University of Washington Freshman Admissions Requirements: A Comprehensive Guide

Embarking on your journey to become a Husky at the University of Washington (UW) involves understanding and fulfilling specific freshman admission requirements. This comprehensive guide provides a detailed overview of these requirements, encompassing academic preparation, application procedures, and other essential steps.

Essential Steps for Enrolling at the UW

Upon receiving an offer of admission from the UW, several mandatory actions must be completed to secure your enrollment. These include:

Completing Required Activities: You must complete all activities to enroll at the UW. If you get stuck at any point, don’t hesitate to ask for help.
Understanding the Offer Validity: The offer of admission is valid only for the quarter indicated on your offer letter. To enroll for a future quarter, submitting a new application and meeting all requirements and deadlines is necessary. Extenuating circumstances may be addressed by contacting the Office of Admissions.
Major Designation: At the time of admission, students are assigned a major or pre-major designation. You’ll find your assigned major in your offer letter and on MyUW.
On-Campus Living: More than 70% of first-year students choose on-campus living.
College Academic Distribution Requirements (CADRs): Review the College Academic Distribution Requirements (CADRs) - you can’t enroll until you’ve completed them.
Completing Mandatory Surveys and Courses: All incoming students are required to complete the e-Checkup survey and the Husky Prevention & Response student course.
I-20 and DS-2019 Forms: I-20s and DS-2019s for newly admitted undergraduate students are issued by the Office of Admissions.

Academic Preparation: CADRs and Beyond

A strong academic foundation is crucial for admission to the UW. All first-year applicants must satisfy minimum academic distribution requirements (CADRs), ensuring a broad appreciation for the liberal arts. These requirements, set by the Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC) and UW faculty, typically involve coursework completed during grades 9-12. College-level coursework can supplement any deficiencies in high school preparation.

Specific CADR Requirements

English: Four years of study are required.
Mathematics: Three years are required, including intermediate algebra, geometry, and either a third year of algebra or a course requiring at least the content of second-year algebra. Qualifying courses in intermediate algebra at Washington community colleges are listed as equivalent to MATH 098 in the University of Washington Equivalency Guide. Mathematics courses with intermediate algebra as a prerequisite: This includes any higher-level math courses such as elementary functions, calculus, and beyond.
Social Sciences: Three years of study are required in history or any of the social sciences (e.g., anthropology, contemporary world problems, economics, geography, government, political science, psychology, sociology).
Science: Three years are required, including two years of laboratory science (biology, chemistry, or physics). Some courses may fulfill more than one science requirement and if taken in the senior year, may also fulfill the senior year math-based quantitative requirement (any algebra-based science course).
World Languages: Two years of a single world language are required. Any natural language that has been formally studied may be used to satisfy this requirement, including American Sign Language (AMESLAN, the language of the deaf community) and languages no longer spoken, such as Latin and ancient Greek. Students who have never studied a world language will need to complete ten quarter credits (or six semester credits) of a single world language.
- A Level & AS Level [A/AS]: With a passing grade, the A Level world language exam will satisfy the world language requirement and award 15 transfer college credits. AS Level exams may also meet the requirement and award 7.5 credits with a passing grade, but this varies by language.
- Placement into the third quarter of a world language by a UW Placement Exam satisfies the world language requirement. For placement and proficiency testing information, visit the UW Undergraduate Advising page. If the Testing Center does not offer a test for a language, it may be possible to have proficiency level evaluated by a UW faculty member in a one-on-one test; contact the appropriate UW language department to inquire about this possibility.
Senior Year Math-Based Quantitative Course Work: One year of math-based quantitative course work is required in the senior year.
Fine Arts: One-half year or one trimester of study is required in the fine, visual or performing arts, to be chosen from art appreciation, band, ceramics, choir, dance, dramatics performance and production, drawing, fiber arts, graphic arts, metal design, music appreciation, music theory, orchestra, painting, photography, print making or sculpture. Two quarter credits (or two semester credits) satisfy the requirement, chosen from art, art history, cinema/filmmaking, dance, drama (except drama as literature), music or photography. One-half year of study is required.

