The average successful freshman applicant to the University of Washington has a 1370 SAT and a 3.8 GPA. If you fell short of these numbers and weren’t offered a spot at the Seattle campus directly out of high school, you can still become a Husky. While still a competitive process, this school extends offers to thousands of qualified transfer applicants each year. This blog will share the University of Washington transfer acceptance rate as well as other essential pieces of information like the University of Washington transfer deadline, the requirements/checklist for applicants, the University of Washington transfer decision date, and much more.

University of Washington Transfer Acceptance Rate

Below we present the most current available University of Washington transfer acceptance rate as well as historical data.

In the fall of 2021, the University of Washington received 4,754 applications and accepted 2,299 members of that group. This means that the University of Washington transfer acceptance rate is 48%.

If we break this down by gender, the acceptance rates are as follows:

  • Male transfer applicants: 46%
  • Female transfer applicants: 50%

As with their first-year admissions, the University of Washington favors Washington residents in the process. A few years back, their acceptance rate for applicants from WA-based community colleges was 66%. U.S. students from out of state were admitted at a 20% clip. International students only had a 7% admit rate.

When trying to get the complete picture on how difficult it is to transfer into a given school, it is important to also look at historical data. Many schools have wild fluctuations in transfer acceptance rate from year to year. Yet this is not the case at University of Washington which has been remarkably consistent in recent years.

Historical transfer rates are as follows:

Year Acceptance Rate
2020 49%
2019 47%
2018 46%

 University of Washington Transfer Deadline

The university offers a fall, winter, and spring (for certain programs only) transfer option. The University of Washington transfer deadline for fall applicants is February 15. Spring applicants apply by December 15 (again, only for certain programs. The deadline for winter applicants is September 1.

UW Transfer Requirements

The University of Washington transfer requirements are as follows:

  • The University of Washington uses their own application
  • Final high school transcripts (if you have less than 40 quarter credits)
  • Official college transcripts
  • SAT/ACT (optional)
  • No letters of recommendation are required or permitted

Students who have the best chance to gain admission to the University of Washington have done the following:

  • Are in the process of completing at least 40 quarter credit hours.
  • Have completed their major’s stated Course Requirements.
  • Earned stellar grades in their first year at a community college or 4-year university.
  • The best route to enter the University of Washington is through attending an in-state community college.

University of Washington Transfer GPA

According to the university, a few years ago, the average transfer GPA was 3.53. However, for non-residents, a 3.75 or better puts candidates in a much better position. Out-of-state applicants will definitely want to earn as many A’s as possible on their transcripts.

University of Washington Transfer Writing Supplement

All applicants must write a personal statement and submit it with the transfer application for admission. The personal statement should be a comprehensive narrative essay outlining significant aspects of your academic and personal history, particularly those that provide context for your academic achievements and educational choices. Quality of writing and depth of content contribute toward a meaningful and relevant personal statement (750-1,000 words).

You should address the following topics in your personal statement. Within each subtopic, such as Academic History, write only about what is meaningful to your life and experience. Do not feel compelled to address each and every question.

Required elements

Academic History

  • Tell us about your college career to date, describing your performance, educational path and choices.
  • Explain any situations that may have had a significant positive or negative impact on your academic progress or curricular choices. If you transferred multiple times, had a significant break in your education or changed career paths, explain.
  • What are the specific reasons you wish to leave your most recent college/university or program of study?

Your major & career goals

  • Tell us about your intended major and career aspirations.
  • Explain your plans to prepare for the major. What prerequisite courses do you expect to complete before transferring? What led you to choose this major? If you are still undecided, why? What type of career are you most likely to pursue after finishing your education?
  • How will the UW help you attain your academic, career and personal goals?
  • If you selected a competitive major, you have the option of selecting a second-choice major in the event you are not admitted to your first-choice major. Please address major or career goals for your second-choice major, if applicable.

Cultural Understanding

Our families and communities often define us and our individual worlds. Community might refer to your cultural group, extended family, religious group, neighborhood or school, sports team or club, co-workers, etc. Describe the world you come from and how you, as a product of it, might add to the diversity of the University of Washington.

UW Transfer Decision Date

University of Washington transfer decisions are made between May 1 and June 30 for those seeking to start in the fall. The winter notification period is from November 1 to December 15.

Final Thoughts – University of Washington Transfer Acceptance Rate

Typically, 30% of incoming transfers attended a community college. It is important to know that “among community college transfer students, the highest admission priority is given to those with academic associate degrees and those with 90 transferable credits taken in preparation for a professional academic major. Applicants with fewer than 90 credits may be admitted when early transfer is advisable, but the number of such transfers will remain small.”

The University of Washington does not offer many spots to applicants who have not yet completed 40 quarter hours. If you are serious about getting into this school, make sure you first complete that number of college credits.

If you are looking for information on how to apply to the University of Washington as a first-year student, you may find the following blogs to be of interest:

Those searching for application info on other institutions may wish to visit our Dataverse pages/blogs:

Dave has over a decade of professional experience that includes work as a teacher, high school administrator, college professor, and independent educational consultant. He is a co-author of the books The Enlightened College Applicant (Rowman & Littlefield, 2016) and Colleges Worth Your Money (Rowman & Littlefield, 2020).