Computer Engineering Admissions

This page contains information on admission to UW Bothell’s Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering.

  1. Admissions process
  2. Prerequisite courses
  3. Personal statement
  4. Questions?

Admissions process

Timeline

The Computer Engineering major admits students for entry in autumn quarter. Visit the UW Bothell Application Dates & Deadlines page for information on application deadlines.

Please expect to receive your admissions decision up to eight weeks after the application deadline.

Materials needed

  1. Transcripts. All applicants must submit unofficial or official transcripts with their application. Once admitted, transfer applicants must also submit up-to-date official transcripts with their final grades if they have not already.
  2. Personal statement

How to apply

Submit an internal application if you are already a student at UW Bothell:

  • Pre-Major student at UW Bothell
  • Already in a major at UW Bothell and you want to switch majors
  • Already in a major at UW Bothell and you want a double major or double degree

Submit a transfer application if you are coming from another institution:

  • Current student at UW Seattle or UW Tacoma
  • Transferring from another college or university outside of the UW system
Submit an online application

Review

The Computer Engineering major is a “capacity constrained” program with a limit on the number of students admitted, so meeting the minimum entry requirements does not guarantee admission.

If you meet the minimum admissions requirements, then your application will be reviewed by a committee of Computing & Software Systems (CSS) and Engineering & Mathematics (E&M) division faculty. The committee uses a holistic approach when reviewing applications, evaluating each on its individual merit and making decisions on a case-by-case basis. Our goal is to admit students who will benefit from the program, contribute to our community of learning, and move on to make positive impacts after graduation. In making its decision, the committee considers the following:

  • Completion of prerequisite courses. Decisions are not made until the committee receives final grades for all prerequisite courses.
  • Academic performance, including overall GPA and improvements over time, grades in prerequisites and other relevant courses (such as mathematics and other quantitative areas), and the number of repeated courses.
  • Your personal statement, read more below.

Prerequisite courses

Minimum grades. To be considered for admission, complete the courses below with a minimum grade of 2.0 or higher in all courses. The grades must be recorded on your unofficial or official transcript(s).

Transfer courses. View a compilation of equivalent courses at other UW campuses and Washington state colleges, as well as important notes on transferring courses.

  1. English composition I (1 quarter or 1 semester)
    • Must cover content equivalent to UW Bothell’s BWRIT 134.
  2. One-year calculus series (3 quarters or 2 semesters)
  3. Computer Programming I and II (2 quarters or 2 semesters)
    • Must cover content equivalent to one of UW Bothell’s series:
    • Required UW Bothell Computer Science skills labs. If you are taking these courses at UW Bothell, you must also enroll in the corequisite skills labs (CSSSKL 142 and 143) in the same quarter. The skills labs are not prerequisites for admission, but they are important for your learning and will be considered along with the rest of your coursework.
    • Programming language. Any programming language is acceptable for the Computer Programming prerequisite, but both courses must be taught in the same language. Common languages include object-oriented languages such as Java, C++, other C family languages, and Python.
  4. Calculus-based physics I and II (2 quarters or 2 semesters)
    • Must cover content equivalent to UW Bothell’s BPHYS 121 and 122.
    • The third course in the series, BPHYS 123 (Waves) can be useful to take, but is not required for the major.

Personal statement

Visit our Personal Statement Guidelines page for advice on writing an exceptional personal statement.

Prompt

We want to learn more about you, your plans, and your goals. Please respond to the following prompts, and limit your statement to no more than two double-spaced pages:

  1. What makes you interested in computer engineering, and specifically the program at University of Washington Bothell?
  2. What are your future plans and goals in computer engineering at University of Washington Bothell?
  3. What experience and background do you have that is related to computer engineering (software, hardware, etc.)?
  4. How will your experience and/or skill sets help you succeed in this program and your future goals?
  5. What interests and activities outside of the science and technology field do you have (such as involvement in student organizations, volunteer work, community services, etc.)?
  6. If you have applied before, what has changed since your previous application? If you have repeated courses, or overcome significant obstacles, please explain.

Questions?

Internal applicants

If you are a pre-major student or already in a different major at UW Bothell, start by visiting the academic advising website or contacting your current academic advisor directly.

First-year and transfer applicants

If you are a student coming from high school or another institution, including UW Seattle or Tacoma, start by visiting the transfer admissions website or contacting the admissions advising team at uwbinfo@uw.edu.