PMP Admissions: How to Apply

Create your applicant profile and start your application

The application for graduate study at UW is hosted by the UW Graduate School. Create an application account and fill out your applicant profile.

To start your application to the PMP, select ‘Graduate’ for your application type and select Computer Science & Engineering - Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering (Seattle) - Evening Professional Master’s as your application type. Then, select your desired entry quarter and year.

Enter your GPA on a 4-point scale as calculated based on your most recent 60 semester credits or 90 quarter credits. If you already hold a graduate degree, you may enter your cumulative GPA from that program.

For support converting international GPAs to the 4-point scale used in the United States, you may use Scholaro's free GPA calculator.

Academic history

Applicants should carefully review the UW Graduate School's minimum admission requirements for baccalaureate degrees. In general, applicants must hold a 4-year degree or its foreign equivalent.

Report each higher education institution you have attended and your dates of attendance. For each school, upload unofficial copies of your transcript and report your cumulative and major GPA. For support converting international GPAs to the 4-point scale, you may use Scholaro's free calculator.

Official transcripts are not required during the application process; you will only have to submit official documents to the UW Graduate School if you accept an admission offer. At that time, you should provide your documents according to the Graduate School's official transcript requirements.

Recommendation letters

Two letters are required from all applicants, however applicants may designate a third recommender if they wish (this is optional and the presence of a third letter does not affect the admission decision).

Letters should be from current or former supervisors, leads or project managers, or others who are familiar with the technical specifics of your work projects and can provide specific descriptions and examples of your hands-on computing preparation; technical skills, qualities, and abilities; and how those elements will contribute to your success in the PMP.

When you designate someone as a recommender, the application system will automatically send them an email with a link to follow to upload their letter. The email will indicate the application deadline of your desired entry quarter and specify that letters need to be received by that date.

Resume or CV

Upload a current copy of your resume or CV that provides detailed descriptions of your job tasks and technical skills. There are no requirements for length or formatting; you may be as descriptive as you would like and may utilize more than one page.

Personal statement

The purpose of the personal statement (sometimes referred to as a statement of purpose, or "the essay") is to provide a narrative of your approach to the PMP. This is also where applicants can share particular strengths that might not appear in their other application materials, or where they can provide context for any aspects of their academic or professional backgrounds that they feel might be of concern.

Please craft your statement around the following prompt:

Please describe your academic and professional backgrounds and qualifications, the areas of study that most interest you, and how the PMP will help you reach your professional goals. Please limit your response to ~750 words.

Academic background form

The purpose of this form is to indicate where and how you have acquired proficiency in four areas of computer science knowledge. There are no particular requirements for formatting.

To create your academic background form: Create a new document and for each area of knowledge below, list relevant higher education coursework (institution, course number, title, textbook if possible) or other education such as boot camps, certificates, MOOCS, etc. We prefer academic information be listed on this document, but applicable non-academic information can be used as a second choice as long as it is accompanied by relevant description.

• HARDWARE (e.g. computer architecture, digital circuit design, digital systems, embedded systems)
• SOFTWARE (e.g. compilers, computer networks, operating systems, programming systems, software engineering)
• THEORY & ALGORITHMS (e.g. data structures and algorithms, discrete structures, theory of computation)
• APPLICATIONS (e.g. AI, computer graphics, database systems)

The academic background form should be a new document that you have created. Please do not upload your transcript, resume, degree certificate, etc. in this section.

Proof of English proficiency

All applicants who are non-native speakers of English must enclose proof of their English proficiency in their applications. For official policy information, please review Graduate Policy 3.2: English Language Proficiency Requirements. Admission offers cannot be sent without proof of English proficiency being enclosed in the application.

The PMP accepts the methods below by which an applicant may demonstrate their proficiency:

1. Having earned a degree in the United States in which English was the language of instruction; or, having earned a degree in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, or certain other countries specified in Policy 3.2 and where English was the language of instruction.
2. Documentation from your undergraduate degree-granting institution, if outside the US or one of the countries specified in Policy 3.2, verifying that all instruction is in English (for example, transcript notation or attested document issued by the institution).
3. Official, valid English language proficiency test scores sent electronically to UW through your testing center showing that a minimum score was earned. Scores are valid for two years from test date. The PMP accepts the following:
   • TOEFL scores showing a minimum total score or MyBest score of 92 or higher. UW's ETS institution code is 4854.
   • Academic IELTS scores showing a total score of 7.0 or higher. Applicants using IELTS test scores must submit official scores electronically via the IELTS system (E-TRF), using the University of Washington’s organization ID 365.
   • Duolingo English Test scores showing a minimum total score of 120 or higher. Duolingo scores must be sent to "University of Washington Graduate Admissions (Bothell, Seattle, Tacoma)" through the applicant's Duolingo English Test account.

Application fee

The UW Graduate School administers the online application portal and collects an $85, non-refundable application fee for all graduate program applications to UW. The last page of the PMP application directs you to the TouchNet payment portal; after paying you will be directed back to the Graduate School application system to submit your application to the PMP.

Both steps - making payment and then submitting the application - must be completed in order for your application to be finalized and viewable to application reviewers.

Application fee waivers are available from the UW Graduate School to some domestic students who demonstrate financial need. The PMP does not offer fee waivers at the program/department level.

Submit your application

After paying your application fee in the TouchNet payment portal, return to the application system to finalize and submit your application to the PMP.

Both steps - making payment and then submitting the application - must be completed in order for your application to be finalized and viewable to application reviewers.