How to Apply to Mathematics at the University of Washington (Seattle): Admitted to the University First, Then Declaring the Major by Course Grades, BA or BS, with Requirements for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Students

Undergraduate mathematics at the University of Washington (UW), Seattle campus, is taught by the Department of Mathematics, and the UW lists mathematics in the College of Arts & Sciences. The UW runs on quarters. Computer science has its own article on this site and is mentioned here only where it overlaps. Below is what the university’s website says, for domestic students, international students (with a separate section for applicants from China) and transfer students.

1. Degrees and options in mathematics

• Four options: the department says it offers four major options designed for students interested in pure mathematics: Bachelor of Arts (BA) Standard, BA Teacher Preparation, BA Philosophy, and a Bachelor of Science (BS) option.
• BA Standard: for students who want a versatile degree; the requirements are more liberal, and the department suggests choosing electives to gain depth in one area, possibly with a related minor.
• BA Teacher Preparation: prepares students for teaching in middle and secondary schools; the department says most go on to a Master’s in Teaching.
• BA Philosophy: combines mathematics and philosophy.
• BS: for students who want a strong mathematical foundation or plan graduate study in mathematics, with courses such as real analysis, geometry, complex analysis and modern algebra; up to two electives from one outside department (specified courses in AMATH, CSE, ECON, E E, PHYS or PHIL) can count. The department advises BS students to be ready to declare by the end of the second year and to take one or two MATH courses every quarter; students who would need more than two MATH classes per quarter for several quarters may find the BS not viable, and the BA may be more realistic.
• Related majors: Applied & Computational Mathematical Sciences (ACMS) is a separate major, and the math major cannot be doubled with ACMS. Statistics is a separate major and is not covered here.
• Course requirements by option: the department posts requirement sheets by the quarter you were admitted to the major (the page lists Winter 2022 to Autumn 2025, and sheets labeled prior to Winter 2026, among others). Credit counts and course lists were not checked item by item here; use the department’s sheet for the quarter you declare.

2. How admission works: admitted to the university first, then declare the major

• At application: the admissions “Admission to majors” page lists majors that admit first-years directly, including statistics, computer science and engineering; mathematics is not on the list, and the vast majority of students enter their major through the standard process after enrolling. You can list a first- and second-choice major on the application, which the site says may be a factor in the decision.
• A separate cutoff for Arts & Sciences: not stated on the pages read; not published.
• Early Entrance: a numeric grade of at least 3.8 in MATH 208 and in either MATH 200 or MATH 300, completed at the time of declaration.
• Standard Entry: a minimum numeric grade of 2.0 in one of these sets: MATH 124, 125, 126, 208 and either 200 or 300; or MATH 134, 135, 136; and a cumulative GPA of at least 3.20 among the courses required for admission. The page does not say whether the 2.0 applies to each course or is calculated another way; confirm with the advising office.
• Other rules: these MATH courses cannot be taken Satisfactory/Non-Satisfactory; course equivalencies earned with AP/IB exams can be used; courses must be completed at declaration. Applicants must be able to finish within the UW’s Academic Satisfactory Progress policy: programs must be completed once a student has 12 academic quarters and 210 credits (255 for double degrees).
• How to declare: current UW Seattle students create a graduation plan in MyPlan and submit the online Math Major Declaration Form; to register for math-major-only courses in Registration Priority I, submit it two weeks before registration begins.
• Capacity: the department cites high demand, says the UW is dedicated to first-time degree-seeking students, and notes math degrees are not available to post-baccalaureate students on the Seattle campus. Any cap on places is not published.
• Advising: the combined Math & ACMS Advising office (advising@math.washington.edu) also runs declaration workshops.

