Start your journey towards a career in civil and environmental engineering with CEE! There are many pathways for admission into our department, and different deadlines you will want to keep in mind as you prepare to apply. Use the information below to understand the process and plan your application.
High school students: Direct to College
Students applying to enter the UW as freshmen
If you were admitted to the UW as a freshman and selected engineering-undeclared or an engineering major (other than computer engineering) as your first-choice major on your application, you will automatically be considered for Direct to College (DTC) admission.
If admitted DTC, you will enter the UW as an Engineering Undeclared (ENGRUD) student and will have the opportunity to explore many engineering disciplines before requesting placement in an engineering major after your freshman year. Admission to DTC is only available in autumn quarter.
Students admitted through Direct to College
Engineering Undeclared (ENGRUD) students
Welcome to the University of Washington College of Engineering! As an Engineering Undeclared student, your first year will include engineering foundational coursework such as math and science, as well as UW general education courses. At the end of your freshman year, you will request placement into an engineering major. The requirements to request placement are as follows:
- Maintain a minimum 2.50 ENGRUD GPA.
- Complete placement requirements with grades of 2.0 or above in each course.
If you meet placement requirements, and list six majors in your placement request, you are guaranteed to be placed into one of the engineering majors. However, you may or may not be placed in your first choice major. Some majors may receive more placement requests than they can accommodate.
UW interest-changers: capacity-constrained admission pathway
Current UW students in majors other than Engineering Undeclared
If you are a current UW student (Non-ENGRUD major) looking to apply to the BSCE/BSENVE programs, you must have completed at least 55 academic credits at the time of application.
You also must complete the application requirements by April 5, and the enrollment requirements by the start of your first quarter in the major (CEE only admits students in Autumn quarter).
Department application requirements
- Cumulative UW GPA of 2.5 or higher
- Grade of 2.0 or higher in each required course
- Prerequisite course requirements:
- Application requirements (must be completed by April 5)
- Enrollment requirements (must be completed by the start of your first quarter in the major)
How to apply
To apply as an interest-changer student, you will need to apply to the majors of your choice using the Engineering Application. The application opens on March 20, 2024, and closed on April 5, 2024 at 5:00pm PDT.
Connect with UW and Engineering advisers
- Connect with your current assigned adviser
- Contact the CEE academic advisers to plan for your application.
Transfer students
For students at a college or university other than UW
Transfer students are a vital part of the CEE community, representing more than 20 percent of the department. If you started your engineering studies at another college or university and are looking to transfer to UW engineering,you must apply to the UW as well as apply to your majors of interest via the capacity-constrained application.
Read more about the application process.
Department application requirements
- You must have completed at least 55 academic credits at the time of your application.
- You must have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher.
- You must complete the prerequisite course requirements