Student policies

Maintaining ENGRUD status

Requirements to maintain Engineering Undeclared (ENGRUD) status

1. Complete, with a grade of 2.0 or higher, at least one required mathematics, science, computer programming, or engineering course at the UW each quarter.
2. Maintain a minimum 2.00 UW ENGRUD grade point average (GPA) across mathematics, science, computer programming, and engineering courses completed after matriculation at the UW:
   • You must maintain a 2.00 GPA across the courses listed below taken at UW. Grades in courses taken at another school are not counted as part of your UW ENGRUD GPA.
   • The College of Engineering follows the UW policies around repeating a course. Please talk to your adviser if you’re considering retaking a course.
   • Each placement requirement course must be completed with a 2.0 grade or higher.
3. Request placement by July 1 (July 15 in summer 2026) after matriculation at the UW.

Review and notification of progress

• Engineering Undeclared Warning Students whose performance fails to meet the standards outlined above in their first quarter will be placed on Engineering Undeclared warning. Students who fail to meet satisfactory progress requirements after one quarter will be placed on probation; a hold is placed on their registration, and they must meet with a College of Engineering adviser.
• Engineering Undeclared Probation A student is placed on Engineering Undeclared Probation at the end of any quarter (except for the first quarter as an Engineering Undeclared student, when a warning is issued) in which they fail to meet the Continuation Policy standards outlined above. Students who fail to meet satisfactory progress requirements after one quarter on ENGRUD Probation are dropped from Engineering Undeclared status. Such students may appeal for continuation of their Engineering Undeclared status following the ENGRUD reinstatement process outlined below. Students may only appeal for continuation of the Engineering Undeclared status one time.

Engineering undeclared leave of absence policy

Students who need to take time away from the UW can request a Leave of absence from the College of Engineering to maintain their engineering undeclared status for one to three quarters (not including summer). Leave of absence requests must be submitted to Engineering Advising. If approved, students will maintain their engineering undeclared program status upon their return.

If you are considering a leave of absence, please schedule an appointment with an adviser to discuss your options.

ENGRUD placement policy

• Eligible students will request placement into a major after completion of three quarters at the UW. See placement requirements to determine eligibility.
• Students may only participate in placement once and placement is final.
• Students who meet the continuation policy but who have not completed the placement requirements by July 1 (July 15 for summer 2026) may request placement into a major on a conditional basis pending completion of the placement requirements. If remaining placement requirements are not met by the end of the second winter quarter after matriculation at the UW students will be dropped from Engineering Undeclared status and transitioned to pre-major status.
  • In order to be eligible to be considered for conditional placement, ENGR 101, MATH 124, and three additional courses required for placement must be complete.
  • Conditionally placed students will continue to be held to the ENGRUD continuation policy until all placement requirements have been met.
• Students who do not request placement by the July 1 (July 15 for summer 2026) deadline the summer following matriculation will be dropped from Engineering Undeclared status and transitioned to pre-major status.

ENGRUD reinstatement process

Students dropped from Engineering Undeclared status and transitioned to pre-major status as a result of not meeting continuation requirements may appeal for continuation as an Engineering Undeclared student by submitting the ENGRUD reinstatement appeal form. 

If a student chooses to appeal, submission of appeal documents as soon as possible after a student’s final grades are posted is strongly encouraged.

Reinstatement for:	Deadline to submit appeal:
Winter quarter	10 a.m. first day of winter quarter
Spring quarter	10 a.m. second day of spring quarter
Summer quarter	10 a.m. second day of summer quarter
Placement process	5 p.m. on June 29, 2026
Autumn quarter	10 a.m. first day of autumn quarter

If a student’s appeal is approved, the student’s major status will be changed back to ENGRUD and they will be on ENGRUD probation. 

Conditionally placed students who have not met the requirements for placement by the end of the second winter quarter after matriculation at the UW are not eligible to appeal for continuation of their ENGRUD status and students cannot appeal for reinstatement more than once.

Reinstatement policy

College of Engineering students who have been dropped from the University of Washington may petition for reinstatement.

Students who have been academically dropped who wish to petition for reinstatement must first meet with an academic adviser. Please reach out to them as soon as possible in order to give yourself enough time to complete all necessary steps before the deadline for the quarter you are petitioning to be reinstated for.

Please note: this process is only for students declared in the College of Engineering who want to petition to be reinstated to the College of Engineering. If your major is in a different school or college, you will need to contact your school or college about your next steps.

