Transfer Admissions
Transfer applicants are students who are currently or were previously enrolled at a college other than the University of Washington’s Seattle campus after high school.
The Allen School transfer pathway welcomes students who are interested in pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or Computer Engineering at the University of Washington – Seattle. Our full-time, in-person program allows students to dive into advanced undergraduate computing coursework while exploring a wide range of options outside the classroom.
Other pages of interest: Transfer Applicant FAQ and Allen School Degree Requirements
Transfer Applicants
Transfer applicants are students who are currently or were previously enrolled at a college other than the University of Washington’s Seattle campus after high school. Typically, transfer applicants will have around two years of coursework completed prior to applying to the Allen School and will be prepared to graduate from the Allen School in around two years.
Running Start students who are currently in high school and/or did not continue with college after high school graduation are not considered transfer students and should apply through our Direct to Major pathway. Unfortunately, we do not accept applications from students who already have a bachelor’s degree.
Key Dates & Deadlines
The Allen School accepts applications for students to start in both spring and autumn quarters, we do not accept applications for winter or summer quarters.
Spring Admissions
UW Transfer Application Opens:
November 1
UW Transfer Application Closes:
December 15
Allen School Departmental Application Opens:
Early January
Allen School Departmental Application Closes:
January 15
Admissions Decisions Released:
Early February
Autumn Admissions
UW Transfer Application Opens:
December 15
UW Transfer Application Closes:
February 15
Allen School Departmental Application Opens:
Mid March
Allen School Departmental Application Closes:
April 5
Admissions Decisions Released:
Mid May
How to Apply
Below is a step-by-step outline of the process for applying to the Allen School as a transfer student. For more details, check out our Guide for Transfer Students (PDF).
Step 1: UW Transfer Application
- Submit the UW transfer application by the deadline for either Spring or Autumn quarter. If you miss the UW application deadline, you will not be able to apply to the Allen School as a transfer applicant. Step 1: UW Transfer Application
- The UW Office of Admissions – Transfer Students and Spring Quarter UW Applicants pages may help you with planning your UW transfer application. If you have questions about your UW application, please reach out to the UW Office of Admissions at askuwadm@uw.edu.
Step 2: Allen School Departmental Application
- After completing the minimum requirements, submit the Allen School departmental application by the deadline.
- The Allen School departmental application is typically open for about two weeks before the application deadline. Interested in starting early? The departmental application essay prompt is available online at any time (look at the Computer Science & Engineering dropdown).
- Make sure to use the “help” tool on the right-hand side of the application if you have any questions about filling-out the application. If you are still having trouble, please reach out to the Allen School Recruitment Team at outreach@cs.washington.edu.
Download a Transfer Planning Worksheet
Minimum Academic Requirements
To be eligible to apply for direct transfer admission into the Allen School, applicants must complete all academic requirements by the appropriate departmental application deadline. The minimum academic requirements for Allen School transfer applicants include:
- completing a minimum of 30 graded credits prior to applying
- Credit by exam (such as AP or IB courses), while transferable, are not considered graded credit and cannot count toward this requirement.
- completing the Allen School prerequisite requirements
- Listed below using UW courses numbers. These courses must be completed and graded prior to the departmental application deadline.
| Subject Area | Prerequisites |
|---|---|
| Math | MATH 124, 125, & 126 |
| Computer Science | CSE 143 (or CSE 123) |
| English | Five credits of English composition |
| Natural Science | if Computer Engineering major: PHYS 121if Computer Science major (choose one): PHYS 121, BIOL 180, or CHEM 142 or a course from the approved list |
- Math: Please note that taking two semesters of Calculus is considered equivalent to taking three quarters of Calculus. Additionally, some Washington State Community Colleges teach Calculus in a 4-part sequence – please be aware that you may need both Calculus III and Calculus IV to be eligible for Allen School transfer admissions.
- Computer Science: The Allen School’s introductory computing sequence is taught in Java and we strongly prefer that students have college level experience with Java before enrolling at the UW. If your introductory computing sequence is taught in a language other than Java and you are admitted but unable to take a course taught in Java prior to enrolling, you will need to take CSE 123 during your first quarter.
