Admissions Notifications
If admitted to UW you will receive a separate decision email from the Honors Program between March 15 and April 15. As of 4/1/26 all of our incoming scholarship decisions and notifications have been made via email. To make sure you receive your UW Honors Program First-year admissions decision email in a timely manner, please:
- Check your email during the notification window. UW Honors uses the email address listed in your UW application as our primary contact, including our decision letters and scholarship offers.
- If you set up a UW NetID and an “@uw.edu” EMAIL address, check it or set up email forwarding.
- If you can no longer remember how to access your UW NetID/“@uw.edu” email, follow the instructions here.
- If you have not received any confirmation emails, check your spam/trash folders first, then contact us here.
- If you are initially waitlisted by the University of Washington and then later admitted to UW you will not receive an Honors admissions decision. You will be able to apply for second-year admission to Interdisciplinary Honors in the spring of your first year at UW.
Application Process
To access and submit the Honors application questions:
- Follow the University of Washington Office of Admissions’ instructions on how to apply;
- In the UW application, select “Yes” to the question “I acknowledge that I want to apply for Interdisciplinary Honors, and I understand this involves a specific set of course requirements. Select below to access the required Honors essay prompt.“ This will open the Honors application and allow you to respond to our essay prompt.
- If you no longer wish to apply to Honors at any point, you must change your selection to “No.”
- Complete the UW application AND the Honors section of the UW application.
- Submit the UW application.
- You will receive separate confirmation emails from UW and the Honors Program.
- Check your email. UW Honors uses the email address in your UW application as our primary method of contact, including our decision letters and scholarship offers. If you set up an “@uw.edu” address, it will take priority. If you have not received any confirmation emails, please check your spam/trash folders first, then contact us at uwhonors@uw.edu.
Honors Essay
The heart of the Honors application is the Honors Essay. This essay, separate from the UW Writing section, requires an essay specific to Interdisciplinary Honors. Your response will be evaluated on content as well as form (spelling, grammar, and punctuation).
Your essay should be original, thoughtful, and concise. Do not copy previous essays from your UW application or materials found on the UW Honors Program web site. Draw on your best qualities as a writer and thinker; academic risk-taking is a core value of the Honors Program, so take some risks and be honest. Tell us who you are and why you want an interdisciplinary undergraduate education. Work on the essays early. Have someone proofread your writing but don’t let a proofreader erase your unique voice.
Essay Prompt for Autumn 2026
Respond to the essay prompt using no more than 450 words.
We want to understand your enthusiasm for exploring different ways of thinking and learning unfamiliar things.
Tell us why you are excited to push your education outside the areas of learning with which you are most comfortable.