Admission Requirements

Application Deadline

The Department admits students for Autumn quarter only each year. All international and domestic application materials must be received by December 15.

The preferred deadline for international application materials is November 1. Due to stricter student visa regulations, we recommend that international applicants make every effort to submit application materials by November 1. We will continue accepting international application materials until December 15.

Application procedures are the same whether or not you are applying for financial assistance from the department. There is no separate application for financial aid.

The Department of Economics does not defer admission. Applicants must begin their studies in September of the year for which they are accepted. If an applicant cannot attend the year for which s/he is accepted, s/he must re-apply for the following year.

Prerequisite Courses and GPA Requirement

Applicants for graduate study in economics should have completed undergraduate training that includes courses in at least intermediate level microeconomic and macroeconomic theory. In addition, applicants must have had at least one year of calculus, one term of linear algebra, and one term of statistics. A course in differential equations is strongly recommended. Additional work in calculus, matrix algebra, and probability and statistics is also strongly recommended. An undergraduate major in economics is not required for admission to the graduate program provided that the above prerequisites have been met. Students who seek admission to graduate programs at the University of Washington must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 in the last 90 graded quarter hours or the last 60 graded semester hours.

The average GPA of applicants admitted for the last three years was:

The Graduate Record Examination (GRE)

All applicants are required to take the General Test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). No consideration is given to an application until the department receives official GRE scores. Therefore, prospective students should sign up to take the GRE as early as possible. GRE scores older than 5 years will not be accepted.

The average GRE General Test scores of applicants admitted for the last three years were:

The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFLiBT)

The TOEFLiBT is required for all international students, except citizens of Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand or the United Kingdom. A score of 22 on the speaking section is required to be considered for departmental funding; however applicants with a score of 26 or more receive priority because this score meets UW language requirements for international teaching assistants.

US permanent residents and immigrants, except citizens of the five countries listed above, must also submit a TOEFLiBT score to be considered for departmental funding, even if you completed a degree in the US. A score of 22 on the speaking section is required to be considered for departmental funding; however applicants with a score of 26 or more receive priority because this score meets UW language requirements for international teaching assistants.

For information about admission procedures and application forms, click here: Admission Procedures and Forms.

Last Updated May 27, 2009