From the thousands of undergraduate students at the University of Washington, three are selected each year for the prestigious President’s Medalist Award. Kaytlin Rose Vanderhorst, Carilyn Brandt and Luna Crone-Barón are the medalists for 2024–25, selected by a committee for their high GPAs, rigor of classes and number of Honors courses.
Category: Academic resources
Posts that relate to programs in the academic resources menu.
Strong partnership bridges the distance
Since its founding, the University of Washington’s Robinson Center for Young Scholars has served academically advanced students across the region. Yet for many Auburn School District families, those opportunities remained out of reach. The barrier was never a lack of talent or curiosity. It was access.
Serving through Honors: Grounded in tenacity, focused on service
For Bella Boulter, serving through Honors meant looking beyond the code to the people behind the UW’s systems. Through her Honors experiential learning internship with the Office of the University Registrar, she examined how technology shapes the student journey — and helped lay the groundwork for a new innovation lab where students can build tools, test ideas and create a more accessible Husky Experience.
First Year Programs announces new name: New Student & Transfer Programs
The name of First Year Programs has recently changed to New Student & Transfer Programs. The updated name more accurately reflects the work of the unit and the full range of first-year and transfer students it serves at the University of Washington. The change aligns with a University-wide shift in language and provides clarity as the UW adopts more inclusive terminology around student populations.
For more than two decades, First Year Programs has played a central role in supporting new undergraduates as they transition into the UW. Through orientation, first-year and transfer seminars, peer-led programs and other efforts that help students find community and connect with campus resources, First Year Programs has helped thousands of Huskies navigate their academic and social pathways. The move to New Student & Transfer Programs recognizes both the continued evolution of the unit’s work and its long-standing commitment to all new undergraduates.
“Our new name makes it clear that every student’s entry point into the UW matters,” said LeAnne Jones Wiles, executive director of New Student & Transfer Programs. “Whether students are arriving straight from high school or transferring from another institution, we are here to ensure they feel seen, supported and connected from day one.”
In August 2025, the Office of Admissions formally shifted from using freshman to first-year, bringing UW terminology in line with peer institutions across the country. The change reflects national trends in equitable and inclusive language and clarifies how the University defines first-year and transfer students. As a result, the name First Year Programs no longer accurately represented the broad population the unit serves, including students entering directly from high school and students transferring from other colleges and universities.
New Student & Transfer Programs facilitates Advising and Orientation, Dawg Daze, First Year Interest Groups (FIGS), Transfer Seminars, and the Commuter and Transfer Commons (located in the Husky Union Building). These programs help students build relationships, understand academic expectations and establish a strong foundation for their time at the UW.
Learn more about New Student & Transfer Programs at nstp.uw.edu.
UW undergrad named 2026 Rhodes Scholar
University of Washington senior Shubham Bansal, ’26, has been named a 2026 Rhodes Scholar, one of the most prestigious academic awards for U.S. students.
UW opens the Transfer Center
Transferring to the University of Washington is a major milestone for thousands of Huskies who start at Washington’s community and technical colleges. This fall, the UW is opening the Transfer Center in Mary Gates Hall, uniting programs and partnerships under Undergraduate Academic Affairs Advising and providing transfer students with a centralized, welcoming home for advising, peer mentorship and campus connections. As a central space for connection, collaboration and celebration, the Center builds transfer community year-round.
“Establishing a Transfer Center is the critical next step,” said Joslin Boroughs, director of advising initiatives and partnerships for Undergraduate Academic Affairs Advising. “Centralizing brings visibility to the transfer student experience and improves coordination so we can support student success. Think of the Transfer Center as your campus partner. It’s a single front door for referrals and a resource hub for best practices.” A central point of contact, transfer guides and departmental connections streamline referrals for prospective and current students, as well as faculty and staff.
The Transfer Center unites long-standing partnerships between UW advisers and Washington’s community and technical colleges to remove barriers to timely transfer. It also connects existing initiatives such as Path to UW, which gives prospective students early access to UW resources. The Center’s space is reservable for partner-hosted, transfer-supportive events.
“The Path to UW partnership with Seattle Colleges is re-writing the story of transfer to a flagship university,” said Melody McMillan, senior executive director of Seattle Promise at Seattle Colleges. “Built with student access and success at the center, Path to UW was shaped by student and faculty feedback — and acting on that feedback works.”
“Coordinated advising through the Path to UW program meets students earlier and more consistently — expanding access to a world-class public research university,” said Michaelann Jundt, senior associate dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Transfer students at a glance — 2025
-
Enrolled: 1,685 transfer students
-
From Washington community and technical colleges: 1,400 (83%)
-
Regions: Puget Sound, Olympic Peninsula, Southwest, Central and Eastern Washington (such as Seattle Colleges, Bellevue, Peninsula, Clark, Yakima Valley and Spokane)
-
Top majors: business, computer science, psychology, biology, nursing, communication, economics, informatics, engineering, design, English, sociology, environmental science and resource management
Students will also meet Transfer Ambassadors, a peer leadership team developed with First Year Programs — who host welcome events, offer one-on-one support and help students navigate their first year on campus.
