Admissions

Create your applicant profile and start your application

The application for graduate study at UW is hosted by the UW Graduate School. Create an application account and fill out your applicant profile. Complete the “Profile Information,” “Contact Information,” and “Ethnicity Information.”

Under “Program Selection,” select ‘Graduate’ for your application type and select Computer Science & Engineering – Ph.D. as your program. Then, under “Program Requirements,” select your desired entry quarter and year. The rest of the application will not appear until you have completed this section as well as the “Academic History” section.

Academic history

Report each higher education institution you have attended and your dates of attendance. For each school, upload unofficial copies of your transcript and report your cumulative and major GPA. For support converting international GPAs to the 4-point scale, you may use Scholaro’s free calculator.

Official transcripts are not required during the application process; you will only have to submit official documents to the UW Graduate School if you accept an admission offer. At that time, you should provide your documents according to the Graduate School’s official transcript requirements.

Research Interests & Faculty Advising

If you are confident that you’d like to work with any particular faculty member(s), you may indicate their name(s) in the supplemental question. This question is optional but is strongly encouraged to make sure your application is reviewed by the appropriate reviewers during the admissions process. For a list of faculty and a description of their research, see our faculty directory. You do not need to contact faculty prior to applying, nor is it expected.

Recommendation letters

The best folks to write letters of recommendation are those people who can speak to your demonstrated research potential with specific details about the work you’ve done. They are usually academic supervisors, but can come from any source. It is not recommended to use personal references that can’t speak to your demonstrated research potential.

When you designate someone as a recommender, the application system will automatically send them an email with a link to follow to upload their letter. The email will indicate the application deadline of your desired entry quarter and specify that letters need to be received by that date.

Resume or CV

Personal statement

The purpose of the personal statement (sometimes referred to as a statement of purpose, or “the essay”) is to provide a narrative of your approach to the PhD program. This is also where applicants can share particular strengths that might not appear in their other application materials, or where they can provide context for any aspects of their academic or professional backgrounds that they feel might be of concern.

Please craft your statement around the following prompt:

Submit a personal statement of that includes: a) how you became interested in doing research, b) a relevant project or research experience that shows your technical knowledge and skill, and c) your plans for the future in computer science. You may wish to include information about what you feel are the strengths of your application, such as special interests and abilities, or give explanations for what you feel are any weaknesses in your academic record. If you have background that might particularly contribute to the intellectual and social enrichment of the program, please describe it. Examples include unique educational or cultural opportunities (or lack of them), social and economic disadvantages that you may have had to overcome, and interesting or unusual influences on your intellectual development.

Proof of English proficiency

The Graduate School accepts the methods below by which an applicant may demonstrate their proficiency:

Having earned a degree in the United States in which English was the language of instruction; or, having earned a degree in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, or certain other countries specified in Policy 3.2 and where English was the language of instruction.


Documentation from your undergraduate degree-granting institution, if outside the US or one of the countries specified in Policy 3.2, verifying that all instruction is in English (for example, transcript notation or attested document issued by the institution).


Official, valid English language proficiency test scores sent electronically to UW through your testing center showing that a minimum score was earned. Scores are valid for two years from test date. The Ph.D. Program accepts the following:




• TOEFL scores showing a minimum total score or MyBest score of 92 or higher. UW’s ETS institution code is 4854.
  
• Academic IELTS scores showing a total score of 7.0 or higher. Applicants using IELTS test scores must submit official scores electronically via the IELTS system (E-TRF), using the University of Washington’s organization ID 365.
  
• Duolingo English Test scores showing a minimum total score of 120 or higher. Duolingo scores must be sent to “University of Washington Graduate Admissions (Bothell, Seattle, Tacoma)” through the applicant’s Duolingo English Test account. See: How do I send my Duolingo English Test results to institutions?

Application fee

The UW Graduate School administers the online application portal and collects an $90, non-refundable application fee for all graduate program applications to UW. The last page of the PhD program application directs you to the TouchNet payment portal; after paying you will be directed back to the Graduate School application system to submit your application to the PhD Program.

Both steps – making payment and then submitting the application – must be completed in order for your application to be finalized and viewable to application reviewers.

Application fee waivers are available from the UW Graduate School to some domestic students who demonstrate financial need. The PhD program does not offer fee waivers at the program/department level.

The Allen School also offers to pay your fees if you are a member of one of several different professional groups. You can find out more information here.

Submit your application

Both steps – making payment and then submitting the application – must be completed in order for your application to be finalized and viewable to application reviewers.

Applicant profile, contact information, and academic history

Create an account in the UW Graduate School’s online application portal. We recommend using a personal email address rather than a school or work email (this is to ensure that you have an active secondary contact email address on file throughout your association with UW).

With your applicant account created, you can provide some basic profile information and begin your application to the PMP:

Profile Information

Take care to ensure this information is accurate, with particular attention to the questions regarding citizenship and residency and whether you are a native English speaker.

B>Contact Information

Enter your local address (where you currently reside) and your permanent address. Note: applicants must physically reside in the Seattle/Puget Sound area at the time of application in order to be considered for admission.

Academic history

Applicants should carefully review the UW Graduate School’s minimum admission requirements for baccalaureate degrees. In general, applicants must hold a 4-year degree or its foreign equivalent.

Report each higher education institution you have attended and your dates of attendance.

• For each, upload unofficial copies of your transcript and report your cumulative GPA.
  For support converting international GPAs to the 4-point scale, you may use Scholaro’s free calculator.

• For the school(s) where you have previously earned a degree, your documents must indicate the degree and when it was awarded.
  Transcripts and marksheets often indicate this information. If your transcript and degree statement were issued separately, then please combine your unofficial copies into one file before uploading.

