The Psychology Department is committed to building a learning environment that promotes well-being, solution-based thinking, diversity of thought, social responsibility, and an understanding that identity, personal values, views, and social and political context influence how one understands the world. In the review of all applications, we will be looking for students who are committed to furthering these values.
Admissions Overview
This video reviews the application process and personal responce.
Application Decision
The Psychology Department Admissions Committee's review of students applications is informed by the University of Washington's approach to admitting first year students through their holistic review process. Academic achievement in gateway Psychology courses (PSYCH 101, 202, and 209), is an important factor when it comes to holistic review, but we want to know more about our students than what is reflected in their grades and coursework. Your entire application is important in our holistic review. We encourage you to use the required personal essay to share who you are and what is important to you. Where are you headed? What do you care about? We are excited to learn what you will bring to the UW Psychology community and to the field of psychology in general.
Preparing Your Application
Transcripts: Before starting your application, please prepare PDF versions of your unofficial transcripts from any colleges or universities you have attended, other than UW. You will be required to upload only your non-UW transcripts, as we already have access to your UW transcripts.
Minimum Admission Requirements: Before you are eligible to apply for admission to the major, you must complete and have a minimum grade of 2.0 for each of the prerequisite courses and a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.50 in the three courses (PSYCH 101, 202, and 209):
- PSYCH 101 Introduction to Psychology, or AP Psychology, or equivalent transfer course
- PSYCH 202 Biopsychology, or equivalent transfer course
- PSYCH 209* Fundamentals of Psychological Research, or equivalent transfer course
- MATH 111, or 120, or 124, or equivalent transfer course
- Be a matriculated student at the UW Seattle campus at the time of application - if you are a newly admitted UW Seattle student you must wait until your first quarter to apply to the psychology major
*a minimum grade of 2.5 is needed in PSYCH 209 for the BS program
Meeting the minimum requirments does not guarantee admission to the Psychology major. Other factors considered in the admissions process include your responses to the essay questions, space availability in the major, and time to degree outline by the UW Academic Satisfactory Progress Policy.
Application Deadline
We accept applications during the autumn, winter, and spring quarters --admission is not available for the summer. The application cycle for Spring quarter will open on March 25, and applications must be submitted in the system by 11:59 pm (PST) on April 10. You will have the option to save and continue your application. However, after after applying, you will no longer be able to edit or access the application. Late applications will not be accepted under any circumstances.
Personal Response
When responding to the questions below, we encourage you to answer honestly and in your own voice. Please share relevant examples and details where possible. Grammar and language proficiency will not be considered in the evaluation of your responses.
Written responses must be submitted in 250 words or fewer for the first question and 100 words or fewer for the second question. Responses will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Relevance to the prompt
- Depth of thought and insight
- Discussion of personal and professional experiences
- Discussion of how studying in the Psychology Department's major is a good fit for your educational and career goals
If you require assistance with the writing response portion of your application, please visit the Odegaard Writing and Research Center or the UW Instructional Center. In order to protect the integrity of the process and to avoid potential conflict of interest, the Psychology Advising Office is unable to assist with the writing of your responses. Please do not make appointments with the Psychology Advising Office to discuss the Personal Response.
Important note: All employees of the University of Washington are required by Washington State law to report child abuse and neglect in all circumstances by either calling Child Protective Services or the police. In situations involving a UW program, employee, student, volunteer, or facility, UW employees must also contact SafeCampus, the University's violence prevention and response program. Employees may also consult with SafeCampus around concerns for the safety and well-being of students for the purpose of receiving advice about how to best provide resources and support.
Personal Response Questions:
Question 1: Why are you interested in studying psychology? (250 words or fewer)
In your response, please:
- Summarize the impact of your educational, work, and/or volunteer experiences, as well as any personal, cultural, social, familial, and/or economic experiences that have shaped your academic journey. .
Question 2: How will being a psychology major help you achieve your goals? (100 words or fewer)
- Explain how your experiences have influenced your educational and career goals.
The Application
Applications are due by 11:59 pm PST on Friday of the second week of the quarter. The 2026 Spring quarter submission deadline will be on April 10, 2026. We are not able to accept late applications under any circumstance.
Decision Notification
Students will receive a decision email during the fifth week of the application quarter. Registration starts during the seventh week of the quarter, providing enough time to consider class planning. If you have not heard about your status, please contact Cy Delgado, at delgadoc@uw.edu.
Questions About the Process?
A departmental Admissions Committee reviews the psychology major application. If you have questions about the application process, please contact Cy Delgado, delgadoc@uw.edu, with the subject line "Psychology Application."
Admission Policies
Departmental policy regarding repeating admission courses:
- Students may repeat each class required for admission only once.
- If a student repeats one (and only one) of the three Psychology courses required for admission (Psych 101 and 202 and 209), we will accept the better of the two grades for that course. If a student repeats more than one of the three courses, we will accept the better grade for ONE course and we will average the grades for the two attempts for other repeated courses.
- For example, suppose that a student submits the following record:
- Psych 101, taken twice, 0.0 and 3.0
- Psych 202, taken twice, 1.5 and 2.5
- Psych 209, taken once, 2.5
- Dropping one grade from Psych 101 helps the student most. The average Psychology admission GPA would be based on:
- Psych 101, 3.0
- Psych 202, 2.0 (average of 1.5 and 2.5 is 2.0)
- Psych 209, 2.5
- Please note that the above are Psychology Department policies with regard to admission to the major. Grades in repeated courses that are "dropped" for the purpose of calculating our admission GPA are not dropped from the student's UW record, and will continue to be calculated in the cumulative UW GPA.
Satisfactory "S" Grades
Satisfactory "S" courses cannot be used to satisfy specific graduation, major, or minor requirements. However, "S" grades count towards the total credits needed for graduation.
The only exception to this policy was during the extraordinary circumstance quarters related to COVID-19 (see below).
Extraordinary Circumstances Quarters:
The University temporarily allowed Satisfactory "S" grades to satisfy degree and major requirements during the following quarters: Spring, Summer, and Fall 2020; Winter, Spring, and Summer 2021; and Winter 2022.
"S" grades from before Spring 2020, Fall 2021, and from Spring 2022 forward do not satisfy degree or major requirements.
For admission to the Psychology major, "S" grades in PSYCH 101, 202, or 209 from the approved quarters will be accepted. However, your admission GPA will be calculated only from numeric grades in those courses.
Example: if a student has numeric grades for PSYCH 101 and 209, and an "S" grade for PSYCH 202 (from one of the approved quarters), their admission GPA will be based solely on the grades for PSYCH 101 and 209.
An "S" grade in the required math course (MATH 111, 120, or higher) from the approved quarters is also acceptable.
Note: The required math course for admission is not part of the GPA calculation.