Please use a supported browser to enjoy the best possible user experience. Here are a few we recommend:
Update my information Admissions officers at University of Washington are awaiting your application. Your submission to Department of Bioengineering has been sent.
Department of Bioengineering is situated in a city environment in Seattle, Washington.
Placement and Admission pathways
You will be automatically considered for Direct to College (DTC) admission if you were admitted to the University of Washington as a freshman and declared engineering-undeclared or an engineering major (other than computer engineering) as your top choice on your application. If accepted DTC, you will enroll at the University of Washington as an Engineering Undeclared (ENGRUD) student and have the chance to learn about a variety of engineering specialties before applying to be placed in an engineering major after your first year. Admission to DTC is only available in autumn quarter.
For more information on the application process and deadlines, visit the College of Engineering’s Freshman admission website.
Students admitted to UW as direct to college as Engineering Undeclared
As an Engineering Undeclared (ENGRUD) student, you’ll engage in a robust educational experience with opportunities to explore the connections between engineering disciplines. ENGRUD students can learn more about the College of Engineering placement process here.
ENGRUD students will be requesting placement at the end of your freshman year and be major-ready for the bioengineering program the following spring.
Prerequisite courses to be Major-Ready
To be major-ready, students are encouraged to adhere to the department’s suggested course of study. Every year, the BioE core classes start in the first quarter.
| Prerequisite course | Number of credits |
| MATH 124, 125, and 126 (or Honors equivalent) | 15 credits |
| CHEM 142, 152, 162 (or Honors/Accelerated equivalent) | 15 credits |
| PHYS 121, 122 (PHYS 122 may be in progress at the time of application) | 10 credits |
| BIOL 180, 200 (BIOL 180 may be in progress at the time of application; BIOL 200 may be taken concurrent to BioE core) | 10 credits |
| CHEM 223 or 237 | 4 or 5 credits |
| AMATH 301 or CSE 142 + BIOEN 217 or CSE 160 + BIOEN 217 | 4 or 5 credits |
| English composition | 5 credits |
| BIOEN 215 (recommended) | 3 credits |
Current UW students in majors other than Engineering Undeclared
This is the only admission point to the bioengineering program for current UW students admitted to a major other than through the Direct to College pathway. Applicants have completed at least four quarters of equivalent college-level coursework and are on track to begin the department curriculum in the spring quarter of their sophomore year. The application deadline is January 15.
The departmental application will open two weeks before the application deadline. Even when the application is not open, you can prepare to apply by reading the list of requirements and see the personal statement prompts.
UW Bioengineering uses a holistic process to review applicants. Grades, particularly in prerequisite courses, the personal statement, and factors like the difficulty of completed courses, the frequency of incomplete or withdrawal grades, the number of repeated courses, relevant work or research experience, comprehension of the field of bioengineering, and any special circumstances disclosed by the applicant are all taken into account when making an admissions decision.
At the time of application, students needed to have earned at least 55 academic credits, which included the following courses or their equivalents. To stay on track for admission, students are urged to adhere to the department’s suggested course of study and meet with an academic advisor to go over their goals. Students must have a minimum 2. 0 in each prerequisite course and a minimum 2. 50 GPA.
| Prerequisite course | Number of credits |
|---|---|
| MATH 124, 125, and 126 (or Honors equivalent) | 15 credits |
| CHEM 142, 152, 162 (or Honors/Accelerated equivalent) | 15 credits |
| PHYS 121, 122 (PHYS 122 may be in progress at the time of application) | 10 credits |
| BIOL 180, 200 (BIOL 180 may be in progress at the time of application; BIOL 200 may be taken concurrent to BioE core) | 10 credits |
| CHEM 223 or 237 | 4 or 5 credits |
| AMATH 301 or CSE 142 + BIOEN 217 or CSE 160 + BIOEN 217 | 4 or 5 credits |
| English composition | 5 credits |
| BIOEN 215 (recommended) | 3 credits |
If you are looking to transfer to UW engineering after beginning your engineering studies at another college or university, you must have earned at least 55 academic credits at the time of application, including the necessary courses or equivalents listed in the table below.
