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Seattle, Washington 98195-3770
Phone: 206.543.5900
Fax: 206.685.3234
Q: How do I apply to your Graduate School?
Q: What is your application fee and how do I pay?
Q: Am I an international applicant?
Q: What graduate programs and degrees are offered at UW?
Q: What are your application deadlines?
Q: What If I want to apply to more than one degree program?
Q. Where do I send my application materials?
Q. What application materials are required by the
Graduate School?
Q. What are the department requirements?
Q. Does my foreign degree qualify me to apply to your Graduate School?
Q. How long will Graduate Admissions keep my admission file?
Q. What should I do if I need to defer my application for one year?
Q. What is required when sending my international
transcripts?
Q. What if I attended a school in the US of Canada?
Q. Do you require TOEFL or any other English examination?
Q. Do you have concordance tables I can view?
Q. Do you required GRE test?
Q. Where can I get information about tuition and living costs to come to your school?
Q. Where can I find the the Graduate School's UW Statement of Financial Ability Form?
Q. What kind of documentation can I send with the UW Statement of Financial Ability Form?
Q. When do I complete the UW Statement of Financial Ability
Form?
Q. How am I notified of a decision on my application?
Q. What happens after I have received the formal letter of admission?
Q. How do I received an F-1/J-1 visa?
Q. Who sends me my graduate admission visa materials?
Q. What if I have been accepted by several U.S. schools?
Q. How do I transfer to the University of Washington Graduate School from another U.S. school?
Q. What if I decide to attend a summer program at University of Washington-Educational Outreach-(UWEO), before starting my graduate program in the fall term at the University of Washington?
Q. I have received my visa materials but I have a question. Whom can I contact?
Q: How do I apply to your Graduate School?
All graduate applications should now be submitted on-line. Apply on-line.
Q: What is your application fee and how do I pay?
The $75.00 online application fee may be paid by using a MasterCard or Visa card (both credit and debit cards are accepted), or electronic personal check (for those with U.S. bank accounts). The application fee cannot be waived or postponed.
Q: Am I an international applicant?
You are an international applicant if you are NOT U.S. citizen, immigrant or green card holder. 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, H-1, dependent visas or any other non-immigrant classifications.
Q: What graduate programs and degrees are offered at UW?
Q: What are your application deadlines?
Read departmental instructions carefully to determine department application deadlines. If you are an applicant living outside the U.S., you should complete application requirements before the deadline specified by the graduate program to ensure sufficient time for graduate admission review.
Q: What if I want to apply to more than one degree program?
You must complete and pay the $75.00 on-line application for each graduate program you wish to be considered for.
Q: Where do I send my application materials?
Follow department mailing instructions on the department checklist.
Q: What application materials are required by the Graduate School?
You are required to provide additional application materials when you receive notification that you have been recommended for admission by your graduate program.
Q: What are the department requirements?
Go to the on-line application to view the department requirements.
Q: Does my foreign degree qualify me to apply to your Graduate School?
The official assessment and academic preparation of international students must be done by the Graduate School. The evaluation of an overseas degree is based on the following:
Since there are no U.S. federal guidelines on admission, each institution determines its own policy on prior degrees.
At the University of Washington, you must have at least a baccalaureate degree equivalent to a regionally accredited U.S. institution to apply for admission to this Graduate School.
Q. How long will the Graduate School keep my admission file?
The Graduate School will keep your file for one academic year only. If you would like your admission file retained for another year, please email uwgrad@u.washington.edu immediately.
Q. What should I do if I need to defer my application for one year?
If you have been recommended for admission by your graduate program, you are allowed to defer your application once during the academic year. Contact your graduate program directly and have them send a petition via our admissions system to the Graduate School requesting the deferral.
Q: What is required when sending my international transcripts?
Send international transcripts with degree statement, including date of graduation and title of academic degree awarded. All coursework with grades issued for each year completed must be submitted for proper evaluation. All international records are considered official if they have been certified or attested and must be submitted in the original language accompanied by an official English translation. Translations must be literal, complete versions of original records, and the documents must be translated by a university, a government official, or an official translation service. You cannot do your own translation.
The Graduate School accepts the following documentation of international credentials and degree certificates:
In some circumstances, we will accept exact copies duly certified as such by the Registrar of a regionally accredited institution in the United States previously attended by the applicant. Such copies must be sent directly from the U.S. institution in a sealed envelope.
Q: What if I attended a school in the U.S. or Canada?
Ask the registrar to mail official transcripts in a sealed envelope to the Graduate School.
Q. Do you require TOEFL or any other English examination?
Proficiency in English is required for graduate study at the University of Washington. Therefore, every applicant whose native language is not English must demonstrate English proficiency. 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. When requesting official TOEFL scores from ETS, use institution code 4854 for the University of Washington.
