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 PhD/MS Prospective Applicants FAQ
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General Information:
Contact us
Prerequisites for Application
Funding your Graduate Education
Your Chances of "Getting in"
Am I an International student?

GPA and Test Information:
GPA
GRE
TOEFL, other English proficiency tests, and the TSE
Our ETS codes
Late Test Scores

Application:
Deadline
Why is the Graduate School deadline different than the CSE deadline?
How to Apply
When will I know if I've been admitted?
What if I only want to apply for the MS degree?
Do I need to submit the Statement of Financial Ability form with my application?
Letters of Recommendation

Other Questions

Can I participate in the program on a part-time basis?
Can I transfer to your program from another program/school?
Can I take classes without being admitted to the program?

General Information
Contact us
Our Mailing Address:
PhD/MS Program
Computer Science & Engineering
Allen Center 101
Box 352350
University of Washington
Seattle, WA 98195

Our Phone Number:
206.543.1695

Our FAX Number:
206.543.2969

Our Email:
Grad-admissions@cs.washington.edu

Prerequisites for Application
I don’t have a Bachelors Degree in Computer Science. Can I still apply?
Yes, you can apply. You must have at least a 4-year bachelors degree (in any field) to be eligible to apply, but your degree does not need to be in CS.

To be admitted to the graduate program in Computer Science, a student must satisfy the admissions criteria outlined in the Graduate Study section of the University of Washington General Catalog. In addition, we expect most entering graduate students to have a solid academic background in computer science at least including:

    programming experience
    machine organization
    data structures
    discrete math
    automata theory
    programming systems

The equivalent of our courses 378, 326, 321, 322, and either 401 or 451 (See the link to CSE Courses for course synopses.) will provide the minimum acceptable academic background. However, we welcome applications from students who lack a portion of this background but who show exceptional promise, and accept a small number of these students each year.

Funding your Graduate Education
Am I eligible for an assistantship?
All students who are admitted to our program are awarded an assistantship (teaching or research). Under the assistantship, in exchange for 20 hours of work per week, the student receives:

    Tuition waiver (except for ~ $225 per quarter in fees, which the student pays)
    Monthly stipend of $2062 for beginning students (effective July 1, 2008).
    Health Insurance (100% of premium for student, 50% of premium for dependents)

Currently, this funding is guaranteed for 3 years. Funding after the initial 3 years is usually available, and is contingent on satisfactory academic progress and availability of funds. Virtually all students are funded throughout the program to graduation.

How much does it cost to be a graduate student in your program?
Approximate living and program expenses for the academic year (September – June) include:
Room and Board: $11,271
Books and Supplies: $1,104
Local Transportation: $1,286
Personal Expenses: $2,265
Fees: $1500
Total: $17,426 per academic year

What are my chances of "getting in?"
This question is impossible to answer. The admission process is very competitive and the likelihood of an applicant being offered admission depends on the quality of the other applicants, which varies from year to year. There is no way to know what your chances of admission are until all applications have been received & reviewed. If you have all of the prerequisite education, your GPA and test scores are close to the averages noted in this FAQ page, and you have a demonstrated drive to excel and innovate, then you are a competitive applicant.

I can’t afford the application fee. What should I do?
A limited number of application fee waivers are available for US citizens, permanent residents and immigrants. All fee waivers are granted by the Office of Graduate Admissions as determined by financial need. The fee waiver application is part of the online application. Unfortunately, application fee waivers are not available to applicants who are not US citizens, permanent residents or immigrants.

Am I an International student?
You are considered an International student if you are not a citizen or a permanent resident of the US. If you are in the process of becoming a permanent resident of the US, you MUST follow the guidelines for International students until you have received your Green Card.

GPA and Test Information
GPA
What kind of grades do I need to be admitted to your program?
The absolute minimum acceptable GPA is 3.0. However, the average GPA of our admitted students is much higher: ~3.8.

