Grad Credit Deadlines
Autumn 2025
| By… | You must have… |
|---|---|
| Monday, Oct 6 @ 9:00am | Submitted a complete application for graduate-level coursework happening this quarter |
| Wednesday, Oct 8 @ 5:00pm | Received a confirmation email stating that an Honors adviser has approved or denied your application |
| Tuesday, Oct 14 @ 9:00am | Submitted any revisions for graduate-level coursework denied by an Honors adviser |
| Thursday, Oct 16 @ 9:00am | Received adviser approval for any revisions made to an application that was initially denied |
| Monday of Week 9 of the Quarter | Received an email from Honors with a link to your final reflection form |
| Friday before finals week @ 5:00pm | Submitted your final reflection |
Winter 2026
| By… | You must have… |
|---|---|
| Monday, Jan 12 @ 9:00am | Submitted a complete application for graduate-level coursework happening this quarter |
| Wednesday, Jan 14 @ 5:00pm | Received a confirmation email stating that an Honors adviser has approved or denied your application |
| Tuesday, Jan 20 @ 9:00am | Submitted any revisions for graduate-level coursework denied by an Honors adviser |
| Thursday, Jan 22 @ 9:00am | Received adviser approval for any revisions made to an application that was initially denied |
| Monday of Week 9 of the Quarter | Received an email from Honors with a link to your final reflection form |
| Friday before finals week @ 5:00pm | Submitted your final reflection |
Spring 2026
| By… | You must have… |
|---|---|
| Monday, Apr 6 @ 9:00am | Submitted a complete application for graduate-level coursework happening this quarter |
| Wednesday, Apr 8 @ 5:00pm | Received a confirmation email stating that an Honors adviser has approved or denied your application |
| Tuesday, Apr 14 @ 9:00am | Submitted any revisions for graduate-level coursework denied by an Honors adviser |
| Thursday, Apr 16 @ 9:00am | Received adviser approval for any revisions made to an application that was initially denied |
| Monday of Week 9 of the Quarter | Received an email from Honors with a link to your final reflection form |
| Friday before finals week @ 5:00pm | Submitted your final reflection |
Overview
Applying graduate-level coursework towards your Interdisciplinary Honors requirements
Students may take four- or five-credit decimal graded graduate-level (500-level or above) courses to earn Interdisciplinary Honors credit, by submitting the Graduate-level Honors credit form prior to the deadline for the quarter. Graduate courses will ONLY count in the “Elective” category of the curriculum. A maximum of 3 out of 4 of your Elective courses can be satisfied through any combination of ad hoc, graduate-level credit, or HONORS 499.
This option and the form linked above are specific to Interdisciplinary Honors. Departmental Honors policies surrounding graduate-level coursework vary major to major. If a Departmental Honors student wants to pursue graduate-level coursework, they will need to contact their Departmental Honors Adviser directly after reviewing their Departmental Honors webpage for information and guidelines about what courses may be appropriate for Departmental Honors credit. Departmental Honors and Interdisciplinary Honors coursework cannot overlap. If a graduate-level course is being used for Departmental Honors requirements, it cannot be used for Interdisciplinary Honors requirements.
Process
To have graduate-level coursework count towards Honors Electives, students must:
- Enroll in a 4- or 5- credit, decimal graded graduate-level course
- Submit the graduate-level credit application by the 2nd Monday of the quarter
- Receive approval from the Honors Advisers and, for jointly-listed courses, their instructor
- Submit a reflection for their graduate-level course at the end of the quarter
- Complete and receive above a 2.0 in their graduate-level course
If students submit their reflection before the end of the quarter, they can expect to see the graduate-level course applying to their Honors Electives by the start of the following quarter. Reflections submitted for graduate-level coursework will count towards the four course reflections students must complete before enrolling in HONORS 496.
Notes about joint-listed graduate and undergraduate courses
Some graduate-level courses are jointly listed with undergraduate (4xx and below) courses. Jointly listed 4/500 level courses that have no difference in undergrad or graduate required work are not eligible for Interdisciplinary Honors credit. If there is no difference in course requirements, students may consider ad hoc to receive Interdisciplinary Honors elective credit.
If students enroll in a jointly listed 4/500 course, they will need instructor approval to confirm that there is difference in coursework between the graduate and undergraduate level courses, and that the instructor knows that the student has agreed to do the graduate-level coursework.
Go to the graduate-level Honors credit application
Frequently Asked Questions
Is X course eligible?
All decimal-graded 500 level courses are eligible to receive Honors credit. Undergraduate courses that are considered electives for various graduate programs may not be applied toward this requirement. Please contact an Honors adviser in advance of submitting the form if you have questions about whether the graduate course you are considering is eligible.
How do I register for a graduate-level course?
Approval to register for 500 level coursework is up to the discretion of the professor. Once you identify a 500 level course that is eligible for graduate level coursework credit, you will need to reach out to the professor directly for permission to enroll in their course. On occasion, Honors will advertise graduate-level coursework that instructors are willing to enroll undergraduate students in, but students will still need to ask instructor permission.
When will my graduate-level course show up in my Honors Electives?
First, have you submitted your reflection? You must submit your final reflection before your graduate-level course can count towards your Honors requirements. If you took a jointly-listed (4/500) graduate-level course, you will also need to have received your instructor’s final approval. If all of this has happens by the listed deadlines, you should see your graduate-level course counting towards your Honors requirements by the Friday after final grades are submitted. If you submitted your reflection and/or received instructor approval late, you should see your course counting towards your Honors requirements by the third week of the following quarter. If, by that time, you don’t see the course counting towards your requirements, please email uwhonors@uw.edu.
What are the graduate-level credit reflection prompts?
Due to the nature of Honors by Contract options, the prompts for graduate-level credit reflections are different from the standard course reflection prompts. You will find these prompts when you are reminded to submit your reflection at the end of the quarter, but we have included them here for your convenience:
Question 1
Respond to one of the following (150 words minimum):
- How did this course deepen your educational experience? What new (or sharper) perspectives have you developed as a result of taking this course–on content, the discipline or field, or specific lines of inquiry?
- How has this course sparked your intellectual curiosity? Are there topics, interests, or questions that you’re now eager to explore further? What and why? And how might you continue to explore them?
Question 2
Respond to one of the following (150 words minimum):
- What initially drew you to this course offering? What expectations did you have entering the course? How did those expectations play out across the course–were they confirmed? Challenged? What surprised you?
- What was the most challenging aspect of this course? How did you overcome these challenges? What was the most rewarding?