Admission into the ACMS program is competitive, effective Autumn Quarter, 2011. Students can apply to the program twice a year, in Autumn and Spring Quarters. The application opens the first day of the quarter and is due the second Friday at 5pm. The entire application is completed online. Admission decisions are made before registration for the following quarter. Admitted students will be admitted into a specific ACMS option and will not be able to change their option unless they reapply.
To be eligible to apply, students must have the following: A minimum grade of 2.0 in each course taken and a GPA of at least 2.50 is required in the following set of five courses: CSE 143 or CSE 123, MATH 124, 125, 126, one of MATH 207, MATH 208, AMATH 351, or AMATH 352. The sequence MATH 134, 135, 136 may be substituted for MATH 124, 125, 126, 207, and 208.
Take the CSE guided self-placement to determine which of CSE 121, CSE 122 or CSE 123 you should begin with: https://www.cs.washington.edu/academics/ugrad/nonmajor-options/cse12x
No courses may be in progress at the time of application. Completion of the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission. Any ACMS-eligible degree courses cannot be taken Satisfactory/Non-Satisfactory.
AP/IB Exams: Course equivalencies earned withAP / IB examscan be used to meet the course requirements.
WA CTC Transfers: If you're transferring from a Washington