Expand your experience
The UW Honors Program is a curriculum, a community, and much more! Our students are enthusiastic learners from all backgrounds and majors seeking to expand and deepen their education.
Quick facts
- There are three Honors options to choose from: Interdisciplinary, College, and Departmental Honors.
- Honors courses fulfill the UW general education requirements.
- The Honors curriculum integrates research, leadership, community service and reflection.
- $1.2 million annually in resident and non-resident scholarships.
- Honors floors in the residence halls.
- Students take ~one Honors class per quarter.
- There is no one type of Honors student – Honors student majors range from English to computer science, psychology to biochemistry, engineering to public health.
How to join Honors
Interdisciplinary Honors Freshman admissions
If applying to the UW as a freshman, you will find the Honors application – consisting of two additional Honors-specific essays – within the UW application.
The 2023 Honors application essay prompts
Respond to the prompts using no more than 300 words each.
- Why is an interdisciplinary education important to you? In your response explain why you are interested in the UW Interdisciplinary Honors Program.
- The Interdisciplinary Honors program encourages students to engage with their local, national, and global communities through a multidisciplinary lens. Tell us about a pressing societal concern that impacts and/or interests you. Why is this issue important to you and how do you imagine engaging with or addressing this concern while at UW?
Freshman admissions process and timeline:
- Apply via the UW application by the UW application deadline.
- The Honors Program reviews applications separately from UW Admissions.
- You must be admitted to UW to be admitted to the Honors Program.
- In recent years Honors has received 4,000-6,000 applications per year, admitted ~1,200 applicants, and enrolled ~230 students.
- Honors holistically evaluates applications.
- The Honors admission decision has no bearing on the UW decision.
- Honors sends a separate decision email after you are officially admitted to the UW – expect to receive a decision email from Honors between March 15 and April 15.