Human Centered Design & Engineering

Tuition Information

2026-27 tuition and fees at the Seattle campus (full-time, 10 to 18 credits a quarter, three quarters: autumn, winter and spring): US$45,789 a year for nonresident students, the rate international students pay (US$15,263 a quarter), compared with US$13,873 for Washington residents. Both figures include the U-PASS transit pass. UW Student Financial Aid's 2026-27 nonresident undergraduate cost of attendance for students living on or off campus adds housing and food of US$18,858, books and course supplies of US$900, transportation of US$1,074 and personal/miscellaneous costs of about US$2,508, for an estimated total of US$69,129. International Student Services adds the required International Student Health Insurance Plan (ISHIP) at US$537 a quarter, giving its own three-quarter estimate of US$70,740. The Office of Admissions cost page still shows a slightly lower nonresident tuition line (US$44,460, total US$67,800). Some majors and courses charge extra fees, and flights and visa costs are not included. UW does not offer financial aid or scholarships to international undergraduates. Rates for students starting in autumn 2027 have not been published yet

Admission Requirements

• School or college: College of Engineering (Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering). Admission route: Direct to College (DTC) admission to the College of Engineering (autumn only). List this or any engineering major (other than Computer Engineering) as your first choice. If admitted you start as 'Engineering Undeclared', explore the engineering majors in your first year and request placement at the end of that year. Students who meet the placement requirements are guaranteed a place in an engineering major, but not necessarily their first choice. Getting in later from elsewhere at UW goes through a capacity-constrained application with limited space
• Testing: SAT/ACT not required. UW is test-optional, and reviewers do not see test scores in the holistic review, though high scores (1400 SAT / 31 ACT or above) may be considered for a small number of applicants who would not otherwise be admitted. Homeschooled applicants and students from schools without letter or numeric grades must still submit the SAT or ACT
• English proficiency (international applicants): official TOEFL iBT of at least 4.0 (new score scale for tests from 21 January 2026; 76 on the older 120-point scale), IELTS 6.0 or Duolingo English Test 110, taken by 31 December 2026. UW does not superscore English tests, does not accept TOEFL MyBest and has no conditional admission. Admitted international students average TOEFL 107, IELTS 7.6 and Duolingo 139. You are exempt if all your primary and secondary schooling was in Australia, Canada (English-speaking provinces), the UK, Ireland, New Zealand or the US. Alternatively, an average B in grade 10-12 English courses at an English-medium school plus SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing 580 or ACT English 22 meets the requirement
• Minimum preparation (CADRs): 4 years of English, 3 of math plus a math-based quantitative course in senior year, 3 of social science, 2 of a world language, 3 of science including 2 of lab science, and half a year each of arts and an academic elective. You self-report courses and grades through STARS; students at schools outside the US that follow a national curriculum also upload unofficial transcripts from grade 9 onwards. UW does not interview, use recommendation letters or track demonstrated interest