Anonymous $50M Gift to UW Will Cover Clinical Tuition for Medical Laboratory Students and Fund Program Growth

11:34 PM, 12/02/2025

An anonymous $50 million donation to the University of Washington will pay senior-year clinical-rotation tuition for all undergraduates in the Medical Laboratory Science Program and support expansion to 100 students over the next 10 years. Program leaders called the gift "transformative," and students said it relieves financial strain during demanding 40-hour weekly rotations. The move also targets a regional shortage of medical laboratory professionals across the WWAMI states, while more than 4 billion lab tests are performed annually nationwide.

An anonymous donor has pledged an estimated $50 million to the University of Washington to cover senior-year clinical-rotation tuition for every undergraduate in the Medical Laboratory Science Program. The gift will pay students' clinical placement costs and support a planned expansion of the program over the next decade.

Transformative support for students and workforce development

"We are deeply grateful to the donor whose transformative generosity is making this and our program’s growth possible," said Dr. Geoffrey S. Baird, professor and chair of the Department at the UW School of Medicine. The funding will make clinical rotations financially accessible for all current and future undergraduates in the program.

Currently the program enrolls 70 students, with 35 already engaged in their senior-year clinical rotations. The gift will help the program expand to 100 students over the next 10 years, increasing the pipeline of trained medical laboratory professionals for hospitals, clinics and public health agencies throughout the WWAMI region (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho).

What graduates do

Graduates of the Medical Laboratory Science Program perform patient laboratory testing, support public health laboratories, conduct research in academic and commercial settings, and teach at colleges and universities. Their work supports the more than 4 billion medical laboratory tests performed each year across the United States, a figure reported by the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science.

Student perspective

"I was shocked at first, and it took a second for me to process that they are going to pay our tuition. And then I felt a lot of relief," said Jasmine Wertz, a senior in the program. "Our schedule is very demanding, especially when we start clinical rotations for 40 hours a week. It's very hard to find time between studying and doing rotations to be able to hold a job."

Regional needs and capacity

Washington state and the broader WWAMI region face a growing shortage of medical laboratory specialists. Expanding this program aims to address that workforce gap at a time when demand for qualified laboratory professionals continues to rise. At present, only two programs in Washington state offer baccalaureate-level medical laboratory science degrees, making this expansion particularly significant for local and regional staffing needs.

This donation removes a major financial barrier for students completing essential hands-on clinical training and strengthens the future laboratory workforce.