


UW is institutionally accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). Institutional accreditation evaluates the university as a whole, including its educational operations and processes for maintaining academic quality.
Some professional programs have additional, field-specific accreditation; applicants to fields such as nursing, engineering, business, or health care should check the status of the particular program and degree they intend to enter. Institutional accreditation is relevant to federal financial aid eligibility and is often considered when other institutions review transfer credit. It does not, by itself, guarantee that another college will accept a course or that a degree meets a professional licensing board's requirements.
UW Seattle uses selective, rather than open, admission for first-year applicants. Applicants submit the university's first-year application, academic history, and required writing responses, and must meet its college academic distribution requirements. UW reports a 39% admit rate for the entering class represented in its 2024-25 admissions figures: it admitted 27,076 of 69,166 applicants.
UW's required high school preparation covers subjects including English, mathematics, science, social studies, world language, and arts. The university reviews academic work in context rather than publishing one GPA that guarantees admission. SAT and ACT scores are not used for general admission review; applicants should not infer from historical score-submission figures that testing is required. Recommendation letters and class rank are not standard first-year requirements. Applicants whose education does not meet UW's English-proficiency exemption rules may need qualifying English-language evidence. The first-year application has an autumn deadline, not rolling admission, and major-specific routes can impose additional conditions. Students with a GED or other nontraditional schooling should consult UW's applicant-category guidance rather than assume a conventional diploma is the only route.
The reported undergraduate application fee for UW Seattle is $80 in the 2024-25 institutional figures. An application fee is a charge for submitting an application, not a tuition payment or an enrollment deposit.
UW provides application-fee waivers for eligible applicants with financial need. The request is made through the application process, so applicants should establish eligibility and select the appropriate waiver option before submitting and paying. Fees and waiver procedures can differ for international, transfer, graduate, and professional applicants; those students should use the instructions for their own application rather than assume the first-year undergraduate amount applies.
UW Seattle has on-campus Army, Navy, and Air Force ROTC opportunities. These programs combine university coursework with military leadership training and have branch-specific enrollment and commissioning rules.
Students can explore an ROTC program without assuming that participation automatically brings a scholarship. Scholarship eligibility, medical and fitness standards, citizenship requirements, and any later service obligation depend on the branch and the student's status. An applicant comparing ROTC with a civilian degree path should review the relevant detachment's requirements and the terms of any scholarship before committing.
UW Seattle accepts transfer applicants who have completed college-level work after high school. Transfer admission and transfer-credit acceptance are separate decisions: a course may receive credit without meeting a particular major requirement.
Applicants submit a transfer application and transcripts from every college attended. UW considers the amount and quality of transferable coursework, preparation for the intended major, and other application materials; students with relatively little college coursework may also need high school records. UW generally accepts eligible work from accredited colleges, but equivalencies, credit limits, and degree applicability require review. Washington community-college students can use UW's published transfer-planning resources, while applicants to capacity-constrained majors should check prerequisites and any separate application. Entry-term availability and deadlines vary by program, so the existence of winter, spring, or summer transfer entry should not be taken to mean every major accepts students in every term. An official credit evaluation follows the university's admissions and records procedures, not an informal estimate from a course list.
UW students can pursue international study through university-administered programs, exchanges, and approved partner options. Formats include short-term experiences as well as longer study periods, depending on destination and academic field.
Before applying, students should determine how a proposed course will satisfy major, general-education, or elective requirements. Program approval and credit arrangements are especially important for tightly sequenced majors. UW study-abroad advising can help students compare programs, application dates, costs, and scholarship possibilities. Financial aid may be usable for eligible programs, but its treatment depends on the program and the student's aid package; approval for study abroad is not a promise that every expense will be covered.
27% of admitted students enrolled (7,196 of 27,076)
Regular application deadline
November 15Application fee
$80Early Decision
NoEarly Action
NoPercent of students submitting ACT scores
4.89%Percent of students submitting SAT scores
19.12%High school completions
High school diploma or equivalent is not requiredComputer required
NoComputer purchase/lease plan is available in the institution
YesSecondary school GPA
RequiredSecondary school rank
Neither required nor recommendedSecondary school record
RequiredCompletion of college-preparatory program
RequiredRecommendations
Neither required nor recommendedFormal demonstration of competencies
Neither required nor recommendedAdmission test scores
Neither required nor recommendedTOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language
RequiredOther Test (Wonderlic, WISC-III, etc.)
Neither required nor recommendedOpen admission policy
NoDual credit
NoCredit for life experiences
NoAdvanced placement (AP) credits
YesOrientation program
YesDisabilities services
YesOff-campus study
YesROTC-Army
ROTC branch unit on campusROTC-Navy
ROTC branch unit on campusROTC-Air Force
ROTC branch unit on campusStudy abroad
YesStudent can complete their preparation in certain areas of specialization
YesPreparation at another institution required
NoApproved by the state for initial certification or licensure of teacher
YesAccept ACE recommendation for credit
YesPossible transfer
Fall, Winter, Spring, SummerData last updated on November 2, 2026
Data sources: IPEDS 2024-25, Peterson 2026, College Scorecard 10/2026, Clery 2024 (2023-24), OpenAlex 2026
Figures on this profile come from federal and third-party datasets in the editions listed above and are refreshed periodically, so they may differ from what the institution currently reports. Confirm costs, deadlines and requirements with the school before making decisions.