Apply to Bioengineering (BS)
- BS Bioe information Session
- Direct Admission
- Early Admission
- Upper Admission
- Transfer Admission
- The Application
- Selection factors
- Arranging a visit
BS Bioe information session
Prospective bioengineers should attend an information session before requesting an individual appointment. Info sessions are led by BIOE advising staff and students. The first 45 minutes of the session cover the curriculum, admission, and research and other opportunities. The last half-hour is reserved to answer individual schedule and application questions. If you have such questions, please bring a copy of your current transcript for the advisor to review.
BS Bioe information sessions, dates and times
Direct Admission
The normal admission point is at the end of the freshman year, via Early Admission. However, Bioengineering also admits a small number (12-15) entering freshmen directly into the major. Students who wish to be considered for Direct Freshman Admission (DFA) should list BIOEN as their major of first choice on the freshman application. DFA applicants should use the optional essay question (“Is there anything else you would like us to know about you?”) to explain their interest in bioengineering and in the UW’s program. Please make sure your overall freshman application reflects any important experiences related to math, science, and engineering. Read more about our selection factors here.
Applicants will be notified by email of the DFA decision in the last week of March. Students offered Direct Freshman Admission will automatically be considered for a departmental scholarship. Scholarship offers will also be made by email at the same time as offers of departmental admission.
Arranging a visit to the department
We encourage you to visit UW to help you make an informed decision. Please see our instructions for arranging a visit.
DFA FAQ
Is DFA a good idea for you? If you aren’t offered DFA, should you come to UW anyway? Please read our Frequently Asked Questions here.
Early Admission
Students who entered UW on a freshman application may apply for Early Admission at the end of their first year. Early Admission is for Autumn quarter only; the application deadline is July 1. To be eligible, 35 credits of prerequisites must be completed. Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and Running Start credits may be used to fulfill prerequisites, but 15 prerequisite credits must have been taken at UW. (For students who enter the University with calculus and chemistry sequences completed, please proceed to some of the second year math and science courses to fulfill your 15 UW credits).
Early Admission Pre-requisites
Course |
Credits |
|---|---|
CHEM 142, 152, 162 (or honors equivalent) |
15 |
MATH 124, 125, 126 (or honors equivalent) |
15 |
5 credits of English composition |
5 |
AMATH 301 (MatLab programming) is recommended for the freshman year but may be taken later.
BIOEN 215 is not a hard prerequisite, but students are strongly encouraged to take it prior to application to the department.
Upper Admission
Upper Admission is for students who wish to apply during their sophomore year. Upper admission is for Spring quarter; the application deadline is February 1. To be eligible, you are required to complete 59 prerequisite credits, but you may apply with some of these credits in progress (see note).
Upper Admission Pre-requisites
Course |
Credits |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
CHEM 142, 152, 162, (or honors equivalent) |
15 |
|
| CHEM 223 or 237 (or honors equivalent) | 4 |
|
| MATH 124, 125, 126 (or honors equivalent) | 15 |
|
English Composition |
5 |
|
PHYS 121, 122 |
10 |
|
| BIOL 180, 200 | 10 |
BIOL 220 also to be taken in the sophomore yr |
| AMATH 301 | 4 |
|
| BIOEN 215 | 3 |
Not a hard prerequisite, but generally expected. Transfer students may take this in the junior yr |
Note that PHYS 122, BIOL 180, AMATH 301 and CHEM 237 or 223 may be in progress at time of application.
Transfer Admission
Transfer students will apply for Upper Admission. Note that the BIOE course sequence begins Spring quarter, not Autumn quarter. Our courses are taught once per year. Most transfer students will matriculate at UW Autumn quarter, spend Autumn and Winter quarters completing prerequisites, and apply to the department February 1 for Upper Admission Spring quarter. Some transfer students may be prepared to transfer directly to UW for spring of the sophomore year. See the sample transfer schedules, below.
Please note that successful transfer involves two separate admissions processes. The first is admission to the University, through the Office of Admissions . Observe their deadlines carefully. (Note that UW offers limited spring admission only for students entering programs with spring starts. Observe the winter quarter deadline for spring quarter unless instructed otherwise by Admissions.) The second is admission to the department. The Upper Admission application deadline for the department is February 1 for Spring quarter admission.