Official transcripts are not required during the application process; you will only have to submit official documents to the UW Graduate School if you accept an admission offer. At that time, you should provide your documents according to the Graduate School’s official transcript requirements.

Program selection

To start your application to the PMP, select ‘Graduate’ for your application type.

For program, select Computer Science & Engineering – Evening PMP.

Indicate your desired entry quarter and year

Select the quarter and year you wish to enter the PMP and take note of that term’s application deadline. In general, applications open one year in advance of the deadline.

Review Program Requirements

IMPORTANT: Review program requirements and prerequisites carefully before proceeding with your application. Questions about your eligibility or any program requirements should be directed to PMP staff at masters [at] cs [dot] washington [dot] edu.

Academic and professional interests

Use the drop-down menus to select and rank your top three academic and/or professional interest areas. This is collected for informational purposes only; your selections do not affect your degree requirements or opportunities for course selection.

Application materials

Upload your personal statement, resume or curriculum vitae, and academic background form. When possible, please upload documents in PDF format.

Personal statement

The purpose of the personal statement (sometimes referred to as a statement of purpose, or “the essay”) is to provide a narrative of your approach to the PMP. This is also where applicants can share particular strengths that might not appear in their other application materials, or where they can provide context for any aspects of their academic or professional backgrounds that they feel might be of concern.

Your statement should be ~one page in length, or ~750 words. Please craft your statement around the following prompt:

Please describe your academic and professional backgrounds and qualifications, the areas of study that most interest you, and how the PMP will help you reach your professional goals.

Resume or CV

Upload a current copy of your resume or CV that provides detailed descriptions of your job tasks and technical skills. There are no requirements for length or formatting; you may be as descriptive as you would like and may utilize more than one page.

Academic background form

The purpose of the academic background form is to provide broader context about your academic preparation beyond what appears on your transcript(s); specifically, it is meant to describe where and how you acquired your proficiency in four areas of computer science knowledge. There are no particular requirements for formatting.

To create your academic background form: Create a new document and for each area of knowledge below, list relevant higher education coursework (institution, course number, title, textbook if possible) or other education such as boot camps, certificates, MOOCS, etc. We prefer academic information be listed on this document, but applicable non-academic information can be used as a second choice as long as it is accompanied by relevant description.

• HARDWARE (e.g. computer architecture, digital circuit design, digital systems, embedded systems)
  
• SOFTWARE (e.g. compilers, computer networks, operating systems, programming systems, software engineering)
  
• THEORY & ALGORITHMS (e.g. data structures and algorithms, discrete structures, theory of computation)
  
• APPLICATIONS (e.g. AI, computer graphics, database systems)
  

The academic background form should be a new document that you have created. Please do not upload your transcript, resume, degree certificate, etc. in this section.

Recommendation letters

Two letters are required from all applicants, however applicants may designate a third recommender if they wish (this is optional and the presence of a third letter does not affect the admission decision).

Letters should be from current or former supervisors, leads or project managers, or others who are familiar with the technical specifics of your work projects and can provide specific descriptions and examples of your hands-on computing preparation; technical skills, qualities, and abilities; and how those elements will contribute to your success in the PMP.

When you designate someone as a recommender, the application system will automatically send them an email with a link to follow to upload their letter. The email will indicate the application deadline of your desired entry quarter and specify that letters need to be received by that date.

Proof of English proficiency

All applicants who are non-native speakers of English must enclose proof of their English proficiency in their applications. For official policy information, please review Graduate Policy 3.2: English Language Proficiency Requirements. Admission offers cannot be sent without proof of English proficiency being enclosed in the application.

The PMP accepts the methods below by which an applicant may demonstrate their proficiency:

1. Having earned a degree in the United States in which English was the language of instruction; or, having earned a degree in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, or certain other countries specified in Policy 3.2 and where English was the language of instruction.
   
2. Medium of instruction document: Documentation from a prior degree-granting institution, if outside the US or one of the countries specified in Policy 3.2, verifying that all instruction is in English (for example, transcript notation or attested document issued by the institution). A minimum of three years of enrollment at the institution is required.
   
3. Official, valid English language proficiency test scores sent electronically to UW through your testing center showing that a minimum score was earned. Scores are valid for two years from test date. The PMP accepts the following:
   
   • TOEFL scores showing a minimum total score or MyBest score of 92 or higher. UW’s ETS institution code is 4854.
     
   • Academic IELTS scores showing a total score of 7.0 or higher. Applicants using IELTS test scores must submit official scores electronically via the IELTS system (E-TRF), using the University of Washington’s organization ID 365.
     
   • Duolingo English Test scores showing a minimum total score of 125 or higher. Duolingo scores must be sent to “University of Washington Graduate Admissions (Bothell, Seattle, Tacoma)” through the applicant’s Duolingo English Test account. See: How do I send my Duolingo English Test results to institutions?
   
   

Review and submit your application

Ensure your application is complete and ready to be submitted– that is, you have accurately entered all required information and uploaded copies of all required documents. When you are ready, click to submit your application.

Pay application fee

Immediately after clicking to submit your application you are taken to the TouchNet payment portal to pay the $85, non-refundable application fee (this fee is retained by the UW Graduate School and is collected for all graduate program applications at UW). Pay the fee to finalize your application and make it available to the PMP for review.

Note: starting with the autumn 2025 application cycle, the applcation fee will increase to $90.

Application fee waivers are available from the UW Graduate School to some domestic students who demonstrate financial need. The PMP does not offer fee waivers at the program/department level.