Admissions

Welcome to the UW Department of Sociology. We are excited that you are considering the University of Washington as your next academic home. We offer a PhD program (students who have not previously earned a MA degree in sociology or a closely related field complete a MA degree along the way). We encourage you to explore our website to learn more about our program and determine whether it would be a good fit for you.

When you are ready to apply, then the information on this page should answer many of your questions.

Trevor Smith is the Graduate Program Advisor. If you have questions, you can contact him at socgpa@uw.edu or 206.685.3197.

Process

Graduate applications at the University of Washington are submitted online through the Graduate School. 

We suggest starting your application early so you can familiarize yourself with the requirements and leave ample time to request test scores and letters of recommendation. You can return to your application as often as needed before submitting. When you are ready to apply...

  1. Go to the UW Graduate School Application. Create an applicant profile and start a new application. 
  2. Prepare application materials, request letters of recommendation, and order unofficial transcripts and test scores (when applicable). 
  3. Submit your application and pay the application fee. The nonrefundable application fee is $85 (USD) or $75 for Graduate Non-Matriculated applications.

Deadline

The application deadline for any year's admissions cycle is December 1st, with the application opening in the late summer. Please contact Trevor Smith at socgpa@uw.edu with any specific questions.

Criteria

Applicants should meet both the UW Graduate School and Departmental requirements.

Academic Requirements

The Graduate School requires a BA degree and a minimum GPA. You can find more information on the Understanding the Application Process page

English Language Requirements

Native English speakers automatically meet the English language requirement. Non-native English speakers must satisfy an English language proficiency requirement. We consider all applicants for funding in the form of a Teaching Assistantships. Therefore, non-native English speakers must also meet additional requirements to serve as a TA at the time of acceptance. These requirements are outlined in the following document:

Policy 3.2: Graduate School English Language Proficiency Requirements

In sum, this means that non-native English speakers can meet the English language requirement in either of the following ways:

Hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution in the United States, or hold a bachelor’s degree from an institution in Australia, the Bahamas, Canada, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, or the United Kingdom, where English is the medium of instruction. While enrolled at the degree-granting school, the student must be in residence on campus. (Note: A master’s degree does not satisfy this requirement).

*** OR ***

Submit 1) TOEFL iBT speaking score of at least 26 and total score of 92 or higher or 2) IETLS speaking score of at least 7.0 and a total score of 7.0 or above.

Timeline

The admissions committee begins to review applications in January, with decisions expected in February and March. All decisions will be finalized by April 15th.

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