3. Preparation

• High school distribution requirements (CADRs): English 4 credits; mathematics 3 (at least algebra, geometry and second-year algebra); social sciences 3; world languages 2; science 3 (including 2 years of lab science); a senior-year math-based quantitative course 1; fine, visual or performing arts 0.5; academic elective 0.5. Arithmetic, pre-algebra, business math and statistics do not count toward the math requirement.
• Courses to take at the UW: the two pathways above use the calculus sequence MATH 124, 125, 126 (or 134, 135, 136), MATH 208 (linear algebra), and MATH 200 or 300. The department says MATH 300 is a foundational course in introductory proof writing and that math degree courses are less computational than calculus and require proofs. If your institution has no proof-writing course, it suggests a linear or matrix algebra course that introduces small proofs (equivalent to MATH 208).
• AP credit: the AP table lists Calculus AB 3, 4 or 5 for MATH 124 (5 credits); Calculus BC 4 or 5 for MATH 124 and 125 (5 credits each) and BC 3 for MATH 124; Precalculus 3, 4 or 5 for MATH 120. An AB score of 2 gives placement into MATH 112 or 124.
• IB credit: Mathematics: analysis and approaches HL 6 or 7 gives MATH 124 and 4 or 5 gives MATH 120; applications and interpretations HL 5, 6 or 7 gives MATH 120; see the IB table for SL and other courses.
• Math placement test: not on the pages read; not published.
• Honors sequence: the department’s undergraduate pages read do not describe an honors course sequence; not published. The university has an honors program (the admissions honors page was not read), and the department’s “Honors & Awards” page lists faculty and student awards.

4. Dates and materials (autumn 2027)

• First years: the application opens August 15; autumn deadline November 15; test scores (such as English tests) by December 31; decisions March 1 to 15; reply by May 1. The dates page does not print the year, so check that it is autumn 2027 entry.
• Application: the Common App, with a personal essay of up to 650 words; you self-report courses and grades through the UW’s STARS system after applying. Official transcripts are not required at application; a final transcript is needed if you enroll.
• Fee: USD 85 for US first years (waivers available) and USD 95 for international first years (no waivers).
• Testing: the UW no longer requires the SAT or ACT for most applicants; homeschooled applicants and applicants from schools with no letter or numeric grades must still submit them.
• Recommendations: the UW asks you not to send letters of recommendation or supplemental materials, and it does not hold interviews or consider demonstrated interest. A math teacher’s letter is therefore not part of the application.
• Math competitions: the pages read do not say how competitions such as AMC, USAMO or IMO are viewed; not published.

5. Domestic students

• Costs: the 2026-27 Seattle undergraduate nine-month budget (October to June): resident tuition USD 13,406; resident totals of USD 24,044 (living with parents or relatives), USD 36,746 (on or off campus) and USD 41,594 (students with dependents). Books USD 900, housing and food USD 6,156 to 23,199, personal USD 2,508, transportation USD 1,074 to 1,581. The page says some majors or programs may have additional fees; whether mathematics does is not stated.
• Aid: the FAFSA and Washington’s WASFA priority date is February 1. Mathematics department scholarships are not on the pages read; not published.
• Resident preference or guarantee: not on the pages read; not published. The UW accepts Washington’s Guaranteed Education Tuition (GET) plan.
• Testing: the SAT/ACT is not required (see above).

6. International students

• English: an official TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo score is required. Minimums: TOEFL iBT taken before January 21, 2026: 76; TOEFL iBT effective January 21, 2026: 4.0; IELTS 6.0; Duolingo 110. Exams must be taken on or before December 31 of the application year; TOEFL MyBest is not accepted, scores are not superscored and there is no conditional admission. Alternative: an average of B in English writing or literature courses where English was the language of instruction for all of grades 10 to 12, plus SAT evidence-based reading and writing 580 or ACT English 22. Exemption: primary and secondary education entirely in Australia, English-speaking Canada, the UK, Ireland, New Zealand or the US.
• Transcripts: if you attended a school outside the US following a national compulsory curriculum, upload a scanned unofficial transcript for grade 9 and above to the Common App, with official English translations if not in English; you also self-report courses in STARS.
• Costs: international students pay non-resident tuition: tuition USD 44,460, and totals of USD 55,098 (with parents or relatives), USD 67,800 (on or off campus) and USD 72,648 (with dependents).
• Aid: the cost page says the UW does not provide financial aid or scholarships to undergraduate international students and that they should be prepared to cover all expenses.
• Proof of funds: not on the pages read; not published.

