To gain admission to the UW chemical engineering graduate program, a student must apply to both the UW Graduate School and the Department of Chemical Engineering. It is essential that both the Graduate School and the Department receive the materials they require by the deadlines in order to be considered for admission.
- The UW Graduate School oversees all graduate programs. It collects basic application data and enforces certain minimum standards.
- The Department of Chemical Engineering administers the chemical engineering program. It collects additional data (details of professional experience, honors, and letters of recommendation, etc.) and imposes additional standards. Its Graduate Admissions Committee—a group of three faculty members—reviews each case.
We regret that we cannot accept all qualified applicants. To be competitive, such applicants must be highly ranked (top 5%) in a respected chemical engineering program, show evidence of the ability to carry out independent research and score at least 92 (internet-based) on the TOEFL. For specific Graduate School English Proficiency Requirements review Policy 3.2, and for Conditions of Appointment for TAs who are not Native Speakers of English review Policy 5.2.
Dates
We strongly prefer that students apply for Autumn Quarter (September) admission, in which case the following timetable applies:
| December 15 (prior year) |
International applicants urged to have submitted all required materials |
| January 1 | Domestic applicants urged to have submitted all required materials |
| Early January | Application review begins and continues until we reach our offer target. The application dates listed are not hard deadlines; we process late applications whenever they are complete, but they are at a disadvantage. |
| April 15 | Admitted applicants must either accept or decline our offer. If the number accepting is below our target, we might make additional offers. |
| July 1 | Official closure of admissions |
Those wishing to be admitted for winter or spring quarters must have completed at least one year of graduate coursework in chemical engineering. Please be advised that the chances of admission during off-quarters are sharply reduced because we do nearly all of our lab placements in autumn, and we typically have very few or no projects available for new students at other times of the year.
Step-by-Step Instructions for International Applicants
An international student is anyone who is not a U.S. citizen and does not hold a U.S. Permanent Resident Visa. International students already studying in the U.S. must also use this procedure.
- Unless you are exempt, take the TOEFL (UW is phasing out accepting IELTS; any test with a date after Nov 1, 2016, cannot be accepted). Have scores reported to the UW (school code 4854).
- Apply to the UW Graduate School. All applicants apply online; there is no paper-based application form. Submit the following materials:
- Unofficial transcripts and degree statements from each college and university you have attended (preferably in pdf format). Do not send official transcripts; if admitted, you will be asked to submit official transcripts directly to the Graduate School.
- Letters of recommendation: Ask three people to provide evaluations. The most useful and influential evaluations are from professors and other technical professionals who know our program and have recommended other students. Include at least one professor from the school most recently attended. Designate these recommenders in the online application and request that the letters be submitted online (not mailed to the department).
- Personal Statement: Please provide a statement (suggested length of 1 page) describing your goals for graduate school, your reason for applying to the University of Washington, and any other background information you would like us to consider.
- Optional: resume/CV and writing sample. An article written in English, submitted to or published in a journal, is the only writing sample accepted; limit of one per applicant.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Domestic Applicants
The following applies if you are a U.S. citizen or hold a U.S. Permanent Resident Visa.
- Apply to the UW Graduate School. All applicants apply online; there is no paper-based application form. Submit the following materials online:
- Unofficial transcripts from each college and university you have attended (preferably in pdf format). Do not send official transcripts to the UW Graduate School or the chemical engineering department; if admitted you will be asked to send official transcripts directly to the Graduate School.
- Letters of recommendation: Ask three people to provide evaluations. The most useful and influential evaluations are from professors and other technical professionals who know our program and have recommended other students. Include at least one professor from the school you most recently attended. Designate these recommenders in the online application and request that the letters be submitted online (not mailed to the department).
- Personal statement: Please provide a statement (suggested length of 1 page) describing your goals for graduate school, your reason for applying to the University of Washington, and any other background information you would like us to consider.
- Optional: resume/CV and/or writing sample. An article submitted to or published in a journal is the only writing sample accepted; limit of one per applicant.