Additional Academic Considerations

Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) Courses: The UW encourages and applauds participation in any of these programs. They are challenging and demanding, and we believe they provide excellent preparation for university study.
Homeschool Students: The UW welcomes applications from homeschool students.
Transcripts: Do not send transcripts until you receive a request from the Office of Admissions. Applicants who are admitted and who confirm their intention to enroll at the UW will be required to send final transcripts. At that time, we will verify that all admission requirements have been satisfied. Students currently enrolled in high school are required to submit an academic transcript for grades 9, 10, and 11 and to list the courses in progress. If you did not complete high school, you must submit a transcript for all years completed, including grade 9. Coursework completed before grade 9 or its equivalent will not be considered as having satisfied the CADRs.
Proof of English Language Proficiency: Proof of English language proficiency is required for all students who completed more than half (at least 7 years) of their primary and secondary education in schools a) where English was not the language of instruction and b) in countries outside the United States, Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand or the United Kingdom.

The Application Process

Applying to the UW as a freshman involves submitting a comprehensive application that showcases your academic achievements, extracurricular involvement, and personal qualities. The application deadline at University of Washington is Nov. 15.

Key Components of the Application

Application Form: Complete the online application form, providing accurate and thorough information.
High School Transcript and GPA: Submit your high school transcript, demonstrating a strong academic record. GPA a very important academic factor.
Essays: The entire application, including the essay and extracurricular activities, is important in the individualized review. We encourage you to use the application to share who you are and what is important to you.

Standardized Tests

The University of Washington Bothell no longer requires SAT or ACT scores.

SAT/ACT Scores: University of Washington hasn't explicitly named a policy on SAT/ACT requirements, but because it's published average SAT or ACT scores (we'll cover this next), it's likely test flexible. Typically, these schools say, "if you feel your SAT or ACT score represents you well as a student, submit them. Despite this policy, the truth is that most students still take the SAT or ACT, and most applicants to University of Washington will submit their scores. If you don't submit scores, you'll have one fewer dimension to show that you're worthy of being admitted, compared to other students. Many schools say they have no SAT score cutoff, but the truth is that there is a hidden SAT requirement.
SAT: Half the applicants admitted to University of Washington who submitted test scores have an SAT score between 1260 and 1510. The 25th percentile SAT score is 1280, and the 75th percentile SAT score is 1490.
ACT: Half the applicants admitted to University of Washington who submitted test scores have an ACT score of 30 and 34. The 25th percentile ACT score is 30, and the 75th percentile ACT score is 34. The average ACT score at University of Washington is 32.
SAT Essay/ACT Writing Section: University of Washington considers the SAT Essay/ACT Writing section optional and may not include it as part of their admissions consideration.

Holistic Review

The UW employs a holistic review process, considering various factors beyond academic metrics. This includes:

Academic Preparation and Achievement: Academic preparation and achievement are some of the most important factors when it comes to reviewing your application.
Personal Qualities and Experiences: What should we know about you that isn’t reflected in your grades and coursework? Where are you headed? What do you care about? We’re looking for students who will not only benefit from the academic and cultural opportunities available at the UW, but for students who will also contribute to our energy and diversity of experience.

Admission to the Foster School of Business

For students interested in pursuing business, admission to the Foster School of Business is capacity-constrained, making it a competitive process. Foster is consistently ranked as the best public business school in the Northwest.

Application Deadlines and Eligibility

Application Deadlines: We accept applications for autumn and winter quarters. Students admitted for the autumn quarter have the option to enroll for summer quarter.
- Foster Application Deadline Application Opens Enrollment Quarter April 5 February 16 Summer or autumn quarter October 5 September 1 Winter quarter. UW Admissions operates on a different timeline than Foster.
Eligibility Requirements: To be eligible to apply to the Foster School of Business, a student must, at the time of application, have:
- A total of at least 60 numerically graded college credits from UW and/or other accredited colleges and universities. (Examples of credits that are not numerically graded include AP, IB, and A-Level credits)
- A minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA for all college credits, including transfer credits. Because UW does not allow forgiveness for repeated courses, GPAs are recalculated with repeated courses included.
- A minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA for all of the following: all business course credits, including transfer credits all UW credits all UW business course (prefix courses include: ACCTG, BA, BCMU, MGMT, MKTG, QMETH, etc.) credits
- Take the Writing Skills Assessment (WSA) prior to the application deadline. Minimum score to have application considered: 3 Highest valid score is automatically paired to your application.
- Completed the required prerequisite courses.

