Martin Honors Scholarship

The Martin Family Foundation Honors Scholarship Program enables Washington State Community College students of exceptional ability and outstanding achievement to complete their baccalaureate degrees at the University of Washington in Seattle. Martin Honors Scholars are encouraged to join departmental honors programs at UW, if available.

Applicants are considered for superior strength of character, intellectual ability, a sense of purpose, and leadership and service to the community. They are expected to have well-formulated ideas about the direction of future studies and subsequent careers. In addition, applicants should provide evidence of how a Martin Scholarship will encourage the pursuit of a program of education most likely to fulfill their potential. Financial need may be considered but is not a requirement.

The application will be open May through July 1, 2024 for students planning to transfer to UW Seattle in summer 2024, fall 2024, or winter 2025. Spring 2024 transfers and other current UW students who have previously transferred to UW Seattle may also be eligible to apply as long as they will not have earned more than 18 credits at UW by the July 1 deadline. Please see complete eligibility details below.

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must:

• Be Washington State residents who meet any one of the following three categories:
  1. US citizens, or
  2. US Permanent Residents, or
  3. Eligible for in-state tuition through HB 1079 qualification or DACA standards.
     • For additional information about HB 1079 or DACA standards qualification, please visit https://wsac.wa.gov/wasfa and please read about UW’s requirements at https://www.washington.edu/financialaid/hb-1079-real-hope/.
     • If you have any questions or concerns about meeting this requirement, please contact Robin Chang at robinc@uw.eduor 206-543-2603.
• Be currently attending or have attended a community college in the state of Washington.
• Have earned a minimum of 36 credits at a Washington State Community College by the time they matriculate at the University of Washington in Seattle. Students who hold an associate’s degree are encouraged to apply.
• Washington State community college transfer students who are currently enrolled at the University of Washington in Seattle may not have earned more than 18 UW credits by the application deadline.
• The award will depend on successful admission to University of Washington Seattle as a matriculated student. Unfortunately students planning to attend UW Bothell or UW Tacoma are not eligible to apply.
• The selection committees give no consideration to an applicant’s race, color, creed, religion, national origin, citizenship, sex, pregnancy, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, disability, or veteran status.

This scholarship is open to both transfer students who are not part of Running Start, and Running Start students, assuming all of the eligibility requirements are met.

Funding & Enrollment Requirements:

For students selected to receive the scholarship, and admitted to UW Seattle, the Martin Honors Scholarships provide $12,000/year for up to 3 years (most scholars graduate in 2 years, but a 3rd year of funding is available if needed). Scholars are expected to be enrolled full-time throughout the regular academic year (fall, winter and spring quarters).

• Learn about UW admission process and deadlines.
• Please note that receipt of the scholarship does not guarantee admission. Martin Honors Scholars must apply for admission through the normal process.
• Please also note that admission notification timelines vary. Many applicants will need to apply for the scholarship before receiving their admission decision from UW. You do not need to wait to receive your admission decision to apply for the scholarship. However, selection for the scholarship will be contingent on successful admission and matriculation at UW Seattle.

Application & Timeline:

The Martin Honors Scholarship application is available annually, May through July. The deadline to apply is generally in early July.

Please click here for additional information, application details, and to access the online application when it becomes available.

An internal UW selection committee will review all complete applications submitted by the deadline and invite a select number of semi-finalists to write an additional essay in late-July/early-August. The internal UW selection committee will review those additional essays and invite a small number of finalists to interview with the Martin Family Foundation Board in September, 2024. Final selection decisions will be made by the Martin Family Foundation Board after those interviews.

Interview details: 

• Interview date: TBD for September 2024, 9:30am to approx. 12:00pm
  • Alternative dates cannot be accommodated. The Martin Family Foundation Board will be as flexible as possible to ensure all finalists have the opportunity to interview within this timeframe. We also ask finalists to be as flexible as possible to plan for these short interviews and keep your schedule as open as possible during this timeframe.
  • Interviews will be conducted in-person at UW in Seattle. Zoom interview options can be made available for those for whom in-person attendance would be a barrier.
  • Exact interview times will be determined once finalists are identified. Each interview is roughly 15 minutes.

Contact Us:

If you have additional questions, please contact the Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships & Awards at the University of Washington: scholarq@uw.edu, 206-543-2603, 171 Mary Gates Hall.