The best way to join our community is Direct to Major Admission, which gives high school students with a strong interest in studying Informatics the chance to apply to the Information School while filling out their UW application. By simply selecting “Informatics” as your first-choice major on your UW application, you will be considered for Direct Admission. 

Application deadline

Nov. 15 is the application deadline for first-year students to the UW — this includes Running Start students. Check UW Office of Admissions’ website for details. Note that for Direct Admission, we only consider applicants for autumn admission.

Preparation

The best high school preparation for pursuing Informatics is to take advanced high school classes (Honors, AP, IB, etc.) in English, math and science. It is not a requirement to have had computer programming courses in high school, or computer-related work experience, to gain admission to our program. However, courses such as AP Computer Science Principles and AP Computer Science A are good preparation for some of the programming courses required by the degree, and topics in data, design, development, and society that our degree also teaches. 

How to apply

All applicants who meet UW admissions criteria and who list Informatics as their first-choice major on their application will be automatically considered for direct admission. The UW Office of Admissions will offer direct admission based on a holistic review that includes established criteria and selection guidelines developed in partnership with the Informatics program. 

See the UW Admissions website for more information about general admission requirements and how to apply to the UW.

Timeline

FAQs

Q: How does the selection process for direct admission work?

A: The Office of Admissions uses a holistic review process to assess applications. After applicants are selected for general admission to the UW, the Informatics admissions team uses the holistic review assessment from the Office of Admissions to make direct admission decisions for the Informatics program. (Note, the Informatics team does not have access to the original application submitted to the UW Office of Admissions.) 

Q: How can a student improve their chances of being selected for direct admission?

A: Be sure to list Informatics as your first-choice major in the undergraduate application and follow the application instructions and recommendations from the Undergraduate Admissions office. The Undergraduate Admissions office has a helpful tips for applying playlist on YouTube. For advice about that process, please contact the Undergraduate Admissions Office directly: https://admit.washington.edu/contact/.

Q: How many students are admitted through direct admission?

A: For direct admission in Autumn 2026, we received 694 applications; 386 were admitted and 165 accepted the offer of admission.

Q: How many applicants for direct admission are you expecting in the future?

A: While it is difficult to predict exact numbers, the number of applicants for direct admission has increased over the last few years. The Information School has increased capacity in the major in response to demand, and we have been able to admit more students who apply:

Q: I'm a Running Start student and am interested in pursuing Informatics, is there a specific associate's degree I should be working toward? 

A: As a Running Start student pursuing an associate of arts or an associate of science degree will provide a solid foundation for informatics, as the Informatics major combines principles and theories from computer science and the liberal arts. There isn’t one associate's degree that the admissions committee would prefer over another. However, for an individual student, there may be an associate's degree that will better prepare you for your post-college goals.  

If you are finishing your associate’s degree after graduating from high school, follow our transfer student admissions information.