If you are an ENGRUD, Dean's Scholar, or STARs student, please connect with your advising team. In major? Please connect with an academic adviser to discuss the reinstatement petition process. If you are also not meeting the continuation policy of your program there may be program or department-specific steps that need to be taken in addition to petitioning for reinstatement. 

Reinstatement is not automatic. The Reinstatement Committee will base their decision on the planning, evidence, and self-examination presented by the student in their petition. Students will be notified of Committee decisions within one week of the Committee meeting. Results will be sent to your official UW email account.

Reinstatement petition

A complete reinstatement petition includes the following. Incomplete petitions will not be considered.

1. Complete reinstatement petition form that includes:
2. Student statement
3. Student academic plan
4. Transcripts from institutions attended since last quarter at the UW, if applicable

Deadlines

Please note that deadlines for submitting a Returning Student Application are different than those for petitioning for reinstatement. You can turn your reinstatement petition in any time up until the deadlines noted below but early submission is highly encouraged:

• For Autumn: reinstatement petitions must be submitted by 10am September 1
• For Winter, Spring, or Summer: reinstatement petitions must be submitted no later than 10am on the first day of the quarter.

Student statement

The Reinstatement Committee will be looking for evidence that you have identified the causes that led to your academic difficulties. A petition that demonstrates a mature assessment of problems and concrete changes in behavior has a better chance of being approved. Prepare a printed statement in 750 words or less. Your statement should include answers to each of the following questions:

1. What has caused you to be dropped from the UW? Identify the barriers to your academic success. Be specific.
2. What are the behaviors and circumstances that you have already changed or that you plan to change so that your academic success improves? Be specific. For example, "trying harder" is not a behavior change.
3. How will you hold yourself accountable to these changes?
4. What are at least three things you can do that will specifically improve your course work and/or study habits?
5. If you have applied for a Former Quarter Drop (FQD) please state that in the petition along with the quarters or classes for which you are applying.

Your statement and any documentation you provide will be available only to the Reinstatement Committee and will be kept confidential but will remain on file.

Academic plan

This plan must be a quarterly course plan that is built with the input of an academic adviser. If you are an ENGRUD, Dean's Scholar, or STARs student, the plan must include all quarters up to your placement request. If you are in a major, your plan must include all quarters to graduation. If reinstatement is approved, you must consult with an adviser before you deviate from the approved plan. Students who deviate from the submitted plan will not be considered for reinstatement if they are dropped in a subsequent quarter.

Other issues that may affect re-enrollement

Reinstatement may be only one step you need to complete to be able to re-enroll and register for classes. The following are some of the related issues that may pertain to your specific situation. Please discuss these with your adviser(s).

• Complete the Returning Student Reenrollment Process, if applicable.
• Send official transcripts from all other institutions attended since you were last here.
• Take care of Incomplete grades, X grades, and grade changes.
• Work with the Office of Student Financial Aid to ensure appropriate funding upon return. Clear outstanding financial obligations to the UW.
• Submit Former Quarter Drop Petition, if relevant.
• Update your address and contact information with the Office of the University Registrar.
• Talk with your ISS Counselor at UW and clarify any visa issues.

Academic integrity and misconduct

College of Engineering Academic Conduct Policy

This policy will be in effect beginning in the Autumn 2026 quarter.

College of Engineering students are subject to review and possible removal from the College for repeated violations of the UW Student Conduct Code.

The College administers this review for the following purposes:

• To fulfill accreditation responsibilities under ABET, including ethics education.
• To ensure graduates meet the NCEES Model Code of Professional Conduct and the ethical standards of their discipline.
• To recognize the heightened responsibility of engineering education, after which graduates will be entrusted with the public good.

First Finding of Academic Misconduct

1. Engineering students found responsible for academic misconduct through the centralized UW conduct process will be required to complete an educational activity on engineering ethics.
2. Failure to complete this requirement within the mandated timeframe may result in a registration hold being placed on a student’s account until the time of completion.
3. Graduate students will be placed on Final Academic Alert status after their first academic misconduct finding.
4. If the behavior is deemed egregious, the College of Engineering Office of Academic Affairs may, at its discretion, initiate College review on the first misconduct finding.

Further Findings of Academic Misconduct

1. Students found responsible for any additional academic misconduct must undergo College review, regardless of sanctions assigned by the central UW process (except in cases of dismissal from the UW).
   1. The review must be waived if, at the time of the new violation, the student had not received written notice that the prior conduct investigation had been opened.
2. The College must inform the student of this review. The student must have fourteen days from notice to submit a written response addressing their perspective on the incident and what they have learned.
   1. If the student appeals the UW finding of misconduct, College review pauses until the appeal is resolved.
3. The case will be advanced to administrative review. 

