Scholarships and Awards

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Undergraduate Scholarships and Prizes

The Department of Psychology is pleased to offer scholarships to students currently declared as psychology majors. Pre-majors and students in other departments are encouraged to visit the UW Office of Student Financial Aid and their own department's scholarship listings for available awards.

Applications are reviewed by the Psychology Department's scholarship committee, based on your statement of interest and any required supporting materials.

There are no restrictions based on citizenship status. All eligible students are welcome to apply.

Note: Students who are already receiving other financial aid and scholarships are advised to contact the Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA) prior to submitting an application to these scholarships in order to verify how these awards may impact their ability to receive the full amount of the scholarship.

Aric Chandler Endowed Scholarship

In memory of Aric Joseph Chandler, his parents, family, and friends endowed a scholarship to support UW Seattle undergraduate psychology majors who transferred to UW from a Washington State community college.

This generous gift was made to advance Aric's passion, vision, and dedication to helping others, especially young people.

Award Amount: Typically, four awards of up to $2,500 each are given annually. Funds may be used for any education-related expenses.

Eligibility: Open to all current UW Seattle undergraduate psychology majors who transferred from a Washington State community college, with preference given to applicants who demonstrate an interest in issues related to children and/or adolescents.

Application Cycle: A call for applications will be sent to current UW Seattle psychology majors in mid to late winter quarter each year. Award decisions are typically made by the end of that same quarter.

How to apply: Students may apply below. Deadline will be in winter quarter

Aric Chandler Application

James Steele Endowed Scholarship

Thanks to the generous support of the James Steele Endowed Scholarship fund, the Psychology Department is able to offer financial support to students who have a demonstrated interest in the field of clinical psychology.

Award amount: Each year, up to 11 scholarships of $2,000 are awarded. Funds may be used toward any education-related expenses.

Eligibility: Open to current UW Seattle psychology majors who have a demonstrated interest in the field of clinical psychology.

This interest should be reflected through experiences such as volunteering, internships, work, research, or personal background, as well as through student’s educational or career goals.

Application Cycle: A call for applications is sent out in early to mid-winter quarter, with award decisions made by the end of the same quarter.

How to apply: Students may apply below. Deadline will be in winter quarter.

James Steele Application

Ruth H. Hagenstein Endowed Scholarship

Thanks to the generous support of the Ruth H. Hagenstein Endowed Scholarship, the Psychology Department is able to assist current UW Seattle undergraduate psychology students attend professional conferences. Funding is avaliable for in-person and virtual conferences, whether or not you are presenting.

Award amount: Students may recieve up to $750, depending on available funds and the number of eligible applicants. If requests exceed available funding, priority will be given to student who have been accepted to present at a conference.

Eligibility: Open to current UW Seattle Psychology majors who attend or plan to attend a professional conference during the academic year (September-August). Students must be enrolled at UW when they apply for funding.

Eligible Expenses: Funding may be used to reimburse:

Conference registration
Hotel accommodations
Airfare
Local ground transportation between the airport/train station, hotel, and conference venue

Food and per diem expenses are not eligible for reimbursement.

When to Apply: Applications are due by the second Friday of the quarter and are reviewed during autumn, winter, and spring quarters.

You may apply before or after attending your conference:

Applying before the conference: Submit documentation or screenshots showing your anticipated expenses. Final receipts will be required after the conference.
Applying after the conference: Submit receipts for eligible expenses with your application.
Conference occurs after the application deadline: Apply during the next available application cycle, provided you continue to meet the eligibility requirments.

Summer Conferences: There are no summer application cycle. If you attend a conference during June-August, you must apply during the following autumn application cycle and be enrolled at the UW when you apply.

Documentation: Students must provide documentation of eligible expenses. Screenshots or other documentation of anticipated expenses may be submitted when applying before a conference. Final receipts are required.

How to apply: Complete the appliation by the second Friday of the applicable quarter (The Autumn 2026 deadline has been extended to Friday, October 23).

Ruth H. Hagenstein Application

Guthrie Prize for Writing in Psychology

Named in honor of the late Psychology professor Edwin R. Guthrie, this prize was established to encourage excellent writing about psychology that is both broad in scope and accessible to the non-specialist.

Two awards are typically made given, one for an empirical paper and one for a general research paper (e.g., literature review, research proposal).

Award amount: Each award is $250.

Eligibility: Open to current undergraduate psychology majors at UW Seattle.

Application Cycle: A call for nominations is sent to Psychology Department faculty late in winter quarter, with award decisions made in late spring quarter. Deadline for nominations is Friday, May 15, 2026.

How to Apply: Faculty must submit nominations, but students are encouraged to talk to their faculty advisors or mentors if they have written a paper they believe is a strong candidate for nomination.

Guthrie Honors Scholar Research Award

The Department of Psychology provides limited funding to support research projects conducted by students in the Psychology Honors Program. These awards are intended to fund research-related expenses and cannot be used for personal items or conference travel. Expenses must directly support the student’s research and not be considered personal benefit.

Award Amount: Up to $500 per student, depending on available funding and the number of applicants.

Eligibility: Open to current members of the UW Seattle Psychology Honors Program.

Application Cycle: A call for applications is typically sent to faculty and Honors students in winter quarter, with award decisions made in spring quarter. Deadline for submissions is Friday, May 1, 2026.

How to apply: UW Seattle Psychology Honors Program members submit award requests to the Department Chair’s office. Students’ faculty advisors must be copied on the award submission and must indicate via email that they approve of the proposal and agree to work with the Department’s financial advisors to manage the budget allocated.