Thanks to our generous donors, CIRCLE is able to offer limited funding to help international students at UW, Seattle address unexpected financial emergencies due to circumstances beyond their control. We offer two types of emergency aid: general and special.
The purpose of the General CIRCLE Emergency Aid is to support UW internationalstudents address sudden financial emergencies due to circumstances beyond their control. This aid will provide a one-time grant to partially cover expenses such as tuition, housing,medical expenses, or other educational expenses so that students can persist at the University.Because the program only offers a partial award, it is important that CIRCLE staff collaborateswith academic or other Student Life units to provide the greatest amount of aid possible. Ifthe student is seeking support for tuition, then a payment plan through Student Fiscal Servicesshould be set up.
Eligibility:
Any currently enrolled, degree-seeking international student is eligible to petition for this aid. When a student is seeking aid, the expense must be currently owed as theprogram is not able to provide help for future expenses (e.g. next quarter’s tuition). Students donot need to provide proof of financial hardship, but they do need to specify the amountthey need.
Awards:
Students will be eligible for a maximum award of $1500 to help cover tuition or medical expenses based on funding available. Housing would be eligible for a maximum award of $750. Conference or other educational expenses would be a maximum of $500. Depending on the specific need, the award can be posted to the student’s tuition account ordeposited to the student’s bank account via a check or direct deposit. If other funding is secured, the CIRCLE award may be reduced to allow for more students to be supported. Expenditure must occur before the administrative graduation of the student from the university.
Funding Source:
CIRCLE will allocate $15,000 from its gift budget to fund the General EmergencyAid Program. Total funds may vary per year and total amount must be divided evenly among allfour quarters: summer ($1500), autumn ($4500), winter ($4500), spring ($4500) to ensure students have equal opportunity to secure funds. Any money left over at the end of the year can be added to the following year’s emergency aid fund at the discretion of the CIRCLE Executive Director (ED).
Process:
To inquire about the availability of funds, students should contact CIRCLE Executive Director Dr. Dan Zhu at danz2@uw.edu. The CIRCLE ED is the administrator for the Aid andas such, they will contact the student to start the process if funds are available. As part of theallocation process, the CIRCLE ED and the student will set up a meeting to discuss needs. TheCIRCLE ED will triage with other UW units to coordinate the allocation of additional UW fundsif available.
2. Special CIRCLE Emergency Aid
Purpose:
The purpose of the Special CIRCLE Emergency Aid is to support international undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Washington, Seattle, facing unexpected and urgent local and global challenges, including political unrest and climate-related emergencies.
Awards:
Unlike the General CIRCLE Emergency Aid, which is capped at $1,500, this fund is specifically tailored to the unique needs of individual international students and offers flexible allocations determined on a case-by-case basis. Funding amounts provided is determined by each eligible student’s specific circumstance and depends on the availability of funds. Support may cover a range of expenses, including tuition, living costs, and other critical needs.
Process:
To inquire about the availability of funds, students should contact CIRCLE Executive Director Dr. Dan Zhu at danz2@uw.edu. If funding is available, Dr. Zhu will initiate the process by arranging a meeting to assess the student’s needs. As part of the process, CIRCLE may also coordinate with other UW units to explore additional sources of support.