these programs such as a letter or approval email.
  • or by providing a description of your upbringing in a substantially low-income/economically disadvantaged family.

If you qualify under one of these categories, please complete the Fee Grant Verification Form. For some categories, your undergraduate financial aid office will need to complete an online verification form delivered via email to confirm your status, so we encourage you to start the coupon code request process as early as possible. Once submitted, the Graduate School will review the completed application and notify you within five (5) business days if you have been approved for a fee grant.

Note: The UW–Madison Graduate School has heard that a number of financial aid offices will not sign forms verifying EFC (Expected Family Contribution). If you are in that situation, please indicate that on your application and upload any documentation you have to support the low-income category you selected (e.g., FAFSA print-off indicating EFC<$2,000 in your most recent two academic years of undergraduate studies). Email feegrants@grad.wisc.edu with any questions or concerns.

For UW faculty & staff:

Please complete the Fee Grant Purchase Form for faculty and staff. Fill out the form at least one week prior to when you will need the application fee grant codes. Please email feegrants@grad.wisc.edu with any questions.