- Large public research university
- Regarded as a “Public Ivy”
- 46,000 students with around 30,000 undergraduates
- Founded in 1861 – one of the oldest universities on the West Coast
- U-Dub has one of the largest library systems in the world
- Well known for its medical, engineering and scientific research
- Deep ties and collaborations with a number of tech giants – Amazon, Boeing, Nintendo, Microsoft.
- Around 15% international
- 94% retention rate
- 82% graduation rate
- 56% acceptance rate
- 21:1 student to faculty ratio
Location
- Big city, but college town experience
- 3 campuses – Seattle, Bothell, Tacoma
- Seattle campus has a beautiful quad that in springtime is filled with cherry blossoms
- Many red brick buildings, spacious grassy areas and a massive central fountain
- Seattle is known for being wet, windy and overcast weather-wise. Winters can be tough if you are not used to cold weather.
- UPass gives students free public transport
- Great food scene with fantastic farmer’s markets
- Lots of music venues and arts and culture
- Close proximity to outdoor activities – there are three national parks with an hour for hiking
Academic
- 140 departments
- 222 majors
- Rigorous academically
- 3 different pathways to enter a major: Open / Minimum Requirements / Capacity Constrained
- Open majors are available to you when you are admitted and anytime after
- Minimum requirement majors have additional admission requirements. If you meet these, you can be admitted without any further screening.
- Capacity constrained majors have additional requirements and selective screening – may include an additional application process and you are not guaranteed entry. You can apply once you are admitted as a freshman, with the exception of Computer Science and Engineering – these should be listed as your first choice major.
- CS and Engineering are extremely popular and most students will be admitted directly as freshmen. You will not be considered if you list either of these subjects as your 2nd choice major. It is unlikely you will be admitted if you don’t get in as a freshman.
- Very highly ranked for nursing and oceanography, and a highly ranked undergraduate entrepreneurship programme
- Interdisciplinary Honours Programme – separate application, but students must apply at the time of regular application. Get to take a really cool range of classes and make a diverse range of friends – as well as being challenged academically.
- Classes do tend to be pretty large – though there are some smaller classes with around 30 students
- Over 9,000 students take part in research
- $1.62 billion in research funding each year and the majority of faculty are doing research
- Around 58% of students graduate with internship experience
- 600+ study abroad opportunities in 75 countries
Application
- Apply using Applyweb or Common App
- Freshman autumn admission opens 1st September each year
- No Early Decision or Early Action
- Deadline is 16th November
- Decisions are released 1-15 March
- Decision to confirm acceptance – 1st May
- Holistic review = academic performance + personal achievements and characteristics
- Courses + grades are a key driver in admission. The HS curriculum is very important.
- Academics – looking for a strong level of achievement, positive grade trend, rigorous senior year, GPA in school context (3.75-3.92 GPA range)
- Personal – looking for community involvement/leadership/service, significant responsibility outside the classroom (eg. jobs, caring for siblings), significant personal adversity, economic disadvantage, cultural awareness or unique perspectives, depth of engagement over breadth
- U-W essay is required – they do not consider the Common App essay. These essays are very important and given a lot of consideration by admissions staff.
Applicants complete 650 word essay to a given prompt + one 300 word short response + optional 200 words additional information - SAT and ACT test scores are not required for most students – required for homeschooled students. Test scores have rarely made a significant difference in admission decisions, even before Covid.
- SAT range 1220-1470
- ACT range 29-34
- International students may require English proficiency – IELTS, TOEFL or Duolingo are accepted
- International application fee is $90
- No interviews
- Demonstrated interest is not considered
- No letters of recommendation or other supplementary materials
- Students are admitted based on residence – international students are not competing with domestic
Finances
- Cost of attendance for non-residents around $57,480 (tuition $39,906 2021/22)
- Purple and Gold Scholarship for US residents who are not residents of the state of Washington – automatic consideration, amounts vary but valid for 4 years, only for the Seattle campus
- Not huge amounts of financial aid available for international students
Accommodation
- Wide range of options for everyone – residence halls, apartments, studios, Greek halls
- On and off campus housing can be quite expensive
- Maple Hall residence has a Maker’s Space for students to work on their creative projects – textiles, 3D printing, digital, metalwork. Open to all UDub students.
Activities
- 1,000+ student clubs
- Students are called ‘Huskies’
- NCAA Div 1 sports – massive sports culture at the university, and in Seattle as a whole
- Husky Stadium holds over 60,000 and students get free tickets to home games
- Does have a reputation as a ‘party’ school – significant Greek life
- Sail-gating tradition on the water
Other
- U-Dub is known for having great health and wellbeing services – medical and counselling
- Top employers -Boeing, UW Medicine, Google, Nordstrom, Starbucks, Intel, Microsoft, Amazon, T-Mobile
- Suzzallo Library is stunning – and massive! Over 2 million books. It’s a very inspiring place to study.
- A large and very diverse student body
- Students need to be willing to get involved in activities. U-Dub is a big campus and can feel overwhelming, but if you are someone who is happy to go and seek out opportunities you will find your place and meet people.
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