Master of Environmental Studies Cost and Aid

The WRGP allows master’s students from a Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) state or territory to enroll in graduate programs offered by public institutions in the west outside their home state or territory and pay reduced non-resident tuition. 

Academically qualified graduate students can receive reduced tuition for up to 4-years while pursuing a Master of Environmental Studies degree at The Evergreen State College. Qualified participants will pay a tuition rate that is no more than 150% of the operating and buildings fee portions of the tuition than the regular non-resident graduate tuition rate.

The WRGP tuition rate is roughly 35% less than regular non-resident graduate tuition. For example, non-resident tuition rates for the 2023-2024 academic year would be as follows:

• Regular Non-residents: $9,294 per quarter for 10-16 graduate credits, or $27,882 annually
• WRGP students: $6,201 per quarter for 10-16 graduate credits, or $18,603 annually

These figures do not include fees, room and board, supplies, or living expenses. 

WRGP tuition awards are available at the beginning of each academic year to new graduate applicants who demonstrate academic merit. Merit for new MES admitted students is determined by the strength of their admissions application for the academic year they intend to begin the program.

Non-resident enrollment into MES through the WRGP must be determined prior to an applicant’s enrollment as a graduate student. Once WRGP eligible non-residents have matriculated into MES as a regular non-resident, they are not eligible to apply for WRGP.

Prospective students interested in applying to the Master of Environmental Studies Program through the Western Regional Graduate Program’s reduced tuition rate, must apply for admission at evergreen.edu/mes/apply and submit all requirements.

If you are not from a WICHE state or territory, or don’t meet the merit requirements, MES’s  scholarships, fellowships, and tuition waivers are another great option to pursue to reduce the overall cost of attendance for your graduate degree. Please contact the Graduate Admissions Office with any questions.

Initial Eligibility

• WRGP tuition is available only to graduate applicants who are offered admission to the Master of Environmental Studies Program.
• Admission to MES can be deferred once, for up to one year. However, enrollment through WRGP cannot be deferred. If an applicant accepts the offer to attend MES through WRGP, the offer is only good for the academic year they have initially applied for and cannot be deferred to another academic year. The choice of an admitted student to defer admission, waives their acceptance of the WRGP offer and the MES Program has the option to then offer this tuition reduction opportunity to the next qualified admitted student. Contact the Graduate Admissions Office for information and instructions on how to defer enrollment.

Continued Eligibility, Keeping WRGP

You will receive WGRP tuition each quarter if you meet all of the following criteria:

• You are an admitted degree-seeking Evergreen student in the MES Program. 
• Enrolled for a minimum of 8 graduate credits per quarter.
• You meet the Master of Environmental Studies’ Academic Standing Requirements. 
• You meet the residency requirements detailed below.
• Should you take a Leave of Absence from MES for more than a year, you will need to re-apply for admission, and you will no longer be eligible for the WRGP tuition rate.

Time Limitations

• WRGP tuition rates are renewable for up to 90 attempted credits under the same policy and provisions as financial aid limitations.  
• WRGP must also be used within four years of a student’s first quarter of enrollment in MES. Four years is the maximum timeframe a student may take to complete the 72 quarter credit MES degree. 
• WRGP tuition does not apply to summer quarter enrollment.

Residency

• WRGP students are considered non-resident students and are not eligible for Washington State aid programs or scholarships limited to Washington residents.
• All graduate students and applicants are considered Independent Students regardless of their age; therefore, residency is based on the residency status of the student alone. Students receiving WRGP must continuously maintain legal residency in one of the 16 WRGP states or territories to receive a WRGP tuition award.
• WRGP tuition rates will end immediately upon the college determining a student no longer meets residency requirements. Once terminated, the WRGP cannot be re-established for the student.
• Time spent in Washington while receiving WRGP tuition cannot count as time towards establishing Washington State residency. 

Electing Not to Use WRGP Tuition

• Once a student chooses not to use WRGP, it cannot be reversed. 
• A student may elect not to use WRGP and pay the full non-resident rate. To do so, notify the Graduate Admissions Office in writing. 
• A student can elect not to use WRGP at any time during their enrollment at Evergreen, students may waive their eligibility if they would like to pursue the establishment of residency in Washington State during their time as a graduate student in MES.
• Once notified, the College will apply regular non-resident tuition rates to the upcoming quarter the student registers for. 

Study Abroad and Internships

• WRGP can be used for quarters that a student is studying abroad or engaged in an internship as long as their total quarterly credits add up to a minimum of 8 quarter graduate credits and Evergreen tuition is being paid.
• If a graduate student would like to pursue graduate credits at another institution or program to transfer the credits into MES and apply them towards their required 24 elective credits, WRGP tuition rates will not apply. 

Other Scholarships and Financial Aid

• All applicants are encouraged to file the FAFSA or WASFA to check qualification for need-based aid and apply for MES scholarships, fellowships, and tuition waivers. 
• You may be eligible to receive other forms of financial aid and scholarships, along with WRGP such as Unsubsidized Federal Direct Stafford Loans, The Evergreen Need Grant, and MES specific scholarships, fellowships, and tuition waivers.  However, your total amount of assistance cannot exceed your Cost of Attendance, as defined in your financial aid package.
• The WRGP can be combined with external funding resources such as AmeriCorps Education Stipends and Peace Corps Coverdell Fellowships.