Admission Requirements and Instructions

Admission to both majors is competitive. We have three pathways where students may enter the major.

• Upper Division Admission: most common path for students who have completed all prerequisite courses.
• Accelerated Admission: UW students who excel in the introductory programming courses
• Direct Admission: Freshman who enter the UW and the CSE department immediately after High School

Upper Division Admission

Applicants who have satisfied the minimum requirements stated below are assured that their applications will be given thorough consideration by the Admissions Committee. However, the Department cannot offer admission to all applicants who meet these minimum qualifications.

Applicants must be enrolled at the UW or have an application on file with the UW Office of Admissions.

Application Deadlines:
Online Application
For students wishing to enter the program in Autumn Quarter: July 1st
For students wishing to enter the program starting in Spring Quarter: February 1st. 

Accelerated Admission (Every Quarter, Current UW students only)

Intended as a fast track into the Computer Science & Engineering department for high-achieving matriculated students who have excelled in the UW CSE introductory courses.

• Course requirements: CSE 142 or equivalent; CSE 143; at least five additional credits toward the Computer Science Upper-Division Admission prerequisites.
• Other requirements: Completion of at least 15 credits at the UW; 3.00 cumulative GPA or higher. Competitive applicants for Accelerated Admission are typically in the top 10% of the CSE 143 class on their first attempt, and have comparably high grades overall.

Competitive applicants for Accelerated Admissions are typically in approximately the top 10% of students in each UW CSE 143 course. After grades have been posted and a review of student records has been done to determine if other requirements have been met, students who may be eligible are sent information about the program and instructions on how to apply. If you do not receive an invitation, but you believe you are well-qualified, contact a CSE advisor.

The Accelerated Admission process happens quickly; the online application opens just after quarterly grades are posted and decisions are made before the next quarter starts. Accelerated Admissions for students who took 143 in Spring will happen concurrently with the Upper-Division application process for Autumn. A second AA application for autumn will open at the end of summer, for students who complete 143 in summer quarter.

Remember that the benefit of Accelerated Admission is for people who have not complete the prereqs. If you have completed all the prereqs, you should apply through upper-division admission (rather than put yourself into the more-selective AA applicant pool). If you completed 143 at UW with a very high grade or have previously received an invitation to apply through Accelerated Admissions, you are welcome to apply at any time after that.

Direct Admission (Autumn Quarter only)

The UW Department of Computer Science & Engineering enrolls up to 25% of its incoming class directly out of high school. Freshmen applicants to the University of Washington listing Computer Science or Computer Engineering as their intended major will automatically be considered. Competitive applicants will have taken or be taking calculus. Physics is the preferred high school laboratory science course.