My school doesn't use a 4.0 grading system. How do I report my GPA?
You can do one of two things:

  1. You can estimate how your grades will convert to our 4.0 system, and report your estimate. We won't hold it against you if your estimate is wrong.
  2. You can leave the GPA field on the application blank.

GRE
What is the minimun required GRE score?
We do not have a minimum required GRE score, however your score should be close to the average GRE score of admitted applicants for your application to be competitive. The average GRE scores for incoming students in Autumn 2007 were: Verbal (including international applicants): 83%, Quantitative: 90%, Analytic Writing: 69%. The average Subject Test score in Computer Science for Autumn 2007 incoming students (of those who submitted scores) was 91%.

Do I need to take the Subject GRE for Computer Science?
No, you do no’t need to take the subject test. It is not required for application to our program.

TOEFL and TSE
Do I need to take the TOEFL and TSE?
A satisfactory command of the English language is required for admission to the University of Washington Graduate School. Applicants, including transfers, who are not citizens of the United States on the date of admission and whose native language is other than English, must submit a TOEFL-iBT score, or TOEFL (CBT or PBT) and TSE scores. The scores must be less than two years old. Exceptions and minimum scores are outlined below.

TOEFL-iBT: The TOEFL-iBT is currently being phased in around the world. It will replace the TOEFL (CBT & PBT) and the TSE. The minimum TOEFL-iBT score is 100, including at least 28 on the Speaking section of the test (this is the section that replaces the TSE) and at least 70 combined on the other sections. Applicants who submit a TOEFL-iBT score DO NOT need to submit a TSE score.

TOEFL (CBT or PBT): Minimun score of at least 250 (computer) or 600 (paper).

Exceptions: Applicants who are citizens of Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, or the United Kingdom do not need to submit a TOEFL score. Non-US citizens who have received a bachelors or advanced degree from an accredited U.S. institution or from an institution in countries listed above are also exempt from the TOEFL requirement.

Michigan Language Test . Minimum score of 90.

International English Language Testing System (IELTS) examination . Minimum score of 7.0.

TSE: The university policy is that all International students whose NATIVE language is not English must submit a passing TSE score (minimum of 55 or TOEFLibt Speaking section score of 28) in order to serve as Teaching Assistants. Since all of our graduate students are required to serve as Teaching Assistants as part of our program curriculum, we require a TSE score as part of the application, unless the TOEFLibt scores are submitted.

If your native language is not English, you must submit a TSE score. However, we are delaying the requirement for students who attended secondary or post-secondary schools that offered instruction mainly in English, or students who have earned at least a bachelors degree from a US school. Students who attended these types of schools may delay taking the TSE until they are accepted and arrive here at the UW.

I can't take the TSE before I apply, and I don't meet the above requirements for deferring the test. What should I do?
Take the test if at all possible. We need to know your fluency in English. If you cannot take the test, you can submit your application without a TSE score. It will be considered. Just be aware that your application may not be as competitive without the TSE score.

I don't want to be a Teaching Assistant. Do I still need to submit a TSE score?
YES. Unless you meet the requirements for deferring the test until after admission, you should send your TSE score with the rest of your application. All students are required to serve as Teaching Assistants as part of the program curriculum, therefore the TSE score is a necessary part of your application.

What are your ETS codes?
University of Washington: 4854
Department code not required.

ETS says that it will report my scores to you after the application deadline. Is this a problem?
You should schedule your tests to allow for sufficient time for the scores to be reported. ETS generally needs 4 to 6 weeks. This means if you take the test in early November, you scores will be reported in early to mid-December. We MUST have your test scores before the review of applications begins if you want to ensure that the admission committee sees the scores. Scores that arrive after the deadline will be placed in your application file as they arrive. If the review process has already begun, some members of the admission committee may not see the scores, but subsequent reviewers will see them. Be aware that your application will not be as competitive as it could be if your scores are not available to all members of the admission committee when they review your file.

Will you accept unofficial ETS test scores?
We require official scores reported directly by ETS, which is done electronically. When they are received, they are downloaded into your application file. You are also able to enter unofficial scores into the on-line application for admission.

