Q: Since the admit rate is so low, why don't you just admit more students?

A: At the present, the Information School does not have the resources (personnel, space, facilities, etc.) to fully meet demand for the program. When we admit a student, we are making a commitment to that student that we can support them through their program, provide them with time, resources, and opportunities. Admitting more students would decrease our ability to do this. Every single member of our faculty and staff is working hard to find the resources (faculty, space, and money) to increase how many students we can admit, , but it will take time, and we will likely not be able to serve every student that applies. Direct any feedback to Amy Ko (ajko@uw.edu), Professor and Informatics Program Chair.

Q: Does the addition of a second admissions cycle increase the number of students admitted?

A: No. The total number of students admitted to the program remains unchanged.

Q: Can I apply more than once?

A: Beginning with the 2020 admissions cycles, applicants will be allowed to apply to the Informatics major a maximum of two times. For this reason, applicants are encouraged to be selective and apply only when they have fulfilled all the criteria and feel that they can present a strong application. (Specifically, applicants who have not completed all five prerequisite courses should not apply to the program.)

Q: Assuming the application prompt is the same, can I reuse the same application document for more than one cycle?

A: Yes, you can reuse the same materials if applying for multiple cycles. However the application prompt changes each cycle in response to feedback and new priorities, so applicants should take care to make sure that materials they are submitting are relevant to the current cycle.

Q: The informatics application requires that I submit a statement of less than 3,000 characters including white space, can you clarify what this means? 

A: The application is asking you to provide a statement of 3,000 characters, not 3,000 words. A word count feature is included in many word processing applications which can assist you in monitoring your character count. You can reference this website to learn about the character count capabilities of several commonly used word processors. 

Q: When should transfer students apply?

A: At present, transfer students are not able to apply for spring quarter admission (see the UW application timeline) and should plan to apply to the UW for autumn or winter quarter. Transfer students must apply to both the UW by its specified deadline and to the Informatics program by its application deadline. See the admissions timeline.

Q: Is there a minimum grade requirement for prerequisite courses?

A: Yes, each prerequisite course must be completed with a 2.0 or higher or AP credit. Prerequisite courses taken for S/NS during Extraordinary Circumstances quarters may count toward prerequisites; otherwise, we are not able to accept non-numeric grades, such as CR/NC or S/NS.

Q: What are the average grades in prerequisite courses and GPAs of admitted students?

A:  We understand that students believe grades are a central component of their admission. However, as we make clear in our application prompt, they are only one of five criteria, and GPA is not considered at all. Therefore, sharing this data would not only send an incorrect signal about what we are assessing, but it would also unjustly deter students with strong grades in one area but a weak GPA overall from applying.

Q: What can I do to increase my chances for admission?

A: Complete all of the prerequisite courses (with grades at a 2.0 or higher), and respond to the criteria listed in the application prompt as clearly and coherently as you can. The prompt enumerates many ways that the criteria might be met, so what you might do as an individual could vary wildly from what another student does. We strongly encourage you to focus on activities that you actually want to do, rather than activities you are only doing to increase chances for admission. Your time in college is too short and the odds of admission are too low for you to spend time on things you aren’t passionate about.

Q: Is it required to have completed all the prerequisite courses prior to applying to the program?

A: Yes, in order to be included in the review pool, applicants must have completed all five prerequisite courses. Prerequisites must be completed by the end of the quarter prior to submitting your application to the Informatics program. Note: Transfer students do not need to complete INFO 200 as a program prerequisite.

Q: Will the committee be able to consider prerequisites that are in progress at the time of the application deadline?

A: No. All prerequisite courses must be complete prior to the Informatics application deadline. For example, students planning on applying in autumn 2020 for winter 2021 program entry must have all prerequisites completed by summer 2020. See the admissions timeline.

Q: When will I learn my admissions decision?

A: For 2020-21, decisions will be conveyed in early May for autumn admission and in early November for winter admission. See the admissions timeline.