Understanding your assigned major

Congratulations again on your admission to the University of Washington! While you’ve been offered admission to UW, you were not admitted to the College of Engineering. Engineering majors at the UW are in high demand by applicants, which means that not all admitted students who list engineering as their first-choice major will be offered Direct to College admission. You have many options, however.

Consider your options as a pre-major

Many different paths can lead from a single interest. Consider what attracted you to engineering in the first place. What about it appeals to you the most? Where might you find similar interests in another field of study?

As a pre-major, 160 majors are available to you outside the College of Engineering. A number of these majors prepare students to study the same problems and questions that you encounter in engineering, and they open doors to a variety of career opportunities. For example, you may want to consider any of the following majors, applied and computational mathematical sciences, applied mathematics, architecture, atmospheric sciences, biology, biochemistry, chemistry, construction management, Earth and space sciences, informatics, landscape architecture, mathematics, oceanography or physics.

At the UW, you’ll have the opportunity to shape your Husky Experience through undergraduate research, internships, study abroad, extracurricular opportunities and more, all with support from your academic adviser.

Start exploring majors now.

Can I still be admitted to engineering later?

There are a limited number of spaces in engineering majors for students who are not admitted directly to the College of Engineering as freshmen. The most capacity exists within chemical engineering, civil engineering, environmental engineering, industrial engineering and materials science & engineering. However, we are unable to guarantee admission to the College of Engineering or a specific engineering major at a later time.

If you have any questions about next steps, feel free to contact us. We’re here to help.