Administrative Review

1. The College of Engineering Office of Academic Affairs must review the student’s academic misconduct history and written response.
2. If it is found that the student’s behavior does not merit consideration of College removal, the student will remain in the College.
3. If such a consensus is not reached, the case must be advanced to CEP review.

CEP Review

1. The Council on Educational Policy (CEP) must convene a subcommittee that includes at least two faculty and two students.
2. An anonymized case file will be compiled. The subcommittee will have fourteen days from the date they were convened to review and discuss the file, including 1) the student’s written response and 2) a statement from the conduct officer who adjudicated the most recent case, if provided.
3. The subcommittee must recommend a decision to CEP: either the student remains in the College or is removed. In case of disagreement within the subcommittee, the threshold will be majority vote. CEP must vote in the context of the subcommittee’s findings.
4. If the vote is to remove, the College must take necessary steps to remove the student from their program effective the next academic quarter.
5. A student who remains in the College may be reviewed again if found responsible for future academic misconduct.

Appeals

1. A student removed from the College under this policy may appeal within fourteen days of receiving the written decision. They may appeal by emailing a request for reconsideration to the Dean of the College of Engineering.
2. Within fourteen days of receiving the request, the Dean (or their designee) must review and issue a written decision. The decision must include any actions to be taken, and must be shared with all parties. 
3. A student may only appeal once under this policy during their time at UW.

Relationship to UW Conduct Process

1. The College must not initiate a review under this policy until the student has been found responsible through the centralized UW conduct process. 
2. College review outcomes will not supersede sanctions assigned via the centralized process.
3. This review process, and any associated appeals, will not overturn the original misconduct finding made through the centralized process. Students seeking to challenge a misconduct finding should submit an appeal through the Community Standards & Student Conduct appeals process.

Factors Considered During College Review

The review considers the student’s entire history of academic misconduct at UW. Factors may include number and severity of violations, similarity between incidents, prior sanctions, whether the incidents prevent faculty from assessing the student’s mastery of essential concepts in their field, the student’s adherence to engineering ethical codes, and the reflection displayed by the student.

College of Engineering Statement of Principles

The UW College of Engineering prepares students to enter the engineering profession and to hold themselves to the highest standards of integrity and honesty – including a commitment to the health, safety and well-being of the communities they serve. Therefore, we are committed to promoting integrity in our teaching, learning and research endeavors.

As a member of the UW College of Engineering and in preparation for entering the engineering profession students are expected to:

• Adhere to the University of Washington Student Code of Conduct and related policies.
• Hold yourself to highest standards of ethics, integrity and accountability in line with becoming a professional engineer.
• Promote academic integrity by:
  • Only submitting your own work -- neither giving nor receiving unauthorized aid on exams or assignments.
  • Always crediting the intellectual work of others by providing proper citations or acknowledgements.
  • Only using or submitting accurate and verifiable data, records or other information.
  • Upholding the standards of conduct established by an instructor or outlined in a course syllabus.
  • Always observing strict standards of laboratory, fabrication and experimental safety to protect yourself and others.

As a UW engineering student, you are expected to follow these conduct codes:

• Code of Ethics for Engineers
• University of Washington Student Conduct Code

Academic misconduct

The full Student Conduct Code is described in Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 478-121. The University has developed a companion policy on academic misconduct, Student Governance Policy, Chapter 209, which explains how student academic misconduct proceedings work and a student’s rights in the process.

Per the conduct code, all alleged academic misconduct by College of Engineering students must be reported to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.

Student conduct process

A brief overview of the process for reviewing reports of possible academic misconduct is outlined below. More information is available from Community Standards & Student Conduct: 

• An instructor submits information and documentation about a case of possible academic misconduct to Community Standards & Student Conduct and the COE Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs using the online reporting tool.
• The report is forwarded to a Conduct Officer. A conduct proceeding will be initiated by the Conduct Officer. The fact-finding process will focus on gathering all of the pertinent information necessary to determine whether or not a violation of the Student Conduct Code occurred.
• An investigative interview will be scheduled for the respondent to review the alleged violation(s) of the Student Conduct Code and the report with the Conduct Officer.
• During the investigative interview, the respondent is provided with an overview of the Student Conduct Process and their rights.
• The respondent has the opportunity to provide their account of what occurred, present relevant evidence, and provide names of witnesses for further consideration by the Conduct Officer during the fact finding process.
• During the fact finding process, the Conduct Officer may initiate a full hearing and the respondent will be notified of this decision. The respondent will then receive further information from the Hearing Officer.
• At the conclusion of the fact finding process, the Conduct Officer will make a decision regarding whether there was a violation of the Student Conduct Code based on a “preponderance of evidence” standard, and if so, the Conduct Officer will also determine what sanctions are appropriate for the violation(s). This written decision is called an Initial Order.
• The respondent has the option to request an administrative review of the decision within 21 days of service of the Initial Order.
• If an administrative review is not requested the Initial Order is considered final.

