Application Process

All Museology students enter the program during fall quarter. Applications open about a year ahead of that time, with a few different application deadlines along the way.

Application Deadlines

• Our priority deadline typically falls in January. See below for this year’s dates. Applicants are strongly encouraged to apply prior to the priority deadline.
• Following our priority application deadline, applicants may still submit an application through our rolling admissions process. Typically, our final rolling admissions deadline falls in June. See below for this year’s dates.

Depending on the number of offers made and accepted after the priority deadline, there may be limited to no space available to applicants applying during our rolling admissions period. While we are sometimes able to offer admission to a small number of applicants who submit applications after the priority deadline, we strongly encourage applicants to apply by January 15 to maximize their chances of admission.

Confirmation of Application Submission

Applicants can expect to receive an email confirming receipt of their application within two weeks of the application deadline by which it was submitted (for applications submitted by January 15, then, applicants should expect to receive confirmation by the end of January). If you submitted an application by one of the deadlines listed below and do not receive an email confirming your submission within two weeks of that deadline, please email uwmuse@uw.edu.

Application reviews will begin around two weeks after the priority application deadline. During those two weeks, Museology staff are busy checking applications for completeness and preparing them for review by the admissions committee. In order to expedite this process, applicants are encouraged to utilize our application checklist to ensure their application is complete upon submission.

Check your application for completeness

In addition to an initial confirmation of submission, applicants will receive an email confirmation once the completeness of their application has been verified and their application has entered the review process.

Review Process & Decision Communication

Applications are reviewed by Museology core faculty and staff and are evaluated based on our admissions rubric. Offers of admission are then extended to the strongest candidates, as far as our capacity of around 30 students per cohort allows.

You can expect a decision email approximately eight to twelve weeks after the application due date. For the priority application deadline, applicants can expect to receive a decision by the mid-April.

Waitlist

We always receive a greater number of quality applications than we have spots to offer. A limited number of applicants may be offered a spot in our waitlist. Most years, an applicant or two who initially accepts their offer will, for a variety of reasons, have to withdraw their acceptance, and a spot will become available for an applicant in our waitlist. Our waitlist remains active until early September, a few weeks before the start of fall quarter.

 

Important dates for the current admissions cycle

• October 2025: Applications open for autumn 2026 enrollment
• January 15, 2026: Priority application deadline
• February 28, 2026: FAFSA application priority deadline*
• March 15, 2026: Rolling admissions deadline 1
• June 15, 2026: Final rolling admissions deadline

*For U.S. students seeking federal student aid. Learn more at the UW Office of Student Financial Aid site.