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Guidelines for Special Admission and Appeal

The University’s admission policies must comply with Washington State regulations and faculty-authorized requirements. It is the responsibility of the Office of Admissions to apply these standards consistently and fairly. The faculty recognizes, however, that exceptions should be granted occasionally for students in unusual situations.

Who can petition?

Applicants who have been denied may write a letter of petition requesting special consideration if they believe there are extenuating circumstances not explained in the Personal Statement, or if they believe an error has occurred in the initial evaluation.

How and when do I petition?

You may submit your written petition-by mail or in person-at any time during the application processing period of the quarter for which you are seeking admission. You need not wait to petition until you receive notification that you have been denied admission. Submit the petition postmarked no later than two weeks after receiving your letter of denial. Due to enrollment limitations, the Admissions Office may be unable to consider petitions received after that time.

Petitions preferably should be typed or written on plain paper with 1” margins—there is no special form—and mailed or brought to:

University of Washington
Office of Admissions
1410 NE Campus Parkway
Box 355852
Seattle, WA 98195-5852
Attn: AC Petition

The petition process does not include an interview.

Can I send other materials in support of my petition?

Applicants are welcome to submit carefully selected letters of recommendation, usually not more than three. The review committee will consider such letters, as well as other documents from teachers, employers, or UW faculty, if they are directly pertinent to your reason for not being routinely admissible or if they offer specific evidence of your academic potential.

We prefer that letters of recommendation be enclosed with the petition, but they may also be mailed separately. List in your petition all supporting documents the Office of Admissions can expect to receive. Admissions will postpone a decision for a short time if additional documents are in transit.

The committee does not review papers, art work, or other samples submitted with a petition.

What factors are considered?

Compose your petition carefully, and proofread it. A petition should state your case clearly and effectively. The appearance of the petition and the quality of the writing (organization, content, spelling, punctuation, grammar) are important in presenting the strongest case possible. The recommended length is one to three pages, typed.

Because individual circumstances vary, the following pointers are intended only as general guidelines. You should address the issues most relevant to your situation. In most cases, letters of petition should answer the following questions:

  • Why do you want to attend the University of Washington?
  • What major are you interested in? How did your interest in this major develop?
  • If you are inadmissible because of your academic performance, why do you think your previous academic record (including grades or test scores) is an inaccurate predictor of your future academic performance? Please explain your academic record fully and tell us how you plan to be a successful student at the UW. Your explanation may include but is not limited to a discussion of circumstances and hardships such as personal or family illness, factors related to a disability, or familial or cultural barriers that may have affected your academic record.
  • If you are inadmissible because you have not completed all of the college academic distribution requirements, why were you unable to satisfy these requirements? How do you plan to complete this course work once you are enrolled at the UW?

The following components are more important for students with advanced standing (transfer students) than for freshman applicants from high school:

  • Have you met with an academic adviser in your intended major? Do you have a clear understanding of the admission and graduation requirements for that major? Have you completed all the prerequisites for admission to the major?
  • If you have attended several institutions without graduating, please explain why graduation from the UW will now be possible.
  • If you are seeking admission to a competitive degree program, do you have a letter of support from the department? You are strongly encouraged to submit one with your petition.
  • Can you provide evidence of academic ability in recent course work? For example, if your record shows a poor performance in the past but you have recently completed 30-45 credits with a high grade-point average, you would petition on the basis of strong recent grades. In other words, you are asking Admissions to consider you on the basis of a portion of your record, rather than averaging in recent grades with older ones.

How and when will I be notified?

The review committee meets each quarter throughout the academic year. You will be notified by mail of the committee’s decision promptly after your petition has been reviewed. An applicant who is accepted by the committee will be expected to comply with all requirements stipulated at the time of admission.

Petitions will be reviewed according to the following schedule:

Transfer Petition Review Schedule
Admissions Quarter Response Date
Autumn Applicants Late April through August 1
Winter Applicants November 1 to December 15
Spring Applicants February 1 to the end of March
Summer/Autumn Applicants April 1 to June 1

To request disability accommodation in the appeal process, contact the Office of Admissions
Voice: 206.543.9686
Washington State Relay Service TDD: 800.833.6388

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