Student feedback and grievances

The College of Engineering welcomes constructive comments and feedback to help us to improve the student experience. Your informal feedback helps us understand and address student concerns.

You can communicate feedback to us in many ways, such as:

• Completing course evaluation surveys at the end of each quarter
• Having a conversation with staff or faculty, including department chairs
• Sending an email to leadership and staff in the Office of the Dean

Addressing concerns

The University of Washington and the College of Engineering have procedures in place to address most formal concerns and grievances, as listed below. If you would like to discuss any of these procedures, or if you have a concern that is not listed here, please contact the College of Engineering Academic Affairs staff at coeacaff@uw.edu.

Grades or academic evaluation

The UW's Change of Grade Policy helps students who believe that an instructor erred in the assignment of a grade or made a grade recording error or omission. Students should start this process by discussing the issue with the instructor before the end of the following academic quarter.

Misconduct by other students

The UW Office of Community Standards & Student Conduct provides an online reporting form for students to report alleged violations of the UW Student Conduct Code, including behavioral misconduct and academic misconduct such as plagiarism and cheating.

Discriminatory or harassing behavior by a University employee

The Resolution of Complaints Against University Employees policy helps students who have complaints about the behavior of University employees, including behavior that may violate the University’s nondiscrimination and non-retaliation policies.

Graduate student employment

The Student Employee Support Flowchart helps graduate students employed as a teaching assistant, research assistant, or other graduate student assistant to understand who can assist them with concerns or issues related to their appointments.

Academic accommodations

UW Disability Resources for Students (DRS) partners with students with disabilities to request accommodations that grant access to educational opportunities. Students can register with DRS to request academic accommodations.

Academic grievances

The College of Engineering grievance process is available for students to address academic complaints or issues, including, but not limited to: academic policies, grading practices, fair treatment, etc.

Within three months of the incident, students must either: 1) initiate an informal request for conciliation or 2) file a formal complaint.  Students are encouraged to open the conversation in writing to provide a timestamp.

Informal process

1. Students are first encouraged to attempt, in good faith, to resolve any grievance with the member(s) of the faculty or academic staff most directly concerned. All parties are urged to make a sincere effort to resolve the issue at this level.
   • The Office of the Ombud of the University of Washington has been established to assist in the protection of the rights of all members of the UW community. In order to facilitate early and informal resolution of grievances, the ombudsman will be available, at the request of any party concerned, to act as an impartial conciliator. The Office of the Ombud may be called upon to intervene at any stage of grievance procedures.
     
2. If direct communications at Step 1 are not successful in resolving the issue, the student should contact the appropriate department chair about the issue. This step represents the effort of a third party to examine the situation with some degree of objectivity and attempt to resolve the issue in an informal way.
3. If the issue cannot be resolved at the department level with the chair, the problem may be referred to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. The Associate Dean may attempt a resolution.
   • Students should note that the Associate Dean may directly inform the Dean of any complaints. The Dean reserves the right to address the matter by administrative action, especially when the actions of a UW employee are involved. Administrative action can occur independently of any grievance procedures pursued by the student.
   • Graduate students may choose to request assistance in the informal process from the Graduate School pursuant to Policy 3.8.
4. If all efforts at informal resolution of the problem prove to be unsuccessful, the next step involves filing a formal written grievance complaint. Review the information below for the separate processes for graduate and non-graduate (undergraduate, non-matriculated, etc.) students.

