For UW interest changers and transfer students, the application deadline is April 5 for autumn quarter start. Prior to applying to the HCDE major, transfer applicants must also submit a UW application by the UW transfer application deadline.

For current high school students applying for Direct to College admission, find more information and deadlines on the College of Engineering’s Freshman admission website.

For current UW engineering undeclared (ENGRUD) students requesting placement into a major, see the College of Engineering’s placement website.

Yes, all departments use the same online application. All students applying to more than one major will be asked to rank their major preferences. Transfers/interest changers applying to more than one major will need to complete the application requirements and write personal statements for each engineering major that they wish to apply to.

No, all applications are reviewed together after the application deadline so submitting early will not result in an earlier decision.

HCDE has three major areas of learning: technicality, design, and social scientific. Technicality refers to building the systems that have been designed, including front and back end coding. The UW Computer Science and Informatics programs have a greater focus on technicality than HCDE does, and Interaction Design has fewer technical components than HCDE. The design component includes visual, product, interaction, service, and other forms of design across industries. The Interaction Design major has the greatest emphasis on design, followed by HCDE then Informatics. Computer Science has the least emphasis on design. Social scientific describes the integration of psychology, sociology, ethics, and other fields related to people and their interactions. HCDE has the greatest emphasis on social scientific content, followed by Informatics. CSE and Interaction Design both have minimal focus on the social scientific.

The undergraduate program is designed for students to start the 300-level core courses in their second-to-last year, completing them before the capstone series. Students must be enrolled at UW during winter and spring of their final year to complete the 2-course capstone series, offered once per year. DTC (including STARS) students should plan to complete the major in three academic years. All other students typically begin the major as juniors so should plan to complete the major in two academic years. Prospective students estimating time to degree should additionally consult our Group Code Registration Policy for information regarding registration for HCDE 300- and 400-level coursework.

In some cases, yes. Any second major that is declared along with HCDE automatically becomes a double degree (as opposed to a double major), requiring a minimum of 225 credits to graduate. You will need to map out a plan for completing all requirements for both degrees in MyPlan and meet with advisers for both majors to discuss your reasons for pursuing a second degree, review your plan, and confirm whether it may be possible to complete both majors within UW's Satisfactory Progress guidelines. We do not allow double degrees with any Engineering degree, Informatics, or Interaction Design.

Typically, minors are more straightforward to fit in than a second degree. Students who wish to declare a minor should take a first pass at mapping our their remaining major and minor requirements in MyPlan and schedule an HCDE Advising appointment to discuss their plan and confirm that it’s feasible to fit in the minor within UW's Satisfactory Progress guidelines.

Information sessions and application workshop dates can be found on the HCDE Info Session Calendar.

No. Students who have already completed a Bachelor's degree are encouraged to look into HCDE's User-Centered Design Certificate or Master’s Degree programs. Students admitted into these programs come from interdisciplinary academic backgrounds.

With the exception of the remote courses during the COVID-19 pandemic, the program is only offered in-person on the UW Seattle campus.

Please see the Bachelor of Science Program Overview.

The online HCDE Undergraduate Application is available on the College of Engineering website. Transfer students and interest changers preparing to apply to HCDE can preview the application components that they will be required to submit and the personal statement prompt by following the “Get Ready to Apply” link on that page.

The application opens approximately two weeks prior to the application deadline.

All applicants will be notified of being admitted or declined approximately one month after the deadline. Additional information regarding next steps after your admission decision will be outlined in your decision letter. For admitted students, this will include directions for how to accept or decline the offer, important information about HCDE policies and registration, and details regarding the HCDE Orientation.

In most cases, it is best to apply to transfer to UW and to apply to the HCDE major for the same quarter. Factors included in the UW Admissions holistic review process include well-defined academic goals, preparation for intended major, and a plan for timely completion of a bachelor’s degree. UW’s Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy also states that students must declare a major by the time they have completed 5 quarters and 105 credits and must graduate by the time they reach 12 quarters and 210 credits. Transfer students who have already completed 6 or more quarters and 90 or more credits at another institution and who are not on track to declare a major when they arrive at UW often run into issues with satisfactory progress, which can have implications for registration and admission to majors, including HCDE. Students who have questions about this are encouraged to Schedule a "BS Prospectives" advising appointment with our peer advisers.

Your personal statement should address all of the statement prompts in roughly 750 words. Please be mindful of keeping your statement around 750 words out of respect for our admission committee’s time.

The HCDE staff advisor is not able to give feedback on personal statements. The HCDE peer advisors can give feedback on personal statements, but only during appointments (not via email). To talk about your personal statement with a peer advisor, book a “BS Prospectives” advising appointment. You are also encouraged to use UW campus resources such as the writing centers or the Career & Internship Center.

