Cross-Campus Registration for Undergraduates
All undergraduate students enrolled at one UW campus may register for courses at another UW campus on a space-available basis, starting on the first day of Registration Period 2 for Autumn, Winter and Spring quarters. In Summer quarter, cross-campus enrollment is allowed in Period 1 as well.
Cross-campus topics
- Eligibility
- Credit limits on other campuses
- Cross-campus majors and minors
- Transferring from one UW campus to another
- Counting transferred UW credit toward requirements
- Returning to the original campus
- Academic drop & reinstatement
Eligibility
Once admitted, first year students must complete 25 credits on their home campus before enrolling in courses on other UW campuses. All students with class standing from sophomore to post-baccalaureate must complete 15 credits on their home campus before cross-enrolling.
Non-matriculated students are not allowed to enroll cross-campus except for summer quarter. This includes non-matriculated students taking courses under the University of Washington staff or Washington State tuition exemption.
UW Bothell F-1 Visa students must take the majority of their required minimum credits at UW Bothell: at least 7 credits of the required 12-credit minimum for undergraduates, or for graduate students, at least 6 of the 10-credit minimum.
Credit limits on other campuses
A maximum of 15 credits per academic year (autumn through summer) may be taken on a campus other than the home campus.
A maximum of 45 credits earned through cross-enrollment may count toward a bachelor’s degree. This restriction is not monitored, so there is no restriction to the number of credits a student may complete by cross-enrollment; only to the number that may count toward a degree. If there are excess cross-enrollment credits, the department adviser should note this on the application for graduation. DARS is not programmed to know at which campus courses are completed, so a DARS audit will not point out excess cross-enrollment credits.
Note that this 45-credit limit applies only to credits taken at one UW campus while enrolled at another. A student who attends one UW campus and then is admitted to another UW campus may count toward a bachelor’s degree any number of credits transferred from the first UW campus to the second (see below).
Credits completed at all UW campuses are posted on the student’s transcript as UW credit. Which campus offered the course can be determined by the department abbreviation; each campus has its own set of abbreviations, and none are shared. The campus at which the student was enrolled in a given quarter can be determined by the student’s major code that quarter; again, each campus has its own set of abbreviations.
Petition of credit requirement
Individual petitions for waivers of the credit requirements may be considered by the home campus (i.e., the degree-granting unit) registrar. However, the approval of such a waiver does not obligate the campus unit listing the desired course(s) to grant special consideration for course admission.
Cross-campus majors & minors
Cross-campus double majoring is not allowed. A student may declare a major on only one campus; a student cannot declare a cross-campus double major or double degree. A student who wishes to complete two majors on two different campuses must first graduate with a major from one campus, then gain admission as a postbaccalaureate student to complete the second major at the other campus.
When a student declared in a major at one campus is accepted in a major at another campus (note that this requires application for admission to the other campus, as well), the student’s campus and major codes are changed to the new major.
Minors
A student may complete the requirements of a minor offered by another campus. The student doesn’t actually declare the cross-campus minor. Instead, the adviser records the minor on the degree application as usual, and should include a note pointing out that the minor is from another UW campus. The minor will be recorded on the SRF335 (degree) screen, and will be awarded when the degree is granted.
Students should note that UW Bothell and UW Tacoma minors, unlike Seattle-campus minors, may have admission requirements. Also, most or all the courses required by a minor will be available only at the campus offering the minor.
Transferring from one UW campus to another
A student enrolled at one UW campus who wants to pursue a degree program at another UW campus must apply to that campus for admission. If admitted, the student’s campus and major code are changed. A student cannot be enrolled simultaneously at two UW campuses.
Transfer credit vs. Cross-campus credit
A student who attends one UW campus and then is admitted to another UW campus may count toward a bachelor’s degree any number of credits transferred from the first UW campus to the second. The 45-credit limit on cross-enrollment (see above) applies only to credits taken at one UW campus while enrolled at another campus.
Final-year residence
Only credits taken at the campus granting the degree are considered residence credit. Credits transferred from another UW campus don’t count as residence credit, and don’t count toward the final-year residence requirement. Exceptions may be granted by the college offering the major.
Counting transferred UW credit toward requirements
Credits transferred from another UW campus may be counted toward requirements in the same manner as transfer credits from another college. That is, any adviser can determine how the transferred credits will count toward Areas of Knowledge and other general education requirements. The adviser should then send this information to the DARS office (dars@u.washington.edu) so that the courses can be properly tagged.
Individual departments determine whether credit transferred from another UW campus can count toward major requirements.
Transfer evaluations
When a student is admitted to one of the UW campuses, the admissions office of that campus prepares an evaluation of any credits transferred from other colleges. Bothell and Tacoma transfer evaluations look quite different from Seattle-campus evaluations; Bothell and Tacoma post most transfer credit as UW 1XX, etc. and assign it to VLPA, I&S, or NW as appropriate. Seattle-campus transfer evaluations are more detailed, and most transfer courses are posted as their UW equivalent or as departmental X credit.
When a Bothell or Tacoma student applies to and is admitted to the Seattle campus, the original transfer evaluation is left in place but all the credits are changed to zero. A new, more detailed transfer evaluation is then completed. If this has not been done, or if both transfer evaluations are posted, contact the Seattle-campus Admissions Office for a correction.
Returning to the original campus
A student who is enrolled at one UW campus, then transfers to another, then decides to return to the original campus, must file a Returning Student Request Form. The student’s campus and major code will be changed back to the original campus. If a student earns a degree before returning to the original campus, s/he must instead apply for admission as a postbaccalaureate student.
Academic drop & reinstatement
A student who has been dropped for low grades from one UW campus may apply for admission to another UW campus. If that campus wishes to admit the student, it takes the following steps:
- The student is admitted.
- The student’s campus and major codes are changed.
- The student’s academic status is changed from drop to probation (i.e., the student is reinstated).