Formal process

1. A student who has not had their issue resolved through the informal process can open a formal grievance procedure by submitting a written complaint to the Dean of the College of Engineering. Upon receipt of the written complaint, the Dean of the College of Engineering (or their designee) shall refer the matter to an ad hoc committee, appointed by the Dean, which shall consist of three tenured faculty members and two students. The chairperson of the committee shall be a faculty member appointed by the Dean. It shall be the responsibility of the committee to provide the student a fair and impartial hearing regarding the filed grievance.
2. The Dean of the College of Engineering (or their designee) shall notify all persons directly involved and provide each with a copy of the written complaint. The chairperson shall establish a time and place of the hearing to be held within 15 school days after the receipt of the formal grievance by the Dean.
3. All parties may individually and personally present evidence and testimony necessary either to establish or to refute the alleged grievance. Only evidence presented at such a hearing shall be considered in determining the validity of the complaint.
4. All hearings must be conducted in closed session; however, by mutual agreement of the student and the concerned faculty or staff, the hearing may be opened to the public to the extent mutually agreed.
5. All documentation of the proceedings shall be kept on record. Such a summary shall be maintained for a period of five years in order to ensure adequate review, if requested.
6. Within 10 school days after the adjournment of the hearing, the committee shall present to the Dean (or their designee), with copies to all parties involved, a report of the committee, including findings of fact, conclusions, and recommendations. The committee shall reach its findings and recommendations by a majority vote. Dissenting opinions may be presented with the majority report, if desired.
7. Within 10 school days after receipt of the committee report, the Dean (or their designee) shall issue a decision on the grievance. Such a decision and the reasons therefore, together with an enumeration of the actions to be taken, if any, shall be transmitted to all parties.
8. The decision of the Dean (or their designee) shall become final at the close of 21 days after issuance.

Appeals process (non-graduate students)

1. The student who originally filed the grievance — and any individual filed against — may, within 21 days of the decision, file a written request with the Provost of the University for consideration of the decision by the Provost.
2. If the Provost concludes there have been any procedural irregularities in the proceedings or finds there is any basis for reconsideration they shall, within ten days of their receipt of the written request, remand the matter to the Dean for appropriate action. Otherwise, the decision of the Dean shall become final.

Appeals process (graduate students)

1.  Within 15 business days of the conclusion of the school or college-level grievance procedure (receipt of the decision letter), a graduate student may file an appeal with the dean of The Graduate School alleging a lack of procedural uniformity in the unit’s application of their grievance procedure. Refer to Policy 3.8 for more information regarding the appeals process.

Foreign language courses

The College of Engineering does not have a foreign language requirement. Students interested in studying a foreign language should be aware of the ways different foreign language courses may satisfy general education requirements.

The College follows the central University of Washington policy regarding the applicability of foreign language courses to the A&H (Arts & Humanities; formerly VLPA (Visual, Literary and Performing Arts)) general education requirement.

• First-year foreign/global language courses that, on their own, carry the A&H designation can apply to the A&H requirement (e.g. first-year courses in German, Swedish).
• First-year foreign/global language courses (e.g. 101 and 102) that do not, on their own, carry the A&H designation can apply to the A&H requirement only if the third quarter is completed. This applies to first-year courses such as Spanish, French and Italian. In order to apply for the A&H requirement, courses must be completed with a numerical grade.

Example scenarios

• Student completes GERMAN 101 = 5 credits of A&H
• Student completes CHIN 101-102-103 = 15 credits of A&H
• Student completes the language placement exam and places into 102 (skips 101), completes 102-103 = 10 credits of A&H
• Student completes the language placement exam and places into 103 (skips 101-102), completes 103 = 5 credits of A&H

Technology expectations

Laptop specifications

If you already own a laptop, there’s no need to go buy a new one if yours meets the minimum specifications listed below. If you are buying a new laptop, we strongly suggest you buy one with the recommended specifications. The goal is to make sure this laptop will last you your entire time at UW.

	Minimum Specifications	Recommended Specifications
Processor	Intel Core i5 (10th Gen or newer), AMD Ryzen 5 (4000 series or newer), or Apple M1	Intel Core i7 (12th Gen or newer), AMD Ryzen 7 (5000 series or newer), or Apple M2/M3
Memory (RAM)	8GB	16GB or more
Storage	256 GB Solid State Drive (SSD)	512 GB SSD or larger
Graphics	Integrated graphics (Intel Iris Xe, AMD Radeon Vega, or Apple M1/M2)	Dedicated GPU (e.g., NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 or AMD Radeon RX 7600M)
Display		15-inch or larger, Full HD (1920x1080) or higher resolution
Operating System	Windows 11 24H2 or greater; LTSC versions are not supported MacOS version 15 (Sequoia) or newer	Windows 11 24H2 or greater; LTSC versions are not supported MacOS version 15 (Sequoia) or newer
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), webcam, and microphone	Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), webcam, and microphone

Administrative

Technical/specifications

Software and accessories

Interdisciplinary Engineering Building policies

The Interdisciplinary Engineering Building (IEB) serves as an academic home for all undergraduate engineering students. Spaces can be reserved for events, meetings and more.

Review IEB policies