In addition to getting as much feedback as possible on your personal statement, we encourage prospective students to remember the following:

• Be sure that you are addressing all aspects of the prompt in your personal statement
• Provide specific examples that show rather than tell the admissions committee how you have explored HCDE and why you believe HCDE will be the best fit for your interests and goals
• While geared towards students applying to graduate school, this article from the Seattle Times also has great advice on writing personal statements

Students who are curious about the personal statement rubric used by the HCDE BS Admissions Committee can find a sample of that rubric here. However, prospective students reviewing the rubric far in advance should note that the committee may periodically make updates to the personal statement prompts and rubric. The HCDE Department also cannot conduct pre-evaluations of admission applications. We recommend that prospective students attend an HCDE BS info session or schedule a “BS Prospectives” advising appointment for advice regarding personal statements.

No, HCDE does not accept letters of recommendation.

No, HCDE does not accept portfolios or sample work. Because the admissions committee has to review so many applicants each cycle, they do not have time to review portfolios. However, you may choose to describe your portfolio projects in your personal statement.

All prerequisites must be completed by the application deadline to be eligible for admission. The only exception to this rule is for incoming transfer students from a semester school: they may have one prerequisite course in progress at the time of the application deadline (i.e., they should be registered to take this course in Spring, not in a future semester). Transfer students from a semester school who wish to be considered for admission to the HCDE BS program with one prerequisite course still in progress in Spring must note this in the “Additional Comments” box in the major application.

If extraordinary hardship has impacted your ability to complete no more than one of the HCDE admission prerequisites, you may submit the HCDE application with your final prerequisite still in progress in Spring. Students who wish to have their applications reviewed in this situation must schedule an appointment with the HCDE BS staff academic adviser (not a peer adviser) prior to the application deadline (please include “in-progress admission prerequisite” in the appointment notes when booking your appointment). These students should also note that they have met with HCDE Advising to discuss their situation in the "Additional Comments" box in the major application.

Please bear in mind that applying with a prerequisite still in progress may be a disadvantage for admission consideration. Applications with one prerequisite still in progress in Spring will only be reviewed under the conditions described above. Applications from students who have not yet completed or met the minimum grades in more than one prerequisite will not be reviewed.

Courses taken Satisfactory/Non-Satisfactory (S/NS) in which an S grade is earned may only apply to the HCDE admission prerequisites if they were taken in an Extraordinary Circumstances Quarter.

Yes, HCDE is a capacity-constrained program, meaning we are unable to admit all qualified students. Prospective students are encouraged to schedule a “BS Prospectives” appointment to discuss personal statement best practices and advice for putting together a strong application.

The most important part of your application is your personal statement, as it’s how the admission committee gets to know you!  The department particularly values personal statements that thoroughly address the prompt and articulate an understanding of HCDE. Involvement in student organizations, research, internships, employment, or volunteer experience may help us understand your interests and values and how you have identified that HCDE as the best fit for your goals. Completion of the admission prerequisites, competitive grades, and positive quarterly grade trends are also all key components in evaluating applications. While taking HCDE-related courses can be a great way to explore the field, since most HCDE courses are not open to non-majors, there is no expectation that students applying to the major will have already completed an HCDE course.

Yes, but the amount of personalized feedback we can provide may be limited. As a smaller capacity constrained program, we are unable to admit all qualified students. For feedback on your personal statement and advice for putting together a strong application, schedule a "BS Prospectives" appointment with an HCDE Peer Advisor.

You are welcome to apply more than once. In each application cycle, you are a new applicant and must submit all new materials to be considered. Bear in mind that the UW’s Satisfactory Academic Progress policy states that students who have not declared a major by the time they reach 5 or more quarters and 105 or more credits will receive a registration hold. The more time you spend applying equates to more credits you earn without being in a major and making progress to graduate. HCDE cannot remove registration holds for students who are not yet admitted to the major.

Please note that the HCDE core course curriculum takes a minimum of 2 years to complete. While you are still permitted to apply, it’s important to note that we do consider Satisfactory Academic Progress as part of our admission review.

If you will be applying to the HCDE major at the end of your junior year or later, please use the “Additional Comments” box in the application to briefly share why you are deciding to change your major, add another degree, or do not yet have another major in progress. Describe the reasons why you will need to extend your graduation timeline beyond 4 years/12 quarters and why this is the best path for meeting your individual academic and career goals.

International students and students receiving Financial Aid or other funding should also talk to the relevant UW office (e.g., International Student Services, Office of Student Financial Aid) to understand how delaying their graduation beyond 4 years may impact their visas or funding.

No. The admissions committee does not track whether an applicant has applied to the major before.