Admission to majors

Most students are assigned “pre-major” at the time of admission, including those who are not admitted direct to major or direct to college. Your next steps as a “pre-major” once you are a student at the UW depend on the major you are interested in. (See more on our majors page.) The list below shows the majors that may be requested on the application and what you will see in your offer letter if admitted.

Return to top

Some students are admitted directly to a major as a freshman. To be considered for direct to major admission, simply indicate your first choice major on the freshman admission application. If the major you selected has a direct to major program, you will be automatically considered.

*For most music majors an audition on your primary instrument is also required.

Tip: Don’t be discouraged if you’re not admitted directly to one of these programs as a freshman. The majority of students come in as pre-majors and gain admission to these programs after satisfying prerequisites and meeting departmental admission requirements. The only exception is computer science and computer engineering.

Return to top

Direct to college applies only to applicants interested in the College of Engineering. You must select an engineering major (or “engineering undeclared”) on your UW freshman admission application to be considered. All admitted engineering students will be assigned “engineering undeclared” as their major at the time of admission and will be selected into specific engineering majors later.

Tip: If you are interested in engineering, be sure to select an engineering major (or “engineering undeclared”) as your first-choice major on the freshman application.