UW Engineering prepares students to solve some of the world’s biggest challenges.
Your first year as an engineering student
When you're admitted through the Direct to College pathway, you will spend your first year exploring engineering disciplines and building connections with fellow students while receiving holistic support to ensure your success inside and outside the classroom.
How to apply to UW Engineering
To be considered for Direct to College (DTC) admission, please select "Engineering Undeclared" or an engineering major (other than the Allen School’s computer engineering) as your first-choice major in your application to the University of Washington.
If you are admitted through the Direct to College pathway, you will enter the UW as an Engineering Undeclared (ENGRUD) student and will have the opportunity to explore many engineering disciplines before requesting placement in an engineering major after your first-year experience. Admission to DTC is only available in the autumn quarter.
If you have a significant number of Running Start credits, you may be able to apply through the capacity-constrained pathway.
Start your UW application as soon as September 1
See UW Admissions’ how-to-apply page for step-by-step instructions, including fees, how to submit test scores, and required documentation.
On your application, select "Engineering undeclared" or an engineering major (other than the Allen School’s computer engineering) as your first-choice major to be considered for Direct to College admission. If you are admitted, you will not be required to pursue the major you selected on your first-year UW application.
If you choose not to apply through the DTC pathway and are admitted to the UW, you can still choose to pursue engineering, but you will have to apply through the capacity-constrained pathway. This pathway has more robust eligibility requirements, a different application process, and timeline.
Submit your UW application by November 15.
Admissions decisions are sent in March
Watch your email and mailbox for your UW admission decision letter, which will include whether you have been admitted through the DTC pathway.
Working toward placement into a major
As an Engineering Undeclared student, your first year will include engineering foundational coursework such as math and science, as well as UW general education courses. Your first-year curriculum will also offer courses that will help you explore engineering disciplines and help you better understand which majors best suit your educational and professional goals.
At the end of your first-year experience, you will request placement into an engineering major. You will not be required to pursue the major you selected on your first-year UW application.
If you are admitted as an Engineering Undeclared student and you meet placement requirements, you are guaranteed to be placed into one of the engineering majors. You may or may not be placed in your first-choice major. Some majors in the College of Engineering receive more placement requests than they can accommodate. Learn more about the placement process.
Other admission pathways
If you are admitted to the UW but not admitted to DTC, you still have the option to apply through the capacity-constrained pathway. Space is anticipated to be limited in many engineering majors, as demand for engineering degrees exceeds the available space.
However, certain engineering majors have most recently been able to accommodate more non-DTC students who apply through the capacity-constrained pathway than others. These majors include: chemical engineering, civil engineering, environmental engineering, and materials science & engineering.
If you are determined to major in a specific field of engineering and have not been admitted to DTC, we encourage you to consider other engineering schools where you have been directly admitted to the major or college of your choice.
If you decide to attend UW without direct admission to the College of Engineering, please keep in mind that you may need to pursue a major other than engineering. The UW offers more than 180 majors in 68 different departments to consider.