Upper Admission Prerequisites
Course |
Credits |
Notes |
|
|---|---|---|---|
CHEM 142, 152, 162, (or honors equivalent) |
15 |
||
| CHEM 223 or 237 (or honors equivalent) | 4 |
||
| MATH 124, 125, 126 (or honors equivalent) | 15 |
||
English Composition |
5 |
||
PHYS 121, 122 |
10 |
||
| BIOL 180, 200 | 10 |
BIOL 220 also to be taken in the sophomore yr |
|
| AMATH 301 | 4 |
||
| BIOEN 215 | 3 |
|
Note that PHYS 122, BIOL 180, AMATH 301 and CHEM 237 or 223 may be in progress at time of application. Transfer students who plan to have BIOL 180 in progress while applying should contact the Academic Counselor in advance for more information.
Sample transfer schedulesOption 1: Transfer to UW Spring Quarter of Sophomore year (4 years to degree)
| AUT | WIN | SPR | SUM | Notes: | |
| Yr 1 | CHEM 142 MATH 124 ENGL Comp |
CHEM 152 MATH 125 |
CHEM 162 MATH 126 |
AMATH 301 At UW if not available at CC. |
Register for AMATH 301 at UW via Educational Outreach. Check your CC for a similar course. If your CC allows you to take Biology in the freshman year, begin then. |
| Yr 2 | Apply to UW for SPR quarter admissions by 12/15 PHYS 121 o-chem BIOL 1 |
Apply to BIOE by 2/1 PHYS 122 MATH 307 BIOL 2 |
Matriculate UW, declare BIOE BIOEN 315, 316, 317 MATH 308 BIOL 3 at CC or UW |
BIOL 3 at CC or UW if not taken | BIOEN 215 to be taken AUT qtr of jr year BIOE will accept 2 qtrs of transfer Biology plus a third quarter of Biology at UW |
Option 2: Transfer to UW Fall Quarter of Junior Year (5 years to degree)
| AUT | WIN | SPR | SUM | Notes: | |
| Yr 1 | CHEM 142 MATH 124 ENGL Comp |
CHEM 152 MATH 125 |
CHEM 162 MATH 126 |
If your CC requires preparatory Chem and Math, continue the calculus and chem sequences into the summer. | |
| Yr 2 | PHYS 121 o-chem BIOL 1 |
|
MATH 308 BIOL 3 |
You may take AMATH 301 at your CC if offered there. | |
| Yr 3 | Matriculate at UW BIOEN 215 AMATH 301 if not taken previously BIOEN 299 (elective) Statistics |
Apply BIOE by 2/1 Approved ENGR electives Gen ed as needed BIOEN 499 (Elective research) |
Declare BIOE BIOEN 315, 316, 317 Approved ENGR elective OR Gen ed as needed |
Transfer Course Equivalents
If your course was taken at a Washington State community college, consult UW’s transfer equivalency guide. Take the courses that are exact equivalents of the requirements at UW.
If your course is from a Washington State four-year college or university, or from any out of state university, your transcript will be evaluated after you have accepted an offer of admission to UW. International credit (including A-level credit) will also be evaluated at time of admission. However, our prerequisites are fairly standard courses. Look for the following:
AMATH 301: Beginning scientific computing using MatLab. (Note: courses in C, C++, and Java do not substitute for this requirement but are recommended courses and may count for Approved Engineering Electives.)
BIOEN 215: Introduction to engineering design using Bioengineering problems as examples. This course may be taken after transfer.
BIOL 180, 200, 220: Three quarters or two semesters of college biology, from the sequence taken by biology majors and pre-medical students. Note: Students transferring for spring quarter may not have the full biology sequence completed prior to transfer. Contact departmental advisor for more information.
CHEM 142, 152, 162; CHEM 223 or 237: A full year (3 quarters or 2 semesters) of general chemistry, the same sequence that chemistry majors and pre-medical students take, plus one quarter or one semester of organic chemistry (lab not required).
English Composition: A quarter or semester of college composition/expository writing. A literature course will not fill this requirement but would count instead towards your required liberal arts credits.
MATH 124, 125, 126: A full year (3 quarters or 2 semesters) of calculus.
PHYS 121, 122 Two quarters or two semesters of calculus-based physics with lab, the sequence required for physics and engineering majors. Please note that an algebra-based sequence will not suffice.
Arranging a Visit
When will you be visiting?
Prospective students are encouraged to visit the department between mid-October and mid-March. We can give you the best look at our program when classes are in session. High school students and their families may want to attend one of our scheduled information sessions. It is also possible to arrange an appointment with one of the academic counselors by emailing bioeng@uw.edu. Please give two weeks’ advance notice.
