FAQs

Frequently asked questions from first year and pre-major students.

General Registration

You can find this information in the Registration Calendar. Priority registration (Period I) is given to currently enrolled students. Period II is for new and returning students as well as for cross-campus enrollment.

Go to the Time Schedule. You can also access the schedule through MyPlan in your

You can find this information in the Dates of Instruction Calendar.

Yes, you may. Please read the following Cross Campus Enrollment procedures:

  1. If you enrolled at UW Bothell as a First Year student, you must *complete 25 credits here before cross-campus enrolling. Other matriculated students (such as transfer students) must complete 15 credits at UW Bothell. Non-matriculated students are not eligible to register in cross-campus enrollment except for summer quarter.
  2. All UW Bothell students must wait until Period II to register for cross campus classes (the exception is Summer quarter, when students can register during Period I).

(*Completing the credits includes having grades posted for them.)

Restrictions:

  1. Students will only be allowed to register for a total of 15 credits per academic year (Autumn-Summer)
  2. A maximum of 45 credits taken cross-campus may apply toward your UW Bothell degree.

To register for classes:

  • If the course has prerequisites (you will need to check the UWS on-line course catalog to locate the course description), you will need to contact the respective UWS department which houses the course and request an add code. Because not all courses have been coded to accept UW Bothell courses as equivalent prerequisites (e.g. MATH 124 = ST MATH 124), you may need to indicate this to the departmental advisor.
  • Register for your Seattle/Tacoma classes through MyUW.
  • If you decide to withdraw from the cross-campus course, you may do so on MyUW, following the same add/drop dates (and annual drop policies) as a UW Bothell course.
  • The course grade for the UW Seattle course will be computed into your cumulative UW GPA.

There is no minimum/maximum number of credits required per quarter. However, International students are required to take a minimum of 12 credits except during a vacation quarter. If you are receiving financial aid, the minimum number of credits to be considered a full-time student is 12. Please see the Financial Aid Office at UW Bothell (Husky Hall Room 1130; 425.352.5240; uwbfaid@uw.edu). Typically, a student will take approximately 15 credits per quarter in order to complete a bachelor’s degree in about four years.


First Year

New Pre-Major students are assigned an advisor. Once admitted to a major, students will meet with their major advisor.

Discovery Core Experience is designed for First Year students that will engage them in a process of experiencing the richness of integrated learning across a variety of academic disciplines, orient them to UW Bothell’s culture, integrate and improve their academic skills, and develop a sense of belonging to peers and to the university. Please visit the Discovery Core Experience webpage for more information.

All true First Year students (including those completing college credits while in high school) are required to take Discovery Core during autumn quarter. Transfer students with less than 45 transferable credits also take a Discovery Core class. More details are available on the Discovery Core web page.

Not necessarily. If you are pursuing a major such as Business Administration, Computing and Software Systems, or a STEM major, then you will likely be required to take a math class as part of meeting the prerequisites for these majors. However, if you pursue an Interdisciplinary Arts and Science major, math is one of many options you may take to fulfill the Reasoning (RSN) requirement. Check with your advisor to determine whether or not taking a math class is right for you.

UW Bothell uses a Math Directed Self-Placement (DSP). Visit the Directed Self-Placement web page for more information and to complete the directed self-placement.

First, attend all your classes. Second, make time to study by scheduling at least 2 hours of study time for every hour you are in class. That’s 30 hours of study time a week for a 15-credit load! Third, make sure you are communicating early and often with your professors. Don’t wait until you find yourself in academic difficulty. Faculty host office hours, so take advantage of them. Listed below are links to services students access most. Explore each service to learn more. We all want you to be successful and are here to help.

Contact the College Board and request your scores be sent to the UW Bothell Office of Admissions (address listed below). Your AP scores may be eligible for UW Bothell credit. If so, information about courses and credit awards will be accessible to you via MyUW on your unofficial UW Bothell transcript. To ensure that your AP scores connect with your UW Bothell academic record, be sure to identify your name and Social Security Number with the College Board exactly as you identified yourself on your UW Bothell application.

Official AP Score Reports should be sent to:

University of Washington Bothell
Office of Admissions, Box 358500
17927 113th Ave NE
Bothell, WA 98011-8246

Please see the AP Score Translation Table. Visit the International Baccalaureate website for IB Credit Policies.

