Bachelor of Science

Students applying to enter the UW as freshmen

Freshman applicants who meet UW admissions criteria and who list an engineering department (or engineering undeclared) as their first-choice major on their application will automatically be considered for Direct to College (DTC) admission.

If admitted to DTC, you will enter the UW as an Engineering Undeclared (ENGRUD) student and will have the opportunity to explore many engineering disciplines before requesting placement in an engineering major after your freshman year. Admission to DTC is only available in autumn quarter.

Are you a running start student? Learn more.

Engineering Undeclared (ENGRUD) students

As an Engineering Undeclared student, your first year will include engineering foundational coursework such as math and science, as well as UW general education courses. At the end of your freshman year, you will request placement into an engineering major. The requirements to request placement in the UW ECE program are as follows:

• Grade of 2.0 or higher in each prerequisite course
• Minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA in courses used to satisfy placement requirements
• Completed the following prerequisite courses or equivalent prior to July 1, the deadline for requesting placement:
  • • E-FIG (ENGR 101 and GEN ST 199) — 2 credits
    • MATH 124, 125, 126 (or MATH 134, MATH 135, MATH 136)— 15 credits
    • CHEM 142 (or CHEM 143 or CHEM 145) — 5 credits
    • PHYS 121 — 5 credits
    • ENGL 131 or other composition course — 5 credits
    • One course from the following list: AMATH 301, BIOEN 215, CHEM 152, CHEM 153, CHEM 155, CHEM 162, CHEM 165, CSE 121, CSE 122, CSE 123, CSE 142, CSE 160, ENGR 115, ME 123, MSE 170, PHYS 122, PHYS 123, STAT 220
      • *Recommended from list for ECE: CSE 121, CSE 122, CSE 123, CSE 142, or PHYS 122

If you meet placement requirements, and list six majors in your placement request, you are guaranteed to be placed into one of the engineering majors that you selected. However, you may or may not be placed in your first choice major. Some majors may receive more placement requests than they can accommodate. Learn more about the placement process.

Current UW students in majors other than Engineering Undeclared

As of autumn 2024, the ECE degree will be the only undergraduate option for students seeking admission to the ECE department.

• Please note that the autumn 2023 admission cycle was the FINAL admission cycle to apply for the Electrical Engineering major.
• Be sure to confirm you have met the prerequisites for the major.

This is the only admission point to the BSECE program for current UW students admitted to a major other than through the Direct to College pathway. Please be aware that this is a capacity-constrained admission pathway. Completing the admissions requirements does not guarantee admission, and we may not be able to offer admission to all applicants who meet the minimum prerequisites.

Current UW students who complete the prerequisites outlined below can apply for admission to UW ECE.

* As of autumn 2021, MATH 307 is renumbered as MATH 207. Students can apply either the 200- or 300-level number toward the pre-enrollment requirement.

Students are notified via email of their admission status approximately one month following the application deadline. 

The Admissions Committee will evaluate qualifications based on submitted materials which include an essay and ALL transcripts for ALL colleges attended. Due to the large number of applicants, we cannot include personal interviews as part of the selection process.

For students at a college or university other than UW

As of autumn 2024, the ECE degree will be the only undergraduate option for students seeking admission to the ECE department.

• Please note that the autumn 2023 admission cycle was the FINAL admission cycle to apply for the Electrical Engineering major.
• Be sure to confirm you have met the prerequisites for the major.

To be eligible to apply, transfer students must meet the admission requirements as laid out below. You are strongly encouraged to email UW ECE Advising as soon as possible to make sure credits transfer and that you have completed the prerequisite courses before applying.

Completing the admissions requirements does not guarantee admission, and we may not be able to offer admission to all applicants who meet the minimum prerequisites.

Transferring into UW ECE involves two separate admissions processes. You must complete both by the deadlines below to be considered. Note that the deadline for the UW is significantly earlier than for UW ECE.

* As of autumn 2021, MATH 307 is renumbered as MATH 207. Students can apply either the 200- or 300-level number toward the pre-enrollment requirement.

Students are notified via email of their admission status approximately one month following the application deadline. 

The Admissions Committee will evaluate qualifications based on submitted materials which include an essay and ALL transcripts for ALL colleges attended. Due to the large number of applicants, we cannot include personal interviews as part of the selection process.

We recommend that transfer students attend a Transfer Thursday session hosted by the UW.