7. Applicants from China

• Gaokao: the pages read do not say how Gaokao results are used. This is not published; ask admissions.
• Transcripts and exams: the site only asks for a scanned transcript for grade 9 and above from schools following a national curriculum (with English translations); it gives no China-specific exam, credential-evaluation or certification requirements on the pages read.
• English: see above; no China-specific exemption was seen.
• Testing: not required; the SAT/ACT can be used as an English alternative as described above.

8. Outcomes and research

• Career data: the pages read do not print graduate outcomes for mathematics; not published.
• Undergraduate research: the navigation on the department’s undergraduate page lists WDRP, WXML and the Math Research Library; what they offer and whether they are open to undergraduates was not read here, so ask the department or its advising office.

9. Transfer students

• Dates: for autumn, the application opens December 15; the deadline is February 15 on the transfer page and February 28 on the dates-and-deadlines page, two statements that differ; notification is May 1 to June 30. The pages do not print the year, so check that they apply to autumn 2027 entry. Winter quarter is open to US transfer applicants only, and spring quarter is only for certain engineering and computer science departments, not mathematics.
• Application: a personal statement; a high school transcript if you have fewer than 40 transferable quarter credits; the fee is USD 85 for US applicants and USD 95 for international applicants (no waiver). Recommendation letters are not accepted, and demonstrated interest is not considered. International transfer applicants must submit English proficiency scores.
• Mathematics: the admissions site lists mathematics among the majors requiring college math for admission and/or graduation. The CADRs are waived for applicants with 40 or more transferable quarter credits.
• Declaring: transfer applicants can declare once they meet a pathway; remaining prerequisites can be completed at the UW before declaring. You must be enrolled at UW Seattle during your first quarter as a declared math major.
• Credit transfer: the UW transfers credit course by course. Courses at Washington public community and technical colleges are looked up in the UW Equivalency Guide; math courses from other institutions are evaluated through the department’s Math Transfer Equivalency Form (syllabus and transcript required; usually 14 to 21 days). Holders of a qualifying Direct Transfer Agreement associate degree get junior standing, though the DTA is not an admission agreement.
• Credit conversion: multiply quarter credits by 0.67 for semester credits, and semester credits by 1.5 for quarter credits.
• Minimum GPA: not on the pages read; not published.

Checklist

Domestic students:

• Apply through the Common App by November 15; USD 85 fee; self-report courses in STARS; do not send recommendations
• High school math through algebra, geometry and second-year algebra, plus a senior-year quantitative course
• File the FAFSA/WASFA by February 1
• After enrolling, complete MATH 124/125/126, 208 and 200 or 300 (or 134/135/136) and declare through a pathway

International students (including those from China):

• USD 95 fee; TOEFL 4.0 (76 on the old scale), IELTS 6.0 or Duolingo 110 by December 31; upload scanned transcripts from grade 9
• Ask admissions whether Gaokao results can be used; the UW does not provide aid to undergraduate international students, so prepare all costs

Transfer students:

• Autumn deadline February 15 (February 28 on the dates page); take the calculus sequence, MATH 208 and an intro proofs course, check the equivalency guide, then meet a pathway to declare

Sources: University of Washington, Math undergraduate program; Math major requirements; Math major declaration; Math transfer credit evaluations; Dates and deadlines; How to apply (first-year); English proficiency; Admission to majors; College Academic Distribution Requirements; AP credit; IB credit; 2026-27 cost of attendance; Transfer admission; Transfer how to apply; Transfer credit policies; Majors requiring college math. Information is for autumn 2027 entry; costs are for 2026-27. Check UW for the latest.