“Adjusting to new teaching styles and the course load can be overwhelming,” said Transfer Ambassador and psychology major, Iqra Mohamed, ‘26. “What helped me was introducing myself to people near me on day one and joining study groups. It can feel intimidating, but it sets you up for success and builds self-advocacy.”
“With a dedicated space, there’s a go-to for questions and drop-in support,” Mohamed added. “It shows a place designed for transfer students, which can strengthen belonging. Transfer can feel like a short stop, but the Center will help students feel more connected and find accessible opportunities to create a memorable UW experience.” Kitchen access, study spaces and lockers remain available in the Commuter and Transfer Commons.
Ambassadors continue outreach at partner colleges, closing the loop from exploration to enrollment. “Seattle’s students are brilliant and driven,” added McMillan. “When institutions align around them, applications turn into admissions, admissions into enrollment, and enrollment into graduation and career.”
“One year in, we expect growth in ambassador engagement, referrals and event participation — clear signals that students are reaching support sooner,” said Boroughs.
“Over the past decade, the University of Washington has become more vocal and intentional about transfer student success,” said Jundt.
“The Transfer Center is that commitment made visible — a place where students can find their path, and their people, from day one.”
About Undergraduate Academic Affairs Advising
Undergraduate Academic Affairs Advising supports undergraduates across all majors with academic planning, exploration and success — connecting students with advising, resources and opportunities that help them graduate on time and thrive at the UW.
The heart of Honors
In the Honors Program, where interdisciplinarity and inquiry define the student experience, Professor Jon C. Herron exemplifies the kind of teaching that changes how students see the world — and themselves.
Progress report on the UW Dialogue Initiative
In this video, Megan Kennedy, director of the UW Resilience Lab and project lead for the UW Dialogue Initiative, provides some background and a progress report on the first year of the Initiative.
UW undergraduate receives prestigious Gates Cambridge scholarship
Tristan Jafari, pursuing his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry at the University of Washington, was selected for the prestigious Gates Cambridge Scholarship.
Jafari, a departmental Honors student set to graduate a year early this June, will receive a full-cost scholarship to pursue a master’s degree in philosophy in Population Health Sciences at the University of Cambridge, England.
The highly competitive scholarship recognizes past accomplishments and future potential. This year, 35 students from US-based institutions were selected to join the 2025 class of Gates Cambridge Scholars. In April 2025, 65 additional students from around the world will be named, forming a class of 100 Gates Cambridge Scholars from 36 institutions for the 25th anniversary of the scholarship.
“Being named a Gates Cambridge Scholar is an immense honor,” said Jafari. “It’s both inspiring and motivating to join a global community of scholars who are deeply committed to using their education to improve lives.”
Alongside this remarkable achievement, Jafari has earned the UW Class of 1962 Endowed Scholarship, the UW Chemistry Scholarship and the Mary Gates Leadership Scholarship twice. He was also honored with the Martin and Anne Jugum Scholarship in Labor Studies, each of which provided him with invaluable opportunities and enriched his undergraduate experience.
Jafari was born in Oklahoma City and raised in Mukilteo, Washington, by Iranian parents who left their homeland as teenagers. They resettled in Germany before immigrating to the United States. As dual citizens of the U.S. and Germany, Jafari’s family spoke English, German and Farsi. This multicultural upbringing allowed him to navigate a blend of cultures, shaping his perspective on identity and global health.
After witnessing a life-saving medical response, Jafari became an emergency medical technician (EMT) during his freshman year and has since worked in Snohomish County. At the UW, he has grown through a diverse set of experiences — researching cardiometabolic disease at the UW Diabetes Institute, leading campus blood drives with the American Red Cross, establishing a free CPR training program on campus and volunteering to improve patient health literacy.
Jafari is eager to immerse himself in the global academic community at Cambridge, where he will advance his proficiency in spatial epidemiology, biostatistics and public health frameworks to better understand how systemic health challenges, such as addiction, chronic disease and emergency response, can be addressed.
“I know that this experience will challenge my thinking, broaden my perspective and equip me with the tools to become a more impactful leader in medicine and public health,” said Jafari. He hopes to pursue an M.D. after his master’s degree, with long-term aspirations to integrate public health leadership and clinical medicine.
Jafari expresses deep gratitude to his mentors and professors, including Mr. Eric Timm, Dr. Charlie Barrows, Dr. Hannah Jordt, Dr. Daniel Roberts, Dr. Inma Velasco, Dr. Mauricio Dorfman, and Dr. Josh Thaler. He also thanks his friends and family for their unwavering encouragement.
About the Gates Cambridge Scholarship
Established in October 2000 by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Gates Cambridge Scholarships are awarded on a student’s intellectual ability, leadership capacity and desire to use their knowledge to contribute to society throughout the world by providing service to their communities and applying their talents and knowledge to improve the lives of others.
Learn about scholarship opportunities at the UW
The Gates Cambridge Scholarship application process is supported by the Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships and Awards (OMSFA), a UAA program. OMSFA works with students, faculty and staff to identify and support undergraduate students and alumni in developing the skills and personal insights necessary to become strong candidates for scholarships.
More than money: Scholarships, jobs, internships map to students’ interests
Funding opportunities abound across UAA with a broad range of funded opportunities — scholarships, internships and jobs — that connect to and support students’ interests.