College profilesTop Public · WA

University of Washington-Seattle Campus

UW publishes 42% (Fall 2025 entering class). All First-Year Applicants (baseline for non-ca applicants got in at 47%; computer science/computer engineering (direct at 2%.

Acceptance rate
39%
College Scorecard, latest cycle
SAT middle 50%
Not published
ACT middle 50%
Not published
Avg. HS GPA
3.84
Fall 2025 entering class (CDS 2025-26, item C12)
Test policy
Test-Optional
2026-27
Regular deadline
Nov 15, 2026

Acceptance rate

What UW's 42% is made of

The published rate averages groups with very different odds. These are the splits UW reports itself.

By college or major

47%
All First-Year Applicants (baseline for non-ca
2%
Computer Science/Computer Engineering (Direct

Fall 2025 entering class (first-time, first-year applicants; CDS 2025-2026, Section C1)

Read the full decomposition →

Part of Real Acceptance Rates, our series decomposing published rates from each school's own Common Data Set.

Testing

Test-Optional for 2026-27

Policy

'The UW no longer requires SAT or ACT scores for most applicants' (test-optional for the general pool), but scores ARE required for homeschooled applicants and applicants from schools that do not issue standard letter/numeric grades.

SAT middle 50%
Not reported
ACT middle 50%
Not reported
Average HS GPA
3.84Fall 2025 entering class (CDS 2025-26, item C12) · Source

Applying

Deadlines, essays and AI policy

Early deadlines
Regular decision
Nov 15, 2026Source
Supplemental essays
None beyond the personal statement

Only the Common App personal essay (650-word max, choice of 7 prompts) is required; UW has no additional supplemental essay for general first-year applicants.

AI use in essays

Limited Use Allowed — applies to First-year application essay/personal statement (Common App essay submitted to UW)

All writing in the application, including your essay/personal statement, must be your own original work. If you choose to have a parent, counselor, tutor, friend or AI tool review your writing, it must be done responsibly and ethically — again, it must be your own original work.

Full cycle calendar: Application Deadlines.

At a glance

Size and cost

Undergraduate enrollment
31,942
Tuition (out-of-state)
$43,209
Category
Top Public
Admissions site
www.washington.edu

Dewey Smart

Reading on UW

3

articles about applying to UW.

Read them →

What should this school mean for your list?

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Sources

Test policy and deadlines last verified 2026-08-17.

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