Application
What is the application deadline?
December 15 for all applicants. The online application opens on September 1.

Why is the Graduate School deadline different for International students than the CSE deadline?
The Graduate School encourages applicants to complete its application form and especially to send transcripts by November 1 because it takes them time to evaluate International transcripts. Other departments than CSE require this evaluation; CSE does not. International applicants whose on-line application is complete (required materials entered, fee paid and application submitted) by December 15 will be considered for admission.

How often do you admit new students?
Applications are accepted once a year. New students are admitted for autumn quarter only. We do NOT admit for winter, spring or summer quarters.

How many new students do you admit each year?
This varies from year to year. Typically, we offer admission to approximately 10% of the pool of applicants to yield a class of 25-35 entering students.

If I am not offered admission, can I be placed on a waiting list?
We do NOT keep a waiting list. The decisions made by the admission committee are final. Because applicants to our program are also applying to other programs we expect that a certain number of our offers will be declined. To account for this, we offer admission to more applicants than we expect to accept our offer. This ensures that we fill our open spaces without resorting to a waiting list.

How do I submit an application?
You may submit an application between September 1 through midnight, December 15, PST. You can begin your on-line application here: http://www.cs.washington.edu/education/grad/application_materials.html

When will I know if I've been admitted?
The admission committee will begin reviewing applications soon after the deadline of December 15. Final decisions will be made by early March. You will hear from us regarding the staus of your application around that time via email notification.

What if I only want to apply for the MS degree?
We do not offer a separate, full-time master's degree. All students are evaluated and admitted to the PhD/MS program are determined to be capable of earning a PhD. Once admitted, a student may choose to pursue only a masters degree, but this is the student's choice, not that of the admission committee. We ignore whether a student indicates M.S. or Ph.D., and consider all applicants with Ph.D. criteria in mind. We have admitted students who indicate only the M.S. and do not view this negatively when considering the application.

Do I need to submit the Statement of Financial Ability form with my application?
The Statement of Financial Ability form can be submitted after the application deadline. The form is required should you be admitted so that the I-20 can be prepared. Note that you DO NOT need to submit any financial documentation (such as bank statements). Just indicate on the form that you will be relying on funding from the department if you are admitted, sign the form (original signature required) and send it to the Graduate School. Note that the total amount of funding provided by the department exceeds the U.S. government required minimum of financial ability.

How should my recommenders submit their Letters of Recommendation?
When you are completing your online application, you will be asked to provide contact information for your recommenders, including an email address and phone number. You will activate the request for a letter in the on-line application and the recommender will be sent an email with instructions about submitting the letter.

Can I submit hard-copy letters of recommendation?
We strongly prefer that letters of recommendation be submitted online. If this is not possible, you may mail hard copies to the address listed above.

Do letters need to be written by university faculty, rather than employers?
You may ask whomever you wish to write your letters of recommendation. However, you should keep in mind that we are looking for students who have an aptitude for (or experience in) performing research in an academic setting and rely on faculty familiar with Ph.D. programs, research, and students. You should choose your letter writers accordingly.

Other Questions

Can I participate in the program on part-time basis?
Because of the level of involvement that we expect from our graduate students, it is not possible to participate in our program on a part-time basis.

Can I transfer to your program from another program/school?
We do not have a formal transfer program. You will need to submit an application just like any other applicant.

Can I transfer my credits from another program/school?
If you are admitted, you will be able to submit a petition to use four courses from another institution for course requirements. The coursework will be reviewed by our faculty, and if deemed to be equivalent to the coursework offered in our program, will be transferred and applied to our degree.

Can I take classes without being admitted to your program?
It is possible to take graduate courses in Non-Matriculated (NM) status. As a non-matriculated student, you can take our graduate level courses on a space-available basis. For detailed information, please review this web page.


CSE logo Computer Science & Engineering
University of Washington
Box 352350
Seattle, WA  98195-2350
(206) 543-1695 voice, (206) 543-2969 FAX
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