Conditions of appointment for TA's who are not U.S. citizens
Applicants who intend to apply for a teaching assistantship or an appointment that does not specify whether duties are for teaching or research is required to meet three conditions of the TA appointment who are not native speakers of English.
See Graduate School Memo #15 for the University's policy.
Q: Do you have concordance tables that I can view?
English proficiency Score Comparison Tables for TOEFL, TSE and IELTS tests.
Q: Do you require GRE test?
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. When scheduling the test, refer to departmental application deadlines to allow adequate time for scores to arrive. When requesting official GRE scores from ETS, use institution code 4854 for the University of Washington.
Q. Where can I get information about tuition and living costs to come to your school?
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. You contact your graduate program to determine if there is departmental funding information related to the degree program.
Q. Where can I find the Graduate School's UW Statement of Financial Ability Form?
You will not be able to print this form until the graduate program makes its decision. When you receive notification that you have been recommended for admission by your graduate program, go to https://www.grad.washington.edu/applForAdmiss/ and login to your application. You will find a link to the UW Statement of Financial Ability Form at the bottom of your Graduate Application and Status Page.
Q. What kind of financial documentation can I send with the UW-Statement of Financial Ability Form?
Options to show your financial ability showing liquid or readily available funds sufficient to cover the first year's educational expenses include:
Your financial resource must be readily accessible funds. Faxes, internet or photo copies are not accepted. However, a bank statement printed from an on-line account must be stamped by the bank in order to be accepted as proof of funding. Stocks, bonds, income tax statements or proof of property ownership are not acceptable financial resources.
**For identity theft protection and security purposes, please DO NOT include social security numbers or financial account numbers, (example; bank or investment) on ANY financial verification that is submitted to this office.
Q. When do I complete the UW Statement of Financial Ability form?
After you receive notification that you have been recommended for admission by your graduate program, go to https://www.grad.washington.edu/applForAdmiss/ and login to your application. You will find a link to the UW Statement of Financial Ability Form on your Graduate Application and Status Page. Print this form, complete, and send to the address indicated on the form.
Q. How am I notified of a decision on my application?
All applicants will be notified either by postal mail or email of the admission decision. Graduate departments have varied timelines when a decision will be made. Contact your graduate program directly for further information.
If your graduate committee has recommended admission, they will relay their decision on to the Graduate School. If all admission requirements have been completed, a formal letter of admission with the Dean of the Graduate School's signature is sent in the postal mail.
Q. What happens after I've received the formal letter of admission?
In order to accept your offer and obtain visa materials, you must mail a $100.00 (U.S.) enrollment deposit to our UW-Registration Office. This request will be mailed to you in a separate mailing. Follow their payment instructions.
The Graduate School receives a daily report from the Registration Office for payment confirmation. The Graduate School sends your visa materials in 2-3 weeks after payment has been received.
Any inquires to the status of your student visa process should be sent to: gradvisa@u.washington.edu. Include your name and UW Student number in your e-message.
Q: How do I receive an F-1/J-1 visa?
Students living outside of the U.S. must obtain a passport from their home government and take student visa documents and supporting documentation to the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate to apply for F-1/J-1 student visa status.
Q. Who sends me my graduate admission visa materials?
The Graduate School sends your visa materials.
Q. What if I have been accepted by several U.S. schools?
If you have been accepted by several U.S. schools, DO NOT apply for your F-1 student visa until you decide which school you want to attend. Please only use the University of Washington Graduate School "I-20 Certificate of Eligibility Form" to apply for a visa and enter the U.S. if you are planning to attend our university.
Q. How do I transfer to the University of Washington Graduate School from another U.S. school?
If you decide to attend the University of Washington from another school in the U.S., you need to complete the "UW-Graduate School Transfer SEVIS Release Form". Send email request to: gradvisa@u.washington.edu (Include your UW-student number in the email message.)
This form will be completed by you and the International Student Advisor at the U.S. school you are currently attending with your intention to transfer to UW. Your adviser will update your SEVIS record, "releasing" you to study at the UW. Only your current school has access to your SEVIS record, therefore, the UW cannot issue your UW I-20 until after the "release date" has been entered into SEVIS by your current advisor. In most cases, the release date will be the last day of your term at your current school.
Q. What if I decide to attend a summer program at University of Washington-Professional Continuing Education (PCE), BEFORE starting my graduate program in the fall term at the University of Washington?
If you decide to attend summer program at PCE, contact the international student advisor at PCE to receive the initial I-20 to enter the U.S. When you have completed summer program, the international student advisor at PCE will help you with the transfer visa process (refer to the question above).
Q. I have received my visa materials but I have a question. Whom can I contact?
If you have a question when you receive your visa documents from the Graduate School, please send your question to: gradvisa@u.washington.edu. (Include your name and UW Student number.)