University of Washington Transfer Acceptance Rate — 2024

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, University of Washington transfer application requirements, the UW 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.

For entry in the fall of 2022, 4,635 students applied for transfer admission, and 2,140 were successful. This means that the University of Washington transfer acceptance rate is 46.1%. If we break this down by gender, the acceptance rates are as follows:

• Male applicants: 43.8%
• Female applicants: 48.2%

For entry 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 was 48%.

As with their first-year admissions, the University of Washington favors Washington residents in the process. Between 2020-22, their acceptance rate for applicants from WA-based community colleges was 69%. The admit rate for all other four- and two-year institutions combined was 24%.

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

Historical transfer rates are as follows:

 University of Washington Transfer Application Deadline

The university offers fall, winter, spring, and summer transfer options. The UW transfer application deadline for fall applicants is February 15. Most students will and should apply for this quarter. Spring applicants apply by December 15, but this cycle is only open to applicants for specific departments in engineering and computer science. The deadline for winter applicants is September 1. This cycle is not open to international students.

University of Washington 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

UW Transfer Acceptance Rate (Continued)

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. If you have not earned at least 40 quarter credit hours, you must have completed the College Academic Distribution Requirements to be considered.
• Have completed their major’s stated Course Requirements. This can be complex, so we’d recommend a careful review of guidelines.
• Earned stellar grades in their first year at a community college or 4-year university.
• Attended an in-state community college.

UW Transfer GPA

Applicants must have a minimum GPA of 2.5 to be considered for transfer. That said, between 2020 and 2022, the mid-50% GPA for admitted transfer students was 3.24-3.85. For non-residents, a 3.75 or better puts candidates in a much better position. Out-of-state applicants will want to earn as many A’s as possible on their transcripts.

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.

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?

UW Transfer Acceptance Rate (Continued)

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.

Optional elements (include if applicable)

Educational challenges/personal hardships

Describe any personal or imposed challenges or hardships you have overcome in pursuing your education. For example: serious illness; disability; first generation in your family to attend college; significant financial hardship or responsibilities associated with balancing work, family and school.

UW Transfer Acceptance Rate (Continued)

Community or volunteer service

Describe your community or volunteer service, including leadership, awards or increased levels of responsibility.

Experiential learning

Describe your involvement in research, artistic endeavors and work (paid or volunteer) as it has contributed to your academic, career or personal goals.

Additional comments

Do you have a compelling academic or personal need to attend the Seattle campus of the UW at this time? Is there anything else you would like us to know?

Format

Content, as well as form, spelling, grammar and punctuation, will be considered. Suggested length is 750-1000 words.

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

The university’s goals and priorities are as follows: “Among transfer students, the highest admission priority is given to Washington community and technical college transfer students with either an academic associate degree or 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. Additionally, they prioritize high academic achievement, clear academic goals, and intentional major preparation.

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:

• How to Get Into University of Washington
• University of Washington Supplemental Essay Prompt and Tips

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

• Transfer Admissions Deadlines
• Transfer Acceptance Rates