BA Geography at University of Washington

Programme overview

Geographers research and engage the world by asserting the importance of space, environment, context, location, place, and scale in relation to societies’ most pressing environmental and social concerns. We draw from interdisciplinary theories across the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences to consider how these concerns are mapped, represented, and understood in a changing world, and to offer theoretically informed and empirically based responses.

Faculty: College of Arts and Sciences | Department: Geography | Duration: 60 credits | Location: Seattle, WA, United States

What you will study

60 credits; Foundations (30 credits):; See departmental adviser for approved track courses.; GEOG 315; One methods course from the following: GEOG 317, GEOG 326, GEOG 425, GEOG 426, or faculty approved methods course; One Cities, Citizenship, and Migration Track course (5 credits); One Environment, Economy, and Sustainability Track course (5 credits); One Globalization, Health, and Development Track course (5 credits); One GIS, Mapping, and Society Track course (5 credits); Track (20 credits):

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Minimum 2.00 cumulative GPA. Completion of any GEOG-prefix course at 200-level or higher with a minimum grade of 2.0. Visit department website for instructions to declare the geography major.

Domestic applicants: USD 12,664 a year (2026-27). Resident rate. Seattle campus, full-time, Autumn+Winter+Spring quarters, rate band "Undergraduate" Undergraduate rate for tuition-based programs. Tuition only (operating + building fee); excludes technology fee, services & activities fee, IMA bond and fac Source

International applicants: USD 44,580 a year (2026-27). Non-Resident rate. Seattle campus, full-time, Autumn+Winter+Spring quarters, rate band "Undergraduate" Undergraduate rate for tuition-based programs. Tuition only (operating + building fee); excludes technology fee, services & activities fee, IMA bond and Source

First-year entry quarters: Autumn (begins late September), Winter (begins early January; not open to international first-year applicants), Summer (begins mid-June; most degree-seeking students apply for Autumn). Spring quarter is not open to first-year applicants.

Transfer entry: Autumn and Summer quarters; Spring quarter transfer admission is open only to applicants to specific departments in engineering and computer science.

First-year applications for Autumn (and Summer) open August 15 and close November 15; notification March 1-15. Winter applications open August 1 and close September 1, with notification in November and December. The UW does not offer early decision or early action. Apply through the Common App.

First-year application fee is $85 for U.S. students (fee waivers available) and $95 for international students (no fee waivers). Application requires a Common App essay and a self-reported academic record in STARS. SAT/ACT scores are not required for most applicants; homeschooled applicants and applicants from schools without letter or numeric grades must submit SAT or ACT scores. International applicants submit TOEFL or IELTS scores meeting the minimum English proficiency requirement.

Transfer applications for Autumn and Summer open December 15 and close February 28; notification May 1 to June 30. Transfer application fee is $85 (U.S., fee waivers available) or $95 (international, no fee waivers). SAT/ACT scores are not required for transfer applicants.

Apply through the official page: https://admit.washington.edu/apply/

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