The Department's Admission Committee will review each application using the following criteria.
Grade point average
The Department of Mechanical Engineering requires an overall undergraduate cumulative GPA of at least 3.3 for M.S. applicants. Ph.D. applicants are required to have an M.S. cumulative GPA of 3.5 or better.
The Graduate School requires that applicants have a GPA of at least 3.00 (on a 4.00 scale) for the last 90 quarter-hours or 60 semester-hours of graded undergraduate coursework to receive consideration for admission.
Statement of purpose
A one-page summary of your technical and research interests, career goals, and how you envision your proposed degree with UW Mechanical Engineering contributing to these goals. We specifically look for discussion of your previous engineering experiences and how they demonstrate your skill development, problem solving ability, ability to persist through setbacks, and/or motivation for pursuing graduate school.
Recommendations
Three letters of recommendation from people in an ME-relevant field (i.e. faculty, supervisors at work or internship) who are familiar with your engineering and research abilities. The most successful letters speak to an applicant’s capabilities as an engineer and describe specific experiences with the applicant that demonstrate their preparedness for graduate study.
Please note that recommenders will automatically receive an email from UW requesting the recommendations immediately after you add their contact information to the application.
Professional experience
We evaluate your resume for project, research, or work experiences in ME relevant fields. For each experience on your resume, it’s helpful to include the length of your involvement, and any roles that you held on a project team.
Contributions to community
Our ME department values students who make positive contributions to their community through volunteering and service. We evaluate all application materials for evidence of broader impacts, especially with groups traditionally underrepresented in ME or STEM.
English requirements for foreign nationals
Applicants whose native language is not English must demonstrate English language proficiency. Please refer to the UW Graduate School Policy 3.2 for further information regarding this requirement.
GRE general test
Our department does not require the GRE for admission to our graduate programs. Applicants can leave this portion of the application blank.
Averages
| Year | Program | GPA | GRE-Quant. | GRE-Verbal | GRE-Writing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019/2020 | Ph.D. | 3.77 | 164 | 156 | 4.5 |
| 2019/2020 | M.S. | 3.62 | 163 | 154 | 4.0 |
| 2020/2021 | Ph.D. | 3.70 | 165 | 158 | 4.5 |
| 2020/2021 | M.S. | 3.52 | 162 | 156 | 4.0 |
The University of Washington provides equal opportunity in education without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, or status as a disabled veteran or Vietnam era veteran in accordance with the University of Washington policy and applicable federal and state statutes and regulations.