Admission

I have completed one or more years of college

What are the core subject requirements?

All applicants are required to complete a minimum level of preparation in six subject areas. This requirement ensures that students entering the University have an appreciation for the liberal arts and are prepared academically to succeed in college.

These subject areas are known as the core subject requirements. Most applicants will have satisfied these requirements in high school, which is generally defined as grades 9-12. Because these are admission - not graduation - requirements, they must be completed before enrolling at the University.

Please refer to the chart below for a summary of the number of years of high school study required in each core subject. Follow the links in the chart to view additional specifications by subject.

Subject	Years of High School Study Currently Required
English *	4
Mathematics	3
Social Studies	3
Science	2
Foreign Language **	2
Fine, Visual or Performing Arts	1/2

* Applicants who are not native speakers of English or who have credentials (transcripts) from non-English speaking countries should read Guidelines for Transfer Applicants Whose First Language is Not English on the main UW Web site.

** Applicants who have a documented disability that interferes significantly with the study of a foreign language may petition to substitute coursework about a foreign culture for the language requirement. American Sign Language (ASL) coursework, as well as proven proficiency with this language, is accepted by the UW as meeting the foreign language requirement. For more information or a copy of these policies, contact Admissions.

This information is intended to outline the UW's core subject requirements, but cannot address every situation. If you have taken a course in high school or college that is not mentioned here and believe it may apply to one of the core requirements, please contact an evening degree adviser at 206-543-6160 or advisers@extn.washington.edu, or the Office of Admissions at 206-543-9686. Similarly, if you are planning to satisfy a core requirement by taking a course in a subject not listed here, contact Admissions for prior approval.

Making Up a Core Requirement

There are several ways to satisfy the core requirements before enrolling at the University. In general, five quarter credits (or three semester credits) at the college level equals one year of high school study. If you completed a portion of the core requirements in high school, you can pick up in college where you left off in high school. For example, if you completed three years of English in high school, you can use one college English composition or literature course to bring your total to four years.

A college course may be used to satisfy both an admission core requirement and a graduation requirement.

If you are using a college course to satisfy the mathematics requirement, please read the mathematics section; specific restrictions on grading apply. For any core subject except mathematics, a passing grade, including a "D," is acceptable in either high school or college work. Also acceptable is a grade of "Pass" in a course taken on a "Pass/Not Pass" basis. However, you are strongly encouraged to take core subjects for a letter/numerical grade and you are urged to earn a grade of "C" (2.0) or better because:

• courses taken to satisfy core requirements, except certain math courses, are used in the transfer GPA; and
  
  
• you may also want to apply core courses toward requirements for the major or University or college graduation requirements, for which grading restrictions often pertain.

You can satisfy a core requirement through:

• UW Extension, which offers evening and online learning credit courses in a broad range of subjects. Formal admission to the University is not required to take courses through UW Extension.
  
  
• UW Summer Quarter, which offers more than 1,600 courses in over 100 fields of study. There is no summer enrollment limit at the UW.
  
  
• A regionally accredited four-year or community college in your area or a distance learning program offered by any other fully accredited college or university.

Timelines for Completing Core Requirements

We strongly recommend that you complete all core requirements before the application closing date. However, if you plan to make up your deficiency before the quarter of admission begins, you may be considered for conditional admission to the University. In most cases, that means you can proceed with paying your fee, registering for classes, etc., but you will be expected to verify that you completed the core subjects as planned.

• If you plan to make up any requirement through online or distance learning, begin study at least six months before the quarter of admission. Conditional admission will be granted only if the instructor verifies that you are making satisfactory progress in the course and that timely completion is possible.
  
  
• If you cannot make up the deficiency before the quarter begins, your admission and registration will be cancelled, and you will need to reapply for a future quarter. You must pay another application fee, submit updated transcripts for coursework completed after the date of your original application, and complete your application file by the appropriate closing date.

English

Four years of high school study are required, at least three of which must be in composition and literature. One of the four years may be satisfied by courses in drama as literature, public speaking, debate, journalistic writing, business English or English as a second language (ESL). Courses that are generally not acceptable include those identified as remedial or applied (e.g., developmental reading, remedial English, basic English skills, review English, yearbook/annual, newspaper staff, vocabulary, acting, library).

If you need college coursework to satisfy the composition/literature component, generally any course with an English or Writing prefix is acceptable. (However, courses such as developmental or speed reading, vocabulary or remedial English are not acceptable.) One of the four years may be satisfied by a college course in public speaking, drama as literature, debate, journalistic writing, business English or English as a second language (ESL).

