University in United States
Seattle, WA, United States
University profile
The University of Washington (UW) is a public research university founded in 1861 and based in Seattle, Washington. It has three campuses, in Seattle, Bothell and Tacoma, together with UW Medicine, and teaches more than 60,000 students each year.
The Seattle campus covers about 700 acres, offers more than 180 undergraduate majors and has over 33,000 undergraduate students. UW Bothell is a campus of about 6,000 students with five schools and more than 50 undergraduate and master's programs. UW Tacoma sits in downtown Tacoma and offers 40 undergraduate degree programs and 25 minors and certificates. The Graduate School runs more than 370 graduate programs across the campuses and online.
Teaching is organised in colleges and schools: the College of Arts & Sciences (including the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies), College of Built Environments, Michael G. Foster School of Business, College of Education, College of Engineering (which includes the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering), College of the Environment, the Information School, Daniel J. Evans School of Public Policy & Governance, and the professional schools of Dentistry, Law, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Public Health and Social Work.
The UW reports more than 280 research centres on the Seattle campus, eight Nobel Prize winners, and more federal research funding than any other U.S. public university. Undergraduates can take part in research through the Undergraduate Research Program.
Student life includes over a thousand student clubs, recreational and varsity sport, and Division I athletics in the Big Ten Conference, with the Huskies playing at Husky Stadium. Housing & Food Services runs residence halls and apartment-style buildings for undergraduates and apartments for graduate and professional students, including couples and families. About 50 fraternity and sorority houses also house students. Arts venues on campus include the Henry Art Gallery, the Jacob Lawrence Gallery, the Burke Museum and Meany Hall.
International students apply as non-resident students: first-year applicants submit English proficiency scores, and graduate applicants are admitted on the same requirements as all other applicants, with an I-20 or DS-2019 issued after admission and acceptance of the offer.
The Financial Aid Scholarship Services Office awards several hundred scholarships each year to undergraduate Washington residents with academic achievement and financial need. Students must be admitted for autumn quarter and file the FAFSA or WASFA by the February 1 priority date; no separate application is needed.
Graduate funding is through assistantships (tuition reimbursement for paid academic work) and fellowships.
Husky Promise guarantees Washington residents that finances will not stop them from earning a UW degree. See scholarships and cost of attendance.
Browse the scholarships listed for University of Washington and check each award’s eligibility.
View scholarships for University of Washington →Applications are made through the Common App, including the personal essay (650-word maximum, seven prompts). First-year autumn applications open August 15 with a deadline of November 15 and decisions released March 1-15. Winter quarter opens August 1 with a September 1 deadline (not open to international first-years); summer quarter opens September 1 with a November 15 deadline. The UW does not offer early decision or early action.
All first-years must meet College Academic Distribution Requirements: 4 credits of English, 3 mathematics, 3 social sciences, 2 world languages, 3 science (including 2 lab science), 1 senior-year math-based quantitative course, 0.5 fine, visual or performing arts and 0.5 academic elective. Courses and grades are self-reported through the STARS system; transcripts are not requested at application. The middle 50% of admitted students for autumn 2025 had a high school GPA of 3.75-3.98 on a 4.0 scale. SAT and ACT scores are not required for most applicants (homeschooled applicants and those from schools without letter or numeric grades must submit them). AP, IB and A Level/AS Level exams are accepted for credit. No interviews or letters of recommendation are considered.
Autumn transfer applications open December 15 and close February 15, with notification May 1 - June 30. Winter transfer applications (U.S. applicants only) close September 1; spring is limited to specific engineering and computer science departments. Applicants need the same distribution coursework unless they hold 40 or more transferable quarter credits.
International first-year applicants submit an official TOEFL iBT (minimum 76 on the 120-point scale, or 4.0 on the scale effective January 21, 2026), IELTS (6.0) or Duolingo English Test (110). Exams must be taken by December 31 of the application year and scores sent directly to the UW (TOEFL code 4854). Applicants educated in Australia, Canada (English-speaking provinces), the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand or the U.S. are exempt. An SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score of 580 or ACT English score of 22, with an average grade of B in English courses, can also meet the requirement. Applicants from schools outside the U.S. with a national curriculum upload an unofficial transcript for grades 9 and above, with English translations where needed.
$85 for U.S. first-year and transfer applicants (waivers available); $95 for international applicants (waivers not available).
Graduate admission is decentralised: programs set their own requirements, deadlines and materials, and the Graduate School sets minimums. Applicants need a four-year bachelor's degree (or equivalent from an accredited foreign institution, or a Bologna bachelor's with at least 180 ECTS credits) and at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA on a 4-point scale or in the last 90 graded quarter credits or 60 semester credits; programs may petition to admit below 3.0. Non-native English speakers need TOEFL iBT (4.0 on the new scale, or 80 on the previous scale), TOEFL MyBest 80, Duolingo 110 or IELTS 6.5 at minimum, with 4.5 / 92 / 125 / 7.0 recommended; some programs require more and there is no conditional admission. Admitted international students on F-1 or J-1 visas show proof of funds for the first year to receive an I-20 or DS-2019, using bank statements, certificates of deposit, sponsorship letters or funding letters dated within the last six months.
Housing & Food Services provides residence halls, apartment-style housing, dining plans, fitness centres, makerspaces and community spaces for residents; graduate apartments offer 12-month agreements.
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