From mid-March through April, departmental visits are available for students who have received an offer of admission from UW for the following Autumn.
Please consider attending one of our Prospective Student Sessions, which coincide with the Preview Days program sponsored by the Office of Admissions. Preview Days allow admitted students to get a better look at our University. The BIOE Academic Counselors offer our departmental sessions at 11:00 a.m., just prior to the Preview Day check-in. In these sessions we will answer your important questions, profile our excellent program, and give you a short departmental tour.
The BIOE Prospective Student Sessions take place at 11:00 a.m. in Foege N230 on the following days: March 25, 29th, April 1, 8, 12, 15 and 19th, 2013. You do not need to register ahead. The Foege building is at the corner of 15th and Pacific. Use the Pacific Street entrance to the building, proceed down the long hallway, and N230 is the first room to your left. The campus map may be found here: http://www.washington.edu/maps/ .
We also offer individual appointments and departmental visits to students who have received an offer of Direct Freshman Admission from BIOE. We would like you to meet with an academic counselor, meet a student, and attend class. Please contact us at bioeng@uw.edu to arrange your visit and give us as much advance notice as you are able. Please note that March 18 – 31 is the finals and spring break period, so there are no classes to visit during that time.
We can also provide phone and email support for follow-up questions or for those unable to visit in person. Please contact us with questions after reading our FAQ document.
From mid-May through September, academic counseling can be arranged as the counselors’ schedules permit. Please contact us at bioeng@uw.edu to arrange an appointment. We appreciate advance notice! Please note that there is no opportunity to visit a BIOE class during the summer.
The Application
For Early and Upper Admission the College of Engineering uses a web-based application. The application includes an optional short-essay question, a required personal statement, required transcripts, an optional resume section, optional letters of reference, and optional petitions. The application is usually open for two weeks prior to the February and July deadlines.
The statement prompts for the optional short-essay question and the personal statement are available for you to look at even when the application is closed.
Transcripts
The application contains an electronic drop-box for your unofficial transcripts. You are required to provide an unofficial transcript for each college or university you have attended. In addition, if you have prerequisite courses in progress, please provide that quarter’s registration.
Partial Resume (optional)
The application includes space for you to list jobs, volunteer work, special projects, research experience, or internships.
Letters of Reference (optional)
If you have participated in research or an engineering internship as a high school student or undergraduate, we encourage you to request a letter of recommendation from your research or internship supervisor. Do not submit any other kind of recommendation letter. The supervisor should email the letter of reference (pdf preferred) directly to the Academic Counselor.
Special Consideration Petition (optional)
We require at least a 2.5 cumulative GPA to apply to the department. However, your circumstances may warrant a petition for special consideration. The Academic Counselor will help you decide whether a petition is worthwhile and how to focus your letter.
If you have not completed some prerequisite courses, or who have certain prerequisites in progress, you’ll also need to submit a petition for special consideration. In the petition address why you were not able to be complete the course(s) in time for application and any additional background you have in the particular subject area. Address the letter to the Chair of the Bioengineering Undergraduate Admissions Committee, but send it via email to the Academic Counselor.
Submitting Application Materials
Please note that all application materials must be submitted by 5 p.m. on the day of the deadline. Materials emailed, mailed, or delivered after that deadline will not be accepted.
Selection Factors
Admission into the undergraduate program is competitive. We conduct a comprehensive review of applicants, which means that we do not admit solely based on grades and test scores but consider a variety of supplemental factors as well. The department encourages all students with an interest in our program to apply.
Selection criteria include: pre-requisite GPA, cumulative GPA, trends in grades, and overall quality of transcript and education; quality of the personal statement, motivation to study bioengineering, clarity of decision; future goals; research experience, if applicable (please note that research experience is not required but is looked at favorably); contribution to diversity to our student body (please note that diversity is very broadly defined and includes special interests and talents as well as unusual life experiences, life obstacles overcome, ethnic or national background, and so on).
Direct Admits typically have a high school GPA of 3.7+ and SAT Math scoresof 700 and above. Early Admits tend to have GPAs in the range of 3.60 - 4.00, with 3.75 being the average. Upper Admits typically have GPAs in the range of 3.30 – 3.90, with 3.60 being the average.
If you already hold a bachelor’s degree in another field it is difficult to be re-admitted to UW as a post-baccalaureate student degree because of the limited availability of slots.