Prerequisite Courses and Admission Criteria

Completion Deadlines for Prerequisite Courses: The chart below presents a quick picture of the courses required before application and, if admitted, those required before entering the program. Course numbers are for courses offered at UW Seattle, but equivalent courses will be considered. Pre-application courses must be completed and graded before the application deadline. (April 5 for autumn/summer or October 5 for winter.) Pre-admission courses can be in progress while you’re applying, but must be completed by the last day of spring quarter for autumn admission and by the last day of the autumn quarter for winter admission. This deadline applies to all courses regardless of format. Any online and/or self-paced courses must be completed by the end of the quarter in which you apply. The exact date of the deadline will be on the application you open. No exceptions will be made.
Pre-application courses: At least two (2) of your pre-application courses must have a numerical grade (4.0 scale). Other pre-application courses that were taken during an ECQ with S grades will not negatively affect an applicant’s admission to Foster.
Pre-admission courses: Pre-admission courses that were taken during an ECQ with S grades are acceptable for admission to Foster. Any pre-admission courses that are taken during an ECQ with S grades will not negatively affect an applicant’s admission to Foster.
Non-ECQ quarters: NS grades will not be sufficient for admission to Foster. S grades from non-ECQ quarters will not be accepted for pre-application, pre-admission or BA degree requirements.

Application Review Criteria for Foster School of Business

Index Scores: For all applicants, index scores are created from three admissions factors: Combined GPA, Pre-application GPA, and Writing Skills Assessment. These factors are standardized and assigned the following weights.
- Admissions Factors Percentage of Index Score Combined GPA 40% Pre-application GPA 25% Writing Skills Assessment 35%
Writing Skills Assessment (WSA): All standard admissions applicants to the Foster School must take the Writing Skills Assessment (WSA) administered through the Foster School. In the assessment session, students are given 90 minutes to plan and respond to two prompts. One prompt is based on a short workplace scenario (the persuasion task) and one is based on an assertion (the position task). The WSA must be completed prior to the application deadline and we only allow one assessment per cycle. A University of Washington NetID is required to register for the WSA.

Personal Statement for Foster School of Business

Your personal statement provides you the opportunity to discuss aspects of your life that may not be apparent in the rest of your application materials. You’ll have three boxes and space for 6,000 total characters, including spaces. A common misconception is that you must answer all three prompts. You are not required to answer all prompts; you may choose to focus on the prompts you have the most to talk about or you could choose to answer all three prompts. The most important thing to understand about the personal statement prompts is that they cannot hurt you in any way, they can only help. Prompt Tips: Be specific; when providing examples of when, how long, and what you learned/gained from your experience. Be concise, direct and truthful. Avoid broad statements such as “I’ve always wanted to attend the Foster School because I want a business degree.” It is a legitimate comment but does not tell us anything distinctive about you. When describing your experiences, don’t assume the reader has had your same experiences or shares your perspective. Keep in mind that what you write in the application is used for admission purposes only. Be thoughtful about your response. Give yourself ample time to write and rewrite your responses. Ensure you are properly using the word limit to effectively express what you are trying to convey. It is not necessary to have two spaces after each period, since extra spacing counts towards your allotted word count. Copying and pasting from a Word document can detract from your total word count. We recommend writing directly into the application itself, however it is wise to save a copy of each essay before hitting submit.

