Our cost
A graduate degree is a major life investment. We strive to be as transparent as possible about the cost of our degree.
How much does it cost?
Here are our tuition and fee rates for the 2025-2026 academic year:
Quarterly tuition:
$7,649
Quarterly UW fees:
$437
Total yearly tuition & fees:
$24,258
Whoa, that’s a lot of money!
It is. It’s also important to note a few things:
- Our tuition is significantly lower than your average museum studies program. Whereas our yearly tuition adds up to $24,258, the average cost for one year of out-of-state tuition in a museum studies graduate program is $30,285.
- Museology does not differentiate between in-state and out-of-state; everyone pays the same tuition.
- Our tuition is a flat rate, regardless of the number of credits you take. This means you can plan your quarterly course schedules without having to worry about how much each credit will cost you.
So how do students pay for this?
While every student’s situation is different, most Museology students fund their studies through some combination of savings, income from a part-time job, and federal student loans. In addition, Museology provides several forms of financial support that help students make the most of their grad school experience.
Because Museology is unable to provide full-ride scholarships or assistantships that come with tuition waivers, we do our best to maximize the impact of the support we are able to provide. We focus on enabling students to engage in (and make the most of) grad school experiences outside the classroom which often involve financial barriers.
Paid Internships
Through our paid internship program, each student receives at least $1,800 for internship hours completed as part of your degree requirements.
Professional Memberships & Conference Scholarships
We provide scholarships for students to attend regional and national conferences. We also provide students with free professional memberships with the Washington Museum Association, the American Alliance of Museums, the American Association for State and Local History.
Thesis Scholarships
We provide scholarships for students’ thesis research and projects.
Over 90% of our students work part-time while doing their degree. Our students have found great on-campus jobs that enable them to make money while learning valuable work skills (learn more about UW student employment). Students also work off-campus, both in local museums and in non-museum-related settings. Most students report working around 20 hours per week.
Work Study
Many students from the U.S. are eligible for Work Study, a federal program that subsidizes student workers’ salaries. Both of the museums on campus are eligible to hire Work Study students.
Assistantships
While these opportunities are relatively rare, there are sometimes opportunities for Museology students to work as research or teaching assistants at UW. The Museology program occasionally offers research assistant positions (paid hourly, not accompanied by tuition waiver). Museology students also sometimes find assistantships in other departments on campus (also usually paid hourly without tuition waiver).
Around 68% of recent Museology graduates took out federal student loans. Of students who took out loans, around 31% took out $40,000 or less, 37% took out between $40,000 and $50,000, and 31% took out more than $50,000.*
Museology is currently working to evaluate the potential impacts on future students of upcoming changes to federal student loan programs, including the termination of the GRAD Plus loan program. To learn more about federal loans and other forms of financial aid, we encourage prospective students to visit the UW Office of Student Financial Aid website and reach out to our Graduate Advisor with any questions.
*Based on self-reported data from the graduating classes of 2023, 2024, and 2025.
How do I repay my loans?
Our graduates are successful, and they’re well positioned to pay back their loans. Of students who graduated from 2018-2022, 76% are employed in museums or related businesses or non-profits. The types of jobs that our students are taking right out of school pay an average of $52,000-$60,000 (in the Seattle area).
Public Service Loan Forgiveness
PSLF is a program for people who work in public service in federal, state, tribal, or local government, or for a non-profit organization. Because most museums are non-profits, and because Museology students are typically offered Stafford loans and Graduate PLUS loans (see this UW OSFA loans chart), most Museology students are eligible for PSLF.
Estimate your budget for grad school
The UW Office of Student Financial Aid provides student budgets to help students estimate expenses beyond tuition and fees. Prospective students are encouraged to adapt the OSFA’s sample graduate student budget to their own circumstances in order to understand how they might afford to pursue this degree. Prospective students are also encouraged to reach out to our Graduate Advisor if you could use some help estimating cost of living expenses.
A few notes will help you estimate your expenses and income:
- As noted above, Museology’s current yearly tuition and fees add up to $24,258.
- Seattle’s minimum wage is $20.76, and our students make anywhere between minimum wage and around $30 per hour.
- Most of our students report working somewhere between 10 and 30 hours per week.
- Museology does not have classes during summer quarter (between mid-June and mid-September), so our students often work full-time for those 3 months in between their two years in the program.
- The OSFA estimates $22,674 for 9 months of rent, utilities, and food, or around $2,500 per month. The actual cost of rent and food will vary significantly for each student. While there’s no end to the list of potential factors that affect that cost, here are a few important ones:
- What kind of housing are you looking for? Our students report paying anywhere from $600 up to over $2,000 per month for housing. If you’re happy living in a 5-bedroom house with several roommates, you should be able to find something for less than $1,000 per month. If you’re looking for a studio of your own, be prepared to spend at least $1,400 per month. Check out housing sites like Craigslist and Apartments.com to get a feel for your options. UW also offers graduate student housing starting around $1,600 per month (utilities included).
- How do you eat? The cost of food can vary greatly depending on one’s dining habits. It would be worth going into some detail to make sure you have a realistic feel for what your monthly food budget might be. Check out the cost of the groceries directly at grocery stores’ websites (for those new to the area, Safeway, QFC, PCC, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe’s are a few popular grocery stores here), and explore restaurant options in Google Maps to get a feel for the cost of dining out.
- How do you plan to get around? Relative to the rest of the United States, Seattle has a good public transportation system (Google “best cities public transportation united states,” and you’ll likely find Seattle sneaking in around number 10 on most lists). This is especially true if your world revolves around the University of Washington, which is a major hub. UW students pay $70 per quarter for unlimited transit rides during the academic year (excluding summer). While you will need access to a car to get out beyond Seattle and enjoy the paradise that is the Pacific Northwest, you may not need to own that car yourself (or use it for your daily commute to campus).
Some resources for your financial aid search
As noted above, applicants should consult the University of Washington Office of Student Financial Aid for more information about the types of financial aid available. Importantly, any applicant hoping to receive federal loans must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The priority deadline for completing the FAFSA this past year was February 28, 2025. This page will be updated once the priority deadline for 2026 is available.
Washington state residents not eligible for federal student aid may apply for state financial aid through the Washington Application for State Financial Aid (WASFA).
The University of Washington’s Graduate Funding Information Service has assembled this list of funding resources specific to Museology students: Museology funding guide.
International students looking to learn more about funding graduate studies in the U.S. may wish to consult Education USA, a U.S. Department of State network of over 430 international student advising centers in more than 175 countries and territories.