Click Here to Apply to the Biology Major 

Autumn 2024 applications are due Friday, October 4th, by 11:59pm. If there are technical difficulties, please inform the advising office. 

Admission to the BA and BS Degrees offered by the Department of Biology will be by competitive application process. This process is designed not to limit access to the major but to assist students in careful planning and preparation for success in the Biology major. Students are encouraged to visit Biology advising early in their academic career or prior to transfer to begin planning for the major.

Applications for the undergraduate degree programs in Biology will be accepted quarterly. A completed electronic application will be due the second Friday of Autumn, Winter, Spring, & Summer quarters by 11:59pm. Applications received by the system after the quarterly cut off will be considered for the subsequent quarter. For any technical difficulties that occur near the end time of the deadline, you will need to resubmit and be considered for the following quarter.

Minimum application requirements for a Biology Major:

1. Be a matriculated student at the UW Seattle Campus and in good academic standing.

2. Complete the Introductory Biology series or equivalent courses to UW BIOL 180, 200, 220 and have a minimum grade of 2.0 in EACH course.

3. Have a minimum 2.5 Cumulative GPA for any supporting course work in Chemistry*, Physics, Math, Biology or other courses intended for use in the Biology major that are complete at the time of application.

*Please note: Starting Autumn 2017, UW Chemistry requires that students take an online Chemistry placement test in order to register for CHEM 110 (prep Chem), 120, 142, & 143 (Accelerated Chem). Contact the Chemistry Department for details.

Meeting these minimum requirements will not guarantee admission to the Biology major. Other factors in admission include review of application questions, space availability in the major, and time to degree set by UW Satisfactory Progress Policy. 

Application Deadlines:

• Autumn 2024 Open June 29th to Oct 4th
• Winter 2024 Open Oct 5th to Jan 17th
• Spring 2025 Open January 18th to April 11th

The Admissions Process: 

• Week 2: Applications close the 2nd Friday of the quarter and then reviewed after that date.
• Week 3: Application review is completed and offer emails are sent by end of day on the 3rd Friday of the quarter to the UW address of the applicant. 
• Week 4: Once offer emails are sent, the student has 7 days to click the survey link and accept the offer. Please check that the offer email did not land in your spam/junk folder. Students who do not accept the offer by the deadline (4th Friday of the quarter) indicated in the offer email will need to reapply in a subsequent quarter (if eligible). After you accept the offer, you will be sent to a confirmation page once your submission is completed. Additionally, you can re-click on the submission offer link to see if it was confirmed.
• Students who are not offered admission will receive a notification email and are welcome to reapply in the following application cycle, if eligible. 
• Week 5: Students who are not already declared in another major will be declared in the system in time to remove major-related holds for the next quarter's registration as pending for the following quarter. This happens about a week after the deadline for the offer. 

NOTE: If you are in another major when you apply, you will receive an admission follow up email that are sent after the offer deadline. Students will need to submit a completed Change of Major form and a MyPlan to graduation for both majors to the Biology Department by the end of the quarter in which they apply or they will have their offer rescinded and may have an opportunity to apply in subsequent quarter. 

*Please note: The system will not allow you to apply to the major if you do not meet the minimum requirements

We strongly encourage students who do not meet the minimum application requirements to meet with a Department of Biology Academic Adviser to discuss their options. You can make an individual appointment by contacting one of the Biology Advisers directly. NOTE: We offer Zoom drop-in advising weekly, or students can contact bioladv@uw.edu to ask general questions. 

• For information about applying to the University of Washington, contact the Office of Admissions.
• If you are transferring to UW from a Washington State community college and you want to know what courses will transfer, please take a look at the UW Equivalency Guide for Washington state community and technical colleges.
• To have your introductory biology courses from another school evaluated, please email an adviser and attach a syllabus that includes course content and a lecture schedule.

The Department of Biology is currently the largest undergraduate major on the UW Seattle campus. The majors below provide training in biology at all levels, from introductory to highly advanced, and give students the opportunity to choose a curriculum that best suits their needs. Specific requirements for each curricular track can be viewed on the main undergrad page.

Non-Discrimation Policy

All qualified applicants to the Biology graduate program, for the Biology undergraduate major, or for employment as a UW employee in Biology (faculty, staff, postdoc, ASE, or hourly/student hourly position) will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information.

The Graduate and Postdoc Program Committee, the Undergraduate Admissions Committee, and all search committees will review this policy before beginning deliberations and reviewing applications for admissions or employment.