- English: Any college level English or writing course, including courses in other subject areas with a writing designation printed on your transcript, can count toward the English Composition requirement for the purpose of admissions. However, credit by exam cannot substitute for English Composition.
- Natural Science: Only calculus-based physics mechanics courses are considered equivalent to PHYS 121. Science courses must have a lab component. Washington Community College students pursuing the Computer Science major should be aware that they may need three biology courses to meet the prerequisite requirement should they choose biology rather than chemistry or physics.
If you are attending a Washington State Community College, you can also use our online Equivalency Guide to determine how your community college coursework might transfer to the UW. Some Washington Community Colleges do not offer all of the Allen School prerequisite courses. If this is the case at your school, we recommend enrolling in the remaining prerequisite courses at another Washington State Community College.
If your coursework is from another college or university, you can use our online UW course catalog to determine which courses at your institution are most closely related to our prerequisite courses. Unfortunately, the UW is unable to evaluate equivalency for transfer credit until after an applicant has been admitted. However, if you have a question about whether or not a specific course will meet the minimum academic requirement for the purpose of admissions, you can reach out to our recruitment team at outreach@cs.washington.edu to request a course pre-check; this is not an official evaluation and does not guarantee that your course will transfer to the UW if you are admitted.
If you have completed exams for credit such as Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), or A Level & AS Level exams, please refer to the Office of Admissions – Exams for Credit website for information on how your credits would transfer to UW based on your exam score. Please note that English Language & Composition credit from the AP exam is not equivalent to the English Composition prerequisite for admission and does not meet the UW composition requirement.
All applicants to the Allen School are required to complete the Allen School prerequisite courses (shown above) by the departmental application deadline for the quarter that they are applying. The Allen School’s transfer pathway is designed to be completed within two years of full-time study. Prerequisite coursework is essential to ensure that applicants are prepared for upper division coursework upon entering our program so that they are able to graduate on time. Similarly, prerequisite coursework is necessary to ensure that our academic application review is fair to all applicants.
However, our admission process is not intended to cause large gaps in a student’s academic experience and we will consider requests to apply with one prerequisite in progress. Students can only be considered for a prerequisite exception if they:
- Will have 90 quarter credits completed by the time of enrollment at the University of Washington
- Meet all other academic requirements including a minimum of 30 graded credits
- Have the final prerequisite course in-progress at the departmental application deadline
Please note: if a prerequisite course is not offered at your current institution, you are still expected to have the course in-progress at the time of application. This does not apply to applicants studying at foreign universities who do not have access to an English Composition course. For students studying in the US, many WA Community Colleges offer online equivalents to the prerequisite coursework.
To submit a prerequisite exception request, applicants must fill out this form by 5:00 pm PT on January 13, 2025 for spring applicants or April 3, 2025 for autumn applicants. Please do not submit the form until you are able to demonstrate proof of enrollment in your final prerequisite course.
Holistic Review
The Allen School admission uses a holistic review process, which considers academic achievement, personal characteristics, socioeconomic disadvantage, higher education institution(s) attended, and residency. We recognize that transfer students often have complex academic histories. Our academic review will primarily focus on a student’s most recent grades and grades in prerequisite subject areas. Applicants are encouraged to give context to any academic inconsistencies including grading irregularities (e.g. repeats, drops, S/NS grades, etc.) on their transcript by explaining any circumstances that may have affected their academic performance in their application essay. Most transfer students enter with around two years of coursework and a GPA of 3.8 or better in their most recent prerequisite subject area courses. Personal characteristics are evaluated through the personal statement and Work History/Activities sections of the departmental application. Transfer applicants are encouraged to fully answer all portions of the personal statement; the departmental application is reviewed separately from the UW transfer application so applicants should feel free to repeat any relevant information in both personal statements. No computing experience beyond the minimum academic requirements is needed!
The University of Washington is a public institution which means that funding for the university comes partially from Washington State. For this reason, priority in admissions is offered to Washington State residents and Washington State Community College students. In fact, over 90% of transfer applicants admitted to the Allen School in recent years have been transferring directly from a Washington State Community College.
Questions?
Our recruitment team is happy to help! You can email us at outreach@cs.washington.edu.