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Future students

Post baccalaureate and non-matriculated students

Post baccalaureate

An individual with a previously earned bachelor’s degree may pursue a second degree at the UW as a post baccalaureate (aka “postbac” or “fifth year”) student. Postbac students should complete the BSCE program prerequisites at a community college or through UW Professional & Continuing Education as a non-matriculated student.

How to apply

Postbac applicants must apply to the University of Washington for post baccalaureate admissions and submit the College of Engineering online application to the Civil & Environmental Engineering Department. The two-step application process is detailed below:

Apply to UW

When applying to UW through the Office of Admissions, indicate your interest in the CEE major. Deadlines for UW applications are significantly sooner than for engineering, so start your planning process early. Deadline for autumn quarter: February 15.

Apply to CEE

Applicants who meet UW CEE admissions requirements may apply to the department via the College of Engineering application form. The Civil and Environmental Engineering Department accepts new majors for autumn quarter only. Students may choose to apply for admission to the UW for an earlier quarter, for example in summer or winter quarter, but admission to the CEE major will be for autumn quarter only. Deadline for autumn quarter: April 5, 5 p.m.

The College of Engineering online application form opens approximately two weeks prior to the April 5 application deadline. As part of the online application, applicants must submit the following:

Personal statement:
Write a brief personal statement (one page, single spaced) that will give the departmental admissions committee a better understanding of your interest in the program. You may wish to:
  • Describe your experience (e.g., work, research, leadership, or extracurricular) as well as your future goals.
  • Use the personal statement or provide a supplemental statement to discuss any unusual or extenuating circumstances that may contribute to a better understanding of your record. For example, if you have had to overcome significant obstacles (medical, financial, cultural or personal) to reach where you are now, you may wish to discuss these and how they have affected your education.
  • If you are requesting conditional admission, address this in your personal statement and indicate when and how you plan to resolve the deficiency.
Transcripts:
Submit unofficial transcripts electronically (as a PDF) through the online application.

Notes:

Letters of support for postbac applicants
The CEE Department does not provide letters of support for individual postbac applicants. Postbac applicants selected to be offered admission to the CEE major will be recommended for admission to the UW. The UW Admissions Office will typically honor the recommendations of the CEE Admissions Committee (unless there are critical deficiencies for UW admissions). It is strongly recommended that postbac students contact the CEE Department early (prior to application to the UW) to discuss their application.
International applicants
International post baccalaureate applicants file an international application, not a post baccalaureate application, and must meet the international student deadlines.
More information
See the UW Office of Admissions.

Non-matriculated enrollment

Classes may be taken on a course-by-course basis without being in a degree program or admitted to the UW by enrolling as a non-degree seeking student. Non-Matriculated (NM) or Graduate Non-Matriculated (GNM) student may register for a class on the Non-Degree Enrollment Website. Courses taken GNM may be applied to a graduate degree program in the future. Courses taken simply as "non-matriculated" (NM) will not be applicable to a graduate program.

A signature from the course instructor is required on the course approval form. Ideally, interested students will connect with the instructor directly (via email or in person) for approval. If the instructor wishes to give permission to enroll via email, the instructor can copy his/her note to the CEE Advising Staff at ceadvice@uw.edu (for undergraduate courses) or ceginfo@uw.edu (for graduate level courses), and the advising staff will sign on behalf of the instructor.