English courses taken in foreign countries are considered ESL, except those taken in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

See Immigrant Applicants Whose First Language is Not English.

Mathematics

The mathematics admission requirement stipulates that applicants attain a minimum level of high school study in mathematics, in addition to completing the specified number of years. Three years of mathematics study are required, at least at the level of algebra, geometry and advanced (second-year) algebra. (Preferably, the second year of algebra includes a component of introductory trigonometry, but this is not required.) More advanced mathematics courses are recommended, such as trigonometry, mathematical analysis, elementary functions and calculus. Arithmetic, pre-algebra, business mathematics and statistics courses will not count toward the requirement. An algebra course taken in the eighth grade may satisfy one year of the requirement if second-year algebra is completed in high school.

If your high school preparation in mathematics was insufficient, you must complete one of the courses listed below:

• A course in intermediate algebra. At UW Extension, as well as at many community colleges in Washington, MATH 098 (formerly MATH 101) is the necessary course. The course must be completed with a grade of 'C' (2.0) or better, even though it does not transfer to the UW as college credit and the grade earned in the course is not used in computing the transfer GPA.
  
  
• A course in trigonometry, completed with a grade of 'C' (2.0) or better.
  
  
• MATH 107 (Mathematics: A Practical Art) or its equivalent. The course must be completed with a grade of 'C' (2.0) or better.
  
  
• Mathematics courses with intermediate algebra as a prerequisite (except statistics courses). This includes any higher-level math courses such as elementary functions, calculus and beyond.

Social Studies

Three years of high school study are required in history or in any of the social sciences, e.g., anthropology, contemporary world problems, economics, geography, government, political science, psychology, sociology. Credit awarded for consumer economics, student government, leadership, community service or other applied or activity courses will not count toward the requirement.

College courses in the social sciences, e.g., anthropology, economics, ethnic studies, history, philosophy, political science, psychology, and sociology, will count toward the requirement.

Science

Two years of high school science are required, of which one full year - both semesters in the same field - must be completed in the basic principles of biology, chemistry or physics, with a laboratory experience. The second year of science may be completed in any course that satisfies your high school's graduation requirement in science. Two years of agricultural science is equivalent to one year of science.

College science courses with a lab will count toward the laboratory science portion of the requirement. Any course in astronomy, atmospheric science, biological structure, biology, botany, chemistry, environmental science (but not environmental studies), genetics, geology, oceanography, physical anthropology, physical geography, physics or zoology will count toward the second-year requirement, as will introductory courses in biological or physical science.

Foreign Language

Two years of high school study are required and must be devoted to a single foreign language in sequence, with no repetition of any prior term of study and without a reduction in what would normally be a full, second year of study. Any natural language that has been formally studied may be used to satisfy this requirement, including American Sign Language (ASL, the language of the deaf community), and languages no longer spoken, such as Latin and ancient Greek. However, neither computer "languages" nor forms of deaf signing aside from ASL are acceptable. A foreign language course taken in the eighth grade may satisfy one year of the requirement if the second-year course is completed in high school.

Note: The foreign-language admission requirement will be considered satisfied for students from non-English-speaking countries who entered the United States educational system at the eighth grade or later.

For purposes of admission, each quarter of language in college is considered equivalent to one year in high school. Applicants who have never studied a foreign language will need to complete 10 quarter credits of a single language. However, an applicant who studied French for one year in high school may need to complete only the second quarter (e.g., FREN 102) or the second semester of a first-year language sequence. Of course, you may prefer to begin with 101 to refresh your memory. (UW Summer Quarter offers intensive foreign language programs to enable students to complete 10 to 15 credits in one quarter, but these programs are not normally recommended for students with little background in languages.)

If you believe you have acquired sufficient knowledge of a foreign language without formal study, contact the Office of Admissions to arrange an examination.

Fine, Visual or Performing Arts

One-half year or one trimester of high school study is required in the fine, visual, or performing arts, to be chosen from art appreciation, band, ceramics, choir, dance, dramatic performance and production, drawing, fiber arts, graphic arts, metal design, music appreciation, music theory, orchestra, painting, photography, print making and sculpture. Courses generally not acceptable include architecture, color guard, creative writing, drafting, fashion design, interior design, sewing and woodworking.

Two college quarter credits (or two semester credits) chosen from any of the following subjects will satisfy the requirement: art, art history, cinema/filmmaking, dance, music or photography, or any course in drama except drama as literature courses. College courses in architecture are generally not acceptable, except those in architectural history.