To be prepared to enroll in bioengineering core classes, you must finish the enrollment requirements by the beginning of spring quarter.
Application steps and deadlines
Transferring to the UW involves two separate admissions processes. Students must submit two applications: one to the University of Washington and one to the Department of Bioengineering.
UW Transfer Admission details and deadlines are available online. Prospective transfer students should attend a UW Transfer Thursday session prior to applying to the UW.
For spring admission, transfer students must apply to the University of Washington by December 15 and to the Department of Bioengineering by January 15. In the spring quarter, these accepted students would start classes at UW and in Bioengineering. Alternately, transfer students can apply to the UW by February 15 for admission for the fall semester and then submit an application to the Department of Bioengineering by January 15 of the following year while still enrolled at the UW. Prior to enrolling in Bioengineering in the spring, these students would take UW courses during the autumn and winter quarters.
We sincerely urge transfer students to get in touch with us in order to get ready for enrollment. The Bioengineering departmental application is due January 15. The department curriculum begins in spring quarter each year.
The departmental application will open two weeks before the application deadline. Even when the application is not open, you can read the list of requirements and see the personal statement prompts by visiting the online application website in order to prepare.
UW Bioengineering uses a holistic process to review applicants. Grades, particularly in prerequisite courses, the personal statement, and factors like the difficulty of completed courses, the frequency of incomplete or withdrawal grades, the number of repeated courses, relevant work or research experience, comprehension of the field of bioengineering, and any special circumstances disclosed by the applicant are all taken into account when making an admissions decision.
At the time of application, students needed to have earned at least 55 academic credits, which included the following courses or their equivalents. To stay on track for admission, students are urged to adhere to the department’s suggested course of study and meet with an academic advisor to go over their goals. Students must have a minimum 2. 0 in each prerequisite course and a minimum 2. 50 GPA.
| Prerequisite course | Number of credits |
|---|---|
| MATH 124, 125, and 126 (or Honors equivalent) | 15 credits |
| CHEM 142, 152, 162 (or Honors/Accelerated equivalent) | 15 credits |
| PHYS 121, 122 (PHYS 122 may be in progress at the time of application) | 10 credits |
| BIOL 180, 200 (BIOL 180 may be in progress at the time of application; BIOL 200 may be taken concurrent to BioE core) | 10 credits |
| CHEM 223 or 237 | 4 or 5 credits |
| AMATH 301 or CSE 142 + BIOEN 217 or CSE 160 + BIOEN 217 | 4 or 5 credits |
| English composition | 5 credits |
| BIOEN 215 (preferred, not required) | 3 credits |
Connect with Academic Services
The Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET has granted UW Bioengineering’s Bachelor of Science in Bioengineering program accreditation. Learn more.
How Difficult is it to Get Into Every Major at UW?
FAQ
How hard is it to get into UW Engineering?
It%27s highly competitive: only 7% of direct admission students were offered a spot in the Allen School, compared to 52% of applicants to the UW%27s College of Engineering, which houses the Allen School
How do I get into UW bioengineering?
Deadlines for applications: You must be qualified by having a 2 minimum GPA of 0 (“C”) in each prerequisite course and a 2 5 cumulative GPA in all the prerequisites. These are bare minimums; those who are admitted actually have much higher GPAs.
Does UW have biomedical Engineering?
An internationally renowned program of instruction and research is offered by the Department of Bioengineering, which is housed jointly in the School of Medicine and College of Engineering.
Is UW Engineering direct admission?
Students in high school should use the Direct to College admission process if they want to enroll in the University of Washington’s engineering program as freshmen. This is our most traditional pathway for admission.
How do I get into UW computer science?
Three routes are available for high school direct admission, transfer admission, and current UW student admissions to the computer science major. Currently, the majority of our majors enter via Direct Admission, and 15-20% of our majors enter via Transfer Admission