The UW Honors Program offers three paths to earn an undergraduate degree with Honors: Interdisciplinary, Departmental, and College Honors (a combination of the other two distinctions).
Current UW students may apply for admission to Interdisciplinary Honors in the spring of their first year at the University of Washington via the Second-year admission process. If selected, students begin Honors coursework in autumn of their second year.
The Interdisciplinary Honors curriculum explores diverse ways of thinking across disciplines and encourages students to see the relationships between their academic pursuits and the rest of their personal and professional lives. In addition to featuring small and engaging interdisciplinary Honors courses, we emphasize the importance of experiential learning, reflection, and a broad understanding of the interconnectedness of knowledge.
More than just a curriculum, the Honors Husky community is a group of students, alumni, faculty, staff and community partners from all different areas of knowledge. What they have in common is boundless curiosity; a willingness to sit with ambiguity and to share their own experiences and understanding; enthusiasm for going beyond degree requirements for deeper and broader engagement. Many Honors students are eager to make an impact as they learn.
2026 Application Cycle
- 2026 Interdisciplinary Honors Second-year application opens January 2026
- Application deadline: 9:00 AM on Wednesday, April 8, 2026
- Decisions emailed to applicants: the beginning of May 2026
- Second-year orientation: the second or third week of May 2026
Information Sessions
Second-year Admission applicants (currently first-year students at UW) are encouraged to attend a information session to learn about the Honors requirements, options, and application process. These sessions are for current UW students.
- Honors Second-year Admission Information Session at UW Dawg Daze: September 23, 12:30 pm–1:30 pm in MGH 206
- More information sessions for the 2026 cycle for Second-year admission will be added in Winter 2026
2025 Second-year Admissions to UW Interdisciplinary Honors presentation slides
Who should apply for Second-year admission?
Those interested in Second-year admission to Interdisciplinary Honors must be:
- UW Seattle First-year students;
- Have at least a 3.3 UW cumulative UW GPA or greater;
- Have not earned an Associates degree or have satisfied the UW’s Areas of Knowledge/Areas of Inquiry general education requirements.
- Because Interdisciplinary Honors requires students to complete 47 credits of general education coursework, those with an Associate’s degree or completed Areas of Knowledge/Areas of Inquiry general education requirements are not advised to apply.
- Those students may apply for Departmental Honors in their chosen major. Contacting their departmental adviser for admission information and requirements is a standard first step.
Strong applicants for Second-year admission demonstrate:
- knowledge of and interest in the Interdisciplinary Honors curriculum requirements;
- a history of academic achievement and serving the community;
- eagerness to learn outside their major;
- desire to understand the challenges of social justice;
- interest in leadership roles in confronting global change;
- familiarity with and/or curious about the complexities of diversity; and
- desire for a life of continuous learning and personal growth.
Second-year Interdisciplinary Honors candidates demonstrate educational efforts, aspirations, and attitudes that make clear what they hope to gain from and contribute to the Honors Husky community.
Learn more about who Honors students are
Application Tips
- We only accept applications submitted via this form.
- Review the entire application, including all prompts, well in advance of the application deadline. You may save a draft and return to submit it later.
- Compose your responses in advance another format (like a Google Document or Word document), then copy and paste them into this application, and save a copy for your records.
- Your responses will be evaluated on content as well as form (spelling, grammar, and punctuation) and we recommend you proof read your responses.
- If you save a draft of your application, remember to to submit the final application before the deadline.
Scholarships
The Honors Program will offer a limited number of partial tuition awards to 2026 applicants for Second-year admission. All applicants will be considered for these awards; no additional materials need to be provided, and none will be reviewed. These awards will be applied to the 2026-27 academic year.