Contact the community college you attended and request an official transcript be sent to UW Bothell Admissions. Please review the UWB Admissions transcript FAQ page to make sure your transcript reaches UW Bothell.

Remember, in signing your UW Bothell admission application, you agree to submit transcripts for all college credit attempted.


Majors and Minors

Yes! There are a variety of ways to explore a major. First, it’s important to keep in mind that there isn’t just one pathway to a specific career. A very good resource to help you is the Career Center. They have a variety of tools to assist you when exploring majors. Other ways to explore include talking to folks who do what you are interested in – How did they get to where they are? Also, think about the classes that you are really interested in. Could you take this type of coursework to another level? Do an internship? Volunteer? Sometimes new experiences can open us up to new directions. Another avenue of exploration is to look at the various majors and their required classes. Do any pique your interest? Also, you are always welcome to talk with your Academic Advisor.

Go to the department/major web page or review the Major Planning Worksheets to figure out the required classes for a particular major. Also, make an appointment to meet with your Pre-Major Advisor. Your advisor can go over the prerequisites and general education requirements for your specific major area of interest.

A major is an in-depth study of one field and usually ranges from 65-90 credits at the University of Washington. Some majors at UW Bothell include Business Administration, Applied Computing, Computing and Software Systems, and Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences. Students must have a major in order to earn his/her bachelor’s degree. Cross-campus majors are not permitted. To see the list of majors offered at UW Bothell, visit the Degree Programs webpage.

Unlike a major, a student is not required to pursue a minor. In general, a minor ranges from 25-35 credits. Some minors at UW Bothell include: Business Administration, Computer Software Systems, Education, Human Rights, Information Technology, and Policy Studies. Cross-campus minors are permitted.

The official priority deadline dates for each quarter are listed under the Transfer Application Dates. If you have questions about how to apply, or if your major is not offered at UW Bothell, please contact your Pre-Major Academic Advisor at uwbadvis@uw.edu


Class, Grading and Study Abroad

First, request a meeting with your instructor and/or your Academic Advisor. It’s not unusual to feel overwhelmed and stressed when you are attending college, so talking to someone who knows the University’s resources and services can provide you with the assistance and support that will help. Professors post their office hours and contact information on their course syllabi. Check out the following websites for valuable information about Student Services at UW Bothell:

It’s important to pay attention to add/drop deadlines. When having difficulty in a class, it’s important to first talk with your instructor. Is there hope of successfully completing the class? Are you using every available resource to help you in the class, such as the Quantitative Skills Center or the Writing and Communication Center? Look at your study/work/life balance. Are you devoting enough time to your classes?

  1. Should you change your class to the S/NS option?S, Satisfactory and NS, Not Satisfactory may be an option. Can you still stay in the class, do the work and learn from it? If so, you might want to consider this grading change. The positive is the S/NS option will not impact your GPA, and you will earn credit if you get an S grade. The negative is that this credit will not satisfy major or general education requirements. If you earn a NS grade, you will not earn credit for the class. You have until the the last day of finals week to choose this option, but ALWAYS check the current academic calendar for specific deadlines.
  2. Should you consider dropping a class? The Current Quarter Drop is available beginning week 3 of the quarter. If you are in a situation where you think you can’t make up enough ground to pass the course, this might be a good option. If you don’t really need this class to meet a requirement, this also might be an option. You can drop one class on your own via MyUW through the last day of instruction, which is the Friday before finals week. If you want to drop more than one class, you will need to use the Current Quarter – Adviser Assisted Drop Request Form. If you are receiving financial aid, dropping a class may take you below full time status and impact future financing. Check with the Financial Aid office before dropping classes. Also, it may be best to discuss this choice with an Academic Advisor before taking action.

You can make these changes through MyUW. Once you are on the page, click on ‘Registration’ to make changes in your course schedule. It’s important to pay attention to add/drop deadlines, as well as to be aware of potential consequences for dropping classes or changing to the S/NS option. Check the online Academic Calendar for important add/drop deadlines and contact an Academic Advisor in the First Year and Pre-Major Program office (UW1-160) for assistance.

UW Bothell does not send hard copy grade reports to you. You may view your quarterly grades on your MyUW page via the GRADE REPORT link under Quick Links on the landing page. You can also select GRADES under the Academics Tab. Grades are available the Wednesday after finals week.

Study abroad is a great way to include experiential learning into your college experience. Start with our Study Abroad page for more information.