Physics Admissions

This page contains information on admission to UW Bothell’s Bachelor of Arts in Physics and Bachelor of Science in Physics. 

  1. Admissions process
  2. Prerequisite courses
  3. Personal statement
  4. Questions?

Admissions process

Timeline

The Physics majors admit students for entry in autumn, winter, and spring quarters. Visit the UW Bothell Application Dates & Deadlines page for information on application deadlines.

Please expect to receive your admissions decision up to four weeks after applying.

Materials needed

  1. Transcripts. All applicants must submit unofficial or official transcripts with their application. Once admitted, transfer applicants must also submit up-to-date official transcripts with their final grades if they have not already.
  2. Personal statement

How to apply

Submit an internal application if you are already a student at UW Bothell:

  • Pre-Major student at UW Bothell
  • Already in a major at UW Bothell and you want to switch majors
  • Already in a major at UW Bothell and you want a double major or double degree

Submit a transfer application if you are coming from another institution:

  • Current student at UW Seattle or UW Tacoma
  • Transferring from another college or university outside of the UW system
Submit an online application

Review

The Physics majors are currently “minimum requirements” programs with no set limit on the number of students admitted, so meeting the minimum entry requirements guarantees admission.

Prerequisite courses

Minimum grades. For major entry, the prerequisites must be passed with a 0.7 or higher (the lowest grade possible to still earn credit), but other courses in the major have registration prerequisites of 2.0 or higher in Calculus II, Calculus III, and Physics III. The grades must be recorded on your unofficial or official transcript(s).

In-progress prerequisites. Your final Calculus and/or Introductory Physics course may be in-progress at the time you apply, but they must be completed before your first quarter in the major.

Transfer courses. View a compilation of equivalent courses at other UW campuses and Washington state colleges, as well as important notes on transferring courses.

  1. One-year Calculus series (3 quarters or 2 semesters)
  2. One-year Calculus-based Introductory Physics series (3 quarters or 2 semesters)

Personal statement

Visit our Personal Statement Guidelines page for advice on writing an exceptional personal statement.

Prompt

A personal statement is not required for entry into the Physics majors, but we encourage you to submit an optional statement reflecting on your reasons for joining the major, projects and courses you want to engage in, and long-term goals after graduation.

Questions? 

Internal applicants

If you are a pre-major student or already in a different major at UW Bothell, start by visiting the academic advising website or contacting your current academic advisor directly.

First-year and transfer applicants

If you are a student coming from high school or another institution, including UW Seattle or Tacoma, start by visiting the transfer admissions website or contacting the admissions advising team at uwbinfo@uw.edu.