Essay 1: The Foster School’s goal is to admit students who are prepared to be academically successful. We understand that students sometimes face challenges in achieving their academic goals. Please describe any extenuating circumstances that have impacted your higher education experience. Please only address time periods in which you received college credit - this may include times in which you received college credit while in high school (i.e., dual enrollment, running start). This is your opportunity to explain why you didn’t do well in a particular class or over a particular period of time. Examples could include but are not limited to being a first generation student*, health issues, financial challenges, cultural barriers, and/or community resistance to education.
Essay 2: The Purpose of the Foster School is to develop leaders who strive to better humanity through business. How do you plan to leverage your experiences to advance Foster’s Purpose? Include how your own cultural awareness has shaped your desire to have an impact as a future business leader. Please focus on your own experiences and perspective.
Essay 3: Please describe any significant additional responsibilities you have had (or continue to have) outside the classroom. Explain what you learned about yourself as a result of the responsibilities. Please do not use examples from high school unless you have completed high school within the past 18 months or your responsibilities from high school continue today. Significant additional responsibilities might include, but are not limited to: employment, substantial volunteer roles, community engagement, student organization leadership, significant family responsibilities.

Transcripts for Foster School of Business

You must submit a separate unofficial transcript from each college-level institution; even if you took college-level courses in high school and/or the courses appear on your UW transcript. If you have had grade changes, they must be reflected on the transcripts you submit with your application. We will not accept grade changes after the application deadline. In order for transfer credits to be added to your UW record, you must also request official transcripts be sent to the Office of Admissions.

Required Format for All Transcripts: The online application will require that you submit PDF copies of your unofficial transcripts from all collegiate institutions you have attended. In most cases, the easiest way to access a PDF version is to print to PDF. In some cases, you may need to get hard copies and scan them as a PDF. This may take extra time. So again, don’t wait until the last minute. Transfer Students: Please wait to submit your transcripts until grades for winter (for April 5 deadline) or spring/ summer (for October 5 deadline) are posted, unless grades post after the deadline The following information must be on all transcripts: Full name of applicant (former names are acceptable if indicated on application) Name of degree-granting institution Dates of enrollment Names of individual courses Grades, marks, or ratings of individual courses International transcripts must include official English translations Both marks sheets and degree statements are required, if applicable Please note: While official transcripts sent directly from institutions to the Office of Admission are required for the general admissions application, unofficial copies are still required for the Foster application.

Degree Plan for Foster School of Business

Applicants who have over 150 quarter credits, are planning to pursue a double degree, or Certificate of International Studies in Business (CISB) are required to submit a degree plan along with the application. The degree plan the degree planning sheet is a fillable PDF available to download below. Once completed, you will upload the degree plan directly to your application. For those planning on a double degree, you must have your degree plan signed by the departmental adviser in the second major. The signature from the Foster School of Business adviser is not requir…

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Understanding Your Chances of Admission

The University of Washington has an acceptance rate of 42.5%. This makes the university moderately selective.

Key Factors Influencing Admission Decisions

GPA: requires you to be near the top of your class, and well above average. Your transcript should show mostly A's. If you're currently a junior or senior, your GPA is hard to change in time for college applications. If your GPA is at or below the school average of 3.8, you'll need a higher SAT or ACT score to compensate.
SAT/ACT Scores: Scoring a 1490 SAT or a 34 ACT or above will nearly guarantee you admission. If you can achieve a high SAT/ACT score, the rest of your application essentially doesn't matter.

Additional Information

Information Sessions: A counselor will present a 30-minute group session on standard admission and then be available for questions. This session covers all aspects of the undergraduate program in the Foster School, primarily focusing on admission to the program and the various specializations within the degree. September 4th, 3-4 PM (PST) on Zoom September 18th, 3-4 PM (PST) on Zoom October 2nd, 3-4 PM (PST) at Founders Hall, room 590 October 23rd, 3-4 PM (PST) on Zoom November 6th, 3-4 PM (PST) at Founders Hall, room 590 November 20th, 3-4 PM (PST) on Zoom December 4th, 3-4 PM (PST) at Founders Hall, room 590
University of Washington Admissions Statsapplication deadlineNov.
University of Washington Admissions RequirementsAdmission interviewNeither required/recommendedRequired Standardized TestsNot considered for admissionSAT/ACT Scores Must Be Received ByN/AUniversity of Washington ApplicationsApplication DeadlineNov.
**Admission decisions are made only after all first-year applications have been reviewed. *Winter quarter is not open to international first-year applicants. *Most degree-seeking students apply for autumn quarter. If you wish to apply for summer quarter as a degree-seeking student please consult an admissions counselor.*

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