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Graduate Admission Information

Contents:

Student Status Options

The Graduate School accepts applications for the following 3 types of students. It is important to understand the distinctions between the categories.

• A Graduate student is working toward a master's or doctoral degree or earning a school administrator's certificate credential. Students must be admitted to this status in order to earn a degree. Apply on-line.
• A Visiting Graduate student plans to transfer a limited number of graduate credits to another institution where he or she is actively pursuing a graduate degree.
• A Graduate Nonmatriculated student (GNM) is not presently seeking a degree but may apply a maximum of 12 graduate level credits toward degree requirements should he or she be accepted into a graduate program. It is important to note that acceptance as a GNM student does not imply admission to a graduate degree program.  GNM status is not available to persons holding a F-1, F2 or Visitors visas or expecting this office to issue the application for a F-1 student visa.

Admission Requirements

Admission to the University of Washington is necessarily a selective process. Prospective students will ordinarily meet the following minimum requirements

• Hold a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university in the U.S. or its equivalent from a foreign institution.
• Have earned at least a 3.0 or B grade-point-average in the most recent 2 years of study.

Required Tests

Most but not all graduate programs require a submission of the general GRE scores.  Please check departmental requirements carefully to determine what, if any, test scores are required.  If you have earned a doctoral level degree from an accredited institution in the United States, you may be exempt from the GRE requirement. 

The GRE is now offered only in a computerized format in the U.S. Registration forms or previous score reports may be requested from the Educational Testing Service, Princeton, NJ 08541-6000, telephone 1-800-537-3160 or by email at gre-info@ets.org.  There is also a GRE website at http://www.gre.org.  When scheduling the test, refer to departmental application deadlines to allow adequate time for scores to arrive. 

English Language Proficiency

A satisfactory command of the English language is required for admission to the University of Washington Graduate School.  Applicants, including international applicants, permanent residents, immigrants and transfer students, who are not citizens of the United States on the date of admission, and whose native language is other than English, must meet this requirement.  No waivers of this English proficiency requirement may be given. See Graduate School Memo #8  and English proficiency tests comparison tables for the University's policy.

Test of Spoken English (TSE)

Those who intend to apply for teaching assistantships must also take the TSE. Registration forms or previous score reports less than two years old from the test date may be requested from the Educational Testing Service, Princeton, NJ 08541; telephone (609) 771-7100 or email at toefl@ets.org. See Graduate School Memo #15 for the University's policy.

When to apply

Most graduate programs begin Summer or Autumn Quarters.  Please read departmental instructions carefully to determine application deadlines.

Due to the time required for processing international applications, applicants applying for Summer or Autumn Quarters are strongly encouraged to submit the application and transcripts to the Office of Graduate Admissions by November 1.   Applications received after this date will be processed as soon as possible but significant delays may result.

How to apply

All graduate applications should now be submitted on-line. 

GNM status is not available to persons holding a F-1, F2 or Visitors visas or expecting this office to issue the application for a F-1 student visa.

The online application fee for both Graduate and Visiting Graduate students is $50.  There is no fee for Graduate Nonmatriculated applications to the Seattle campus.  The fee for GNM applications to Bothell or Tacoma is $50.

International Applicants

International students must have a visa status that allows academic study at the University of Washington.  International applicants include students who hold U.S. visas, such as F-1, J-1 Exchange Visitors, H1-B, any dependent visas or any other non-immigrant classifications.  (You are not an international applicant if you hold a U.S. "Green Card or Immigrant" status.)

International applicants are required to provide additional application materials and information when they apply to the University of Washington Graduate School.  When you have submitted an on-line Graduate School Application and paid the application fee, you will see a detailed check list of requirements.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security-(DHS), and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-(ICE), mandate all schools, including the University of Washington verify certification of adequate financial support from each international applicant without resorting to unauthorized employment.

Graduate appointments awarded by degree programs are considered authorized employment. Some graduate programs offer financial support in the form of a research or teaching appointment. These appointments may not satisfy the entire financial responsibility requirement and you may need to seek supplemental funding. Supplemental funds may come from any dependable source, including scholarships, sponsoring agencies, personal or family funds. (When you choose a program of study in step 9 in the PEP process, you will find departmental funding information related to the degree program.)

Options to show your financial ability showing readily available funds sufficient to cover the first year's educational expenses include:  Original Bank Statement on original letterhead stationary stating you have sufficient funds in your own account.  Original Statement of Support and Bank Statement on original bank letterhead stationary stating funds made available to your sponsor such as a family member, friend, company or government agency.

For the calendar year 2008-09, the total cost of living expenses, tuition and other campus fees is US $53,194.00. If not attending summer quarter, the cost is $40,257.00.  The following expenses are subject to change without notice and the student should be prepared for any adjustments:

Dependent Information: Estimated costs include living expenses and health insurance costs: Spouse: US $14,160.00 per year (each) Child: US $ 6,680.00 per year.