A transformative anonymous donation exceeding $50 million will cover tuition costs for medical laboratory science students at the University of Washington over the next 50 years, university officials announced this week.
Dr. Tim Dellit, dean of UW's School of Medicine, surprised approximately 30 undergraduate students Monday with news that each will receive two quarters of tuition coverage during their senior-year clinical rotations—representing $8,000 to $10,000 per student.
The gift addresses a critical financial barrier for students training to perform clinical laboratory tests on patient samples used to diagnose, treat and prevent disease. The demanding nature of clinical rotations makes maintaining part-time employment nearly impossible for students during this crucial training period.
The donation will also enable program expansion from 70 to 100 students over the next decade, addressing workforce shortages in medical laboratory services across Washington state. An aging workforce and increasing demand have created what UW Medicine describes as an "urgent need to grow the pipeline of highly skilled clinical laboratory professionals."
The UW gift joins a growing trend of major donations eliminating tuition barriers in medical education. Last year, Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York received a $1 billion donation from Ruth Gottesman, former professor and widow of a Wall Street investor, making tuition free. Bloomberg Philanthropies provided a $1 billion gift that eliminated tuition for most medical students at Johns Hopkins University.
In September, Marshall University President Brad Smith and his wife Alys Smith announced a $50 million gift to promote debt elimination for West Virginia students from families earning $65,000 or less.
