MES Financial Aid

Evergreen's deadline for the 2012-2013 FAFSA is March 1, 2012. This means that your official FAFSA must be received AND processed by the Federal Processor no later than March 1, 2012 - this can take 3-5 days if submitted online or 2-3 weeks if submitted by paper. We suggest submitting online (with signature) no later than February 22, 2012. Only students meeting the March 1 processing deadline will be considered for priority MES financial aid.

The MES program aims to support all students who have financial need.  To do so, Evergreen offers loans, grants, scholarships, fellowships, awards, and tuition waivers that can help offset the cost of tuition.  In addition, admitted students are encouraged to seek financial help from sources outside Evergreen.

• Non-loan Financial Aid
• Funding Your Research
• Loans
• Applying for Aid
• Military Veterans and Families Funding
• Other Funding Sources
• Related Information

Non-loan Financial Aid for MES Students

Funding from the MES Program

In addition to loans, MES students are eligible for a number of scholarships, fellowships, and tuition waivers offered by MES.  Awards can be merit-based, need-based or both. Some awards are offered based on new students' admissions applications. Others require the FAFSA, which is due March 1, as well as a separate application. Please see the MES Awards page for award descriptions and the online application, which is due April 11, 2012.

Non-MES Funding

If you take the time to research and apply, there is a lot of funding out there for graduate students. Some funding is in the form of scholarships, in which you just receive a certain amount of money, and some is in the form of fellowships, in which you receive a certain amount of money while also working for an organization as a "fellow." Some fellowships are available for recent graduates.

• Bullitt Environmental Fellowship: $50k over two years; due April 1 for next two academic years
  
• George S. Mickelson Memorial Western Governors' Association Fellowship: $40k for one year; next round in Spring 2012
• The Evergreen State College Natural History Collections Fellowship: $12/hour for 10 hours per week during academic year; next round Spring 2012
• Marc Hershman Marine Policy Fellowship: $45k for one year, next round in Spring 2012
• MES Listing of Outside Scholarships (PDF)
• MES Listing of Outside Fellowships (PDF)
• University of Washington listing of fellowships

Evergreen Need Grant - Special Funding for Washington Residents

Evergreeen offers a limited number of Evergreen Need Grants to graduate students with need who are residents of Washington.  Each award is worth $2700 for the entire year (that's more than one quarter's worth of tuition!) and is prorated for students taking less than 8 credits.  Students with an Estimated Family Contribution of $3000 or less on the FAFSA will automatically receive this award on a first-come, first-served basis.  Eligible students who submit their FAFSA by Evergreen's deadline of March 1, 2012 are highly likely to receive this award. No application is needed.

Funding Your Research

Throughout the academic year, a number of grants and fellowships are advertised to enrolled MES students for research or projects.  Here are are a few that are typically offered on an annual basis.

Conference Grants

Evergreen offers students the opportunity to recieve up to $500 to present academic work at conferences. Please fill out a Conference Funding Application (PDF) and submit to the Deans' Office if you are interested. The MES student organization and the MES program sometimes have funding available for conferences; if so, the opportunity will be publicized by email. Also, some conferences offer scholarships to graduate students to pay for their attendance. 

Evergreen Clean Energy Grant

Funds campus sustainability projects.  Open to any member of the Evergreen community.  Offered throughout the year.

The Evergreen State College Foundation Activity Grant

Up to $1000 per student per grant cycle.
Up to 25 grants for Evergreen students and faculty for a variety of academic projects. MES students received four of the awards in 2011.  FAFSA not required.

Margaret A. Cargill Sustainability Fellowship 

Up to $4000 per student per project.
Fellowship awarded to several students for environmental research or projects.  All Evergreen grad students are eligible.  Application due February 27, 2012 - click on link for application information. FAFSA not required.

The Noosphere Award

Two awards up to $1300 available.
Award supports faculty-student collaborative projects that unify artistic, scientific, and spiritual elements.

Writing Your Own Research Grant

Writing your own grant is good experience for a future environmental career. Check out our helpful Grant Writing Tips (PDF) and our List of Outside Grants (PDF).  In addition, the MES student organization and the MES program sometimes have funding available for research; if so, the opportunity will be publicized by email.

Loans

In addition to scholarships, MES students also qualify for loans.  The good news is that grads who work for 10 years in public service will have their loans forgiven!  Check out the IBR Info website for more information.  And, don't forget that the IRS offers education tax credits for students.

• Federal Direct Loans - MES students qualify for $20,500 in federal loans per year, unless they have defaulted on a previous federal loan.
• Graduate PLUS Loans - Another federal loan that students can apply for if the $20,500 isn't enough.
• Private Loans
• Short-Term Emergency Loans

Applying for Aid  

To apply for financial aid and scholarships that are need-based (including loans), you must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the appropriate academic year and submit it to the federal processing center.  Be sure to submit your FAFSA as soon as possible after January 1 of each year to increase the likelihood of receiving funds.  Evergreen's priority deadline is March 1. This means that to have your file reviewed in the first awarding cycle, you must file your FAFSA by March 1. It does not mean that you will be unable to receive financial aid next year if you do not meet the deadline, but in order to receive the best possible aid, and to know at the earliest possible date (for planning purposes) what your offer will be, make sure that your FAFSA is filed by March 1.  Note that international students are not eligible to fill out the FAFSA.  Not all forms of MES financial aid require the FAFSA.

Funding for Military Veterans and Families

Evergreen's Office of Veteran's Affairs offers financial aid information for veterans and their families.  The college offers a 50% tuition waiver to eligible veterans and a 100% tuition waiver to eligible dependents of disabled/deceased veterans.  Spouses of military members may be eligible for resident tuition if not already a Washington resident. For information about federal veteran programs, please go to The Department of Veteran's Affairs.

Other Funding Sources

AmeriCorps Education Award

If you received an AmeriCorps Education Award, you can use that award to fund your studies at Evergreen.  You can also receive an award while you are a student by engaging in Students in Service, a part-time AmeriCorps program.

Employment

MES classes are in the evening, enabling students to find a full- or part-time job during the day.

Internships

We encourage all MES students to participate in at least one internship while in the program.  It is often the case that internships provide a stipend, and there are several available every year both on and off-campus for MES students.  You can also, depending on the internship, apply for an AmeriCorps Education Award through Students in Service.  Once you are a student in the program, you will be notified of open internships.

Related Information

• MES Estimated Costs
• Residency Requirements
• Appeal for More Financial Aid
• Loan Repayment Plans and Calculators
• Evergreen's Financial Aid Office
• Evergreen listing of financial aid resources