INCOMING STUDENTS
Prospective Incoming
LOCATION: The University of Washington is situated in Seattle on beautiful Puget Sound. Located between the shores of Lake Washington and Lake Union, the campus is in a residential section of the city that long has been considered one of the most attractive in the nation. Our extended campus, the city of Seattle, is considered one of the most livable cities in the U.S. Consistently ranked high for recreation and live theatre, Seattle combines unparalleled natural beauty with small-town friendliness, a Pacific Rim outlook and cosmopolitan amenities. Closest to home, Seattle’s University District surrounds the UW. The “U-District” is one of the city’s oldest and most diverse neighborhoods. Boasting a unique mix of ethnic restaurants, coffeehouses, retail shops and other services, the neighborhood caters to the needs of UW students. The urban setting of the campus and its excellentbus system give easy access to a variety of activities including shopping, dance, professional and collegiate sporting events, and concerts of all types. For those who like to get away from it all, the Olympic National Forest and Mount Rainier are close enough for weekend hiking, camping or skiing.
THE UW: Founded in 1861, UW is the one of the oldest state-assisted institution of higher education on the Pacific Coast. From its original site on a 10-acre tract of wooded wilderness that is now located in downtown Seattle, the campus has grown to comprise 703 acres of trees, landscape, and buildings. In all, over 160 undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees are offered. Although the campus is quite large, with over 32,000 students, there are many clubs and special programs to help newcomers meet people with similar interests and find their own special place on campus.
The primary mission of the University of Washington is the preservation, advancement, and dissemination of knowledge. The University preserves knowledge through its libraries and collections, its courses, and the scholarship of its faculty. It advances new knowledge through many forms of research, inquiry and discussion; and disseminates it through the classroom and the laboratory, scholarly exchanges, creative practice, international education, and public service. As one of the nation's outstanding teaching and research institutions, the University is committed to maintaining an environment for objectivity and imaginative inquiry and for the original scholarship and research that ensure the production of new knowledge in the free exchange of facts, theories, and ideas.
To promote their capacity to make humane and informed decisions, the University fosters an environment in which its students can develop mature and independent judgment and an appreciation of the range and diversity of human achievement. The University cultivates in its students both critical thinking and the effective articulation of that thinking.
As an integral part of a large and diverse community, the University seeks broad representation of and encourages sustained participation in that community by its students, its faculty, and its staff. It serves both non-traditional and traditional students.
LIMITATIONS: Access to upper division courses in Biology, Business, Law Societies and Justice, Music, and Spanish are limited. Audition or portfolio may be required for fine arts. The following is a list of closed programs: All health science majors, all Architecture majors, Art, Biology, Business, Communication, Computer Science, all Engineering majors, Informatics, Social welfare, and all Honors programs. Exchange to the University of Washington is not available to graduates, post-baccalaureate, and international students. Exchange is unavailable to students from other Washington NSE campuses.
If the University of Washington can help you accomplish your goals for an exchange, please contact the NSE Program Coodinator of your school to apply. You are not able to apply for an exchange with us directly, but we will be happy to answer any questions you may have about our school. Detailed information concerning specific programs can be found in our school website at
http://www.washington.edu.
Note! If you need financial aid from the University of Washington, be sure to list the University of Washington on your FAFSA form. You must list the "University of Washington-Seattle," Code #003798, in Section 8.
Confirmed Incoming
Congratulations on your acceptance to the University of Washington. We look forward to meeting with you this coming school year. As soon as your NSE Program Coordinator mails or faxes us your Placement Acceptance Form, we will mail you all the material necessary for you to begin your enrollment here at the UW.
Upon receiving the packets, which will include an application, some information about student housing, and a survey, we ask you to please fill them out and return them to us as soon as possible, no later than April 20th. Your timely response will help us get important information to you sooner.
Remember that the UW is a quarter school (rather than semester), so our academic calendar may be different than you are used to. Generally, our school year ends at the second week of June and begins about the last week of September. Therefore, there is no cause to worry if you have not received your registration material by the end of May. As exchange students, the earliest time you may register is the beginning of our Summer quarter, which starts the third or fourth week of June. There is plenty of time for you to look over our courses and make your decisions as to what classes you would like to take. While the course catalog can provide information about all courses taught at the University of Washington, the time schedule is a more accurate reflection of course offerings each quarter. Please read all information we send you and respond promptly, particularly if you have questions or concerns. Failure to do so can result in a withdrawal of your placement.
The single most important thing you can do before you come to the UW will be for you to keep your contact information current with us at all times, including address, phone number(s), and email address. We need a reliable way to keep in contact with you through the summer months.
Thank you for your interest and congratulations on your acceptance into the University of Washington! We are excited to have you join us this year!
