Thank you for your interest in Electrical and Computer Engineering. There are many pathways for admission into the UW Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (BSEE) program. Use the information and pathways below to help you better understand the process and plan your application.
If you have questions, contact the UW ECE Advising Office at undergrad@ece.uw.edu.
Applicants are encouraged to attend a UW ECE information session or prospective student drop-in hours to learn more (see details below).
Admissions Pathways
High School Students – Direct-to-College
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 here – https://www.engr.washington.edu/admission/freshman/runningstart.
Students Admitted through Direct to College
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 2.5 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 — 15 credits
- CHEM 142 — 5 credits
- PHYS 121 — 5 credits
- ENGL 131 or other composition course — 5 credits
- Choose 1: CSE 142, PHYS 122, or PHYS 123
-
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 – https://www.engr.washington.edu/current/academics/placement-requirements.
UW Interest Changers
Current UW students in majors other than Engineering Undeclared
This is the only admission point to the BSEE 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.
| Applying to start autumn quarter | Requirements
To be eligible for admission, you should have:
In addition, complete the following courses before the start of autumn quarter:
|
Deadline |
* 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.
Transfer Students
For students at a college or university other than UW.
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.
| Applying to start autumn quarter | Requirements
To be eligible for admission, you should have:
In addition, complete the following courses before the start of autumn quarter:
|
Deadline |
* 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 – https://transfer.uw.edu/thursday/.
Information Sessions
UW ECE holds monthly information sessions for prospective students where advisers provide information on admissions, curriculum, electrical engineering as a profession and more. Information sessions are open to anyone interested in pursuing a degree in Electrical Engineering.
When & Where
Second Thursday of every month:
- 2:30-3:30 p.m.
- Zoom link: https://washington.zoom.us/j/517008604
- View our events calendar for exact dates – https://www.ece.uw.edu/news-events/calendar/.
Prospective Students Drop-In Hours
We also have drop-in hours set aside for prospective ECE students. Drop-ins take place over Zoom every Thursday from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (except on dates with information sessions). Available times, along with the Zoom links, are posted here – Drop-In Hours.