If you were admitted to the UW as a freshman and selected engineering-undeclared or an engineering major (other than computer engineering) as your first-choice major on your application, you will automatically be considered for Direct to College (DTC) admission.

If admitted DTC, 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 freshman year. Admission to DTC is only available in autumn quarter.

For more information on the application process and deadlines, visit the College of Engineering’s Freshman admission website.

Welcome to the University of Washington College of Engineering! 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. At the end of your freshman year, you will request placement into an engineering major. The requirements to request placement are as follows:

• Maintain a minimum 2.00 ENGRUD GPA.
• Complete placement requirements with grades of 2.0 or above in each course.

If you meet placement requirements, and list six majors in your placement request, you are guaranteed to be placed into one of the engineering majors. However, you may or may not be placed in your first choice major. Some majors may receive more placement requests than they can accommodate. Learn more about the placement process.

This is the only admission point to ME for current UW students admitted to a major other than through the Direct to College pathway. Applicants have completed at least four quarters of equivalent college-level coursework and are on track to begin the department curriculum in the Autumn quarter of their Junior year. Applications will open mid-March and the final deadline to apply is 5:00 pm on April 5th.

Ensure you are on track to apply

Find information about the application requirements and the additional lower-division coursework, referred to as enrollment requirements, required for the engineering programs you are considering. While the application requirements are your priority courses to take, it is important to ensure you have a plan to complete the enrollment requirements prior to starting in the major.

Compare majors: Required courses by department »
Comparison of the application and enrollment requirements for the different engineering majors.

Department application requirements

• Cumulative UW GPA of 2.5 or higher
• Grade of 2.0 or higher in each required course
• Prerequisite course requirements: Must be completed by the department application deadline.

Department enrollment requirements

• Cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher
• Grade of 2.0 or higher in each application and enrollment requirement
• Complete the following enrollment requirements (coursework to be completed prior to enrolling in the Autumn):

Any offer of admission is contingent on completion of enrollment requirements with a grade at 2.0 or higher and maintenance of a cumulative GPA at or above a 2.5.

¹ Students are strongly encouraged to complete the 3-quarter calculus based physics sequence before enrolling in a Mechanical Engineering program.

² Although the courses are not required for admission, math beyond calculus is required for junior level ME coursework. Students are highly encouraged to complete differential equations and matrix algebra before entering into junior year.

If you started your engineering studies at another college or university and are looking to transfer to UW engineering, you must complete the application requirements by April 5, and the enrollment requirements by no later than the beginning of autumn quarter.

Department application requirements

• Cumulative UW GPA of 2.5 or higher
• Grade of 2.0 or higher in each required course
• Prerequisite course requirements: Must be completed by the department application deadline.

Department enrollment requirements

The following courses must be completed by the beginning of your Autumn quarter enrollment to ensure that you can graduate on-time. Although they are not required, we strongly encourage you to complete these courses prior to enrolling into the major.

How to apply

To apply as a transfer student, you will need to apply to the UW by the application deadline listed for your intended start quarter. If you miss the UW application deadline, you will not be able to apply to an engineering major.

You will then apply to the majors of your choice using the Engineering Application.

Postbac Students

Students who have earned a bachelor's degree are eligible to apply to the department as a post-baccalaureate. The admissions process will be the most similar to a transfer student, but you much apply first to UW as a postbac and then apply to the department through major application due April 5th. Typically, completing the application and enrollment requirements requires 2 years at a community college before becoming eligible to transfer into UW Seattle. For a list of course requirements, consult the table above.

Learn more

Attend a Transfer Thursday session hosted by the UW to get an overview of the process.