Graduates

STEP 1:  Home University Nomination

You must be officially nominated  by your home institution in order to attend the UW as a graduate exchange student.  Once you have been nominated, you will receive the application link with you and you may begin the application process.

Please note that we are only able to accept graduate students nominated through our UW departmental exchange programs. 

STEP 2: Connect with  Department of Interest

Graduate students participating in a departmental exchange will be put in contact with the departmental coordinator in their relevant department.  If you are unsure of who your departmental coordinator is, please reach out to uwexchanges@uw.edu.

STEP 3:  Complete Applications

As an incoming graduate exchange student, you must complete both a University of Washington Graduate Departmental Exchange application, as well as the University of Washington Graduate School application (both online).

University of Washington Graduate Direct Exchange Application

The following documents must be included in your UW Exchange application. It is not necessary to submit any of these documents as hard copies. Please note that incomplete submissions will not be accepted.

• Copy of passport identification page.
• Academic transcripts (preferably in English) from each college, university, professional or technical school attended. The minimum grade point average (GPA) should be the equivalent of 3.0.
• Copy of Graduate Application (see Step 2 above).
• Verification of English Proficiency (if applicable). Every exchange visitor must possess sufficient proficiency in English to successfully participate in the program and function on a day-to-day basis. Federal law requires sponsors use and retain evidence of the following “objective measurement” to determine the student’s English language proficiency. You can read more about approved language exams and required admissions scores on the Graduate School English Language Proficiency Requirement web page.

University of Washington Graduate School Application 

You will need to complete the Graduate School online application as graduate admissions decisions are made directly by the department.

Please visit the Visiting Graduate Students web page and complete the online Application for Graduate Study.  Select GRADUATE VISITING when selecting your program or department and complete all required fields.

The following documents may be required as part of the Graduate School Application process:

• Official bank letter or bank statement – You will be asked to prove you can cover your non-tuition expenses for the duration of your exchange. The Graduate School provides estimates on living expenses. If submitting a bank letter, it should be signed and/or stamped by a bank official.
• In most cases you will be required to submit a personal statement as part of the application. In order to be a competitive candidate, your personal statement should clearly explain your background in the field of study, what you would like to study/research while at the UW, your future career interests, and other information about yourself that you feel is pertinent. We encourage you to identify unique and/or common research interests (with our faculty) and incorporate these points into your statement of purpose. Information about faculty research is generally available via each department’s website.
• Some departments have additional requirements, such as a GRE or GMAT score.  Please check the specific department requirements to see if anything further is required.

Note: Graduate exchange students are not eligible to participate in any fee-based programs listed here.

STEP 4: Receive a UW Exchange Acceptance Letter 

The UW Study Abroad Office will upload a copy of your UW Exchange Acceptance Letter to the Documents Section of your Study Abroad application. You will then use that letter to request your DS-2019 for your visa. You should keep this letter with all of your travel documents.

STEP 5: Complete DS-2019 Request Form

After your offer, you will receive an invitation to MyISSS as a J-1 Visiting Graduate Student. You will use the MyISSS portal to request your UW Form DS-2019.

Deadlines

To ensure that students are admitted, receive their immigration documents, and have their tuition paid on time, applications must be received by the dates below:

• For exchange students beginning summer/autumn quarter:  April 1st
• For exchange students beginning winter quarter:  August 1st
• For exchange students beginning spring quarter: November 1st