Application Checklist & Review
Download a Transfer Planning Worksheet
Application Checklist
- Review the information on the Transfer Students Webpage
- Use the Determining Course Equivalency section (above) to find out the best way to identify equivalent courses at your current institution and the University of Washington. Then, make a plan to complete all Allen School prerequisite courses before the Allen School departmental application deadline (January 15 for spring; April 5 for autumn)
- Apply to the UW – Seattle using the UW transfer application (by December 15 for spring or February 15 for autumn) and list CS or CE as your first or second choice major. Learn about how to apply to the UW as a transfer student. You are not done applying, the Allen School requires a departmental application
- Begin reviewing the departmental application essay prompt (always available); please note that the rubric is closely based on the prompt so you should plan to answer all questions and follow the formatting guidelines. Check to make sure you included relevant information from your UW application in your departmental application. The Allen School does not have access to your UW application when reviewing the departmental application
- Create a list of all post high-school employment, research, volunteer work, extracurricular activities and clubs that you’ve been involved in since high school; you will put these in the activities section of your departmental application
- Complete and submit your departmental application. Please note that the application is only open for about 2 weeks so you should plan to prepare in advance. If you will have additional comments not included elsewhere, you may add them to the “Additional Comments” section of the departmental application. This application requires unofficial copies of your transcripts from all higher education institutions that you attended including grades from your most recent quarter
- Wait for your admission decisions from the Allen School and the UW! Ensure that you are checking the email address that you provided on your application in case we need to contact you!
Transfer Admissions Statistics
| Data from the 2023 & 2024 Application Cycles | Eligible Applicants Considered for Allen School Transfer Admissions | Transfer Applicants Admitted into Computer Science or Computer Engineering | Acceptance Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| WA Residents from a WA Community College | 317 | 115 | 36.3% |
| Non-Residents from a WA Community College | 127 | 19 | 15.0% |
| WA Residents from 4-Year & Out-of-State Institutions | 71 | 9 | 12.7% |
| Non-Residents from 4-Year & Out-of-State Institutions | 212 | 3 | 1.4% |
Data from the Allen School departmental application
Transfer Application Review
Holistic Review Process
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 3.75 or better. Personal characteristics are evaluated through the personal statement and Work History/Activities sections of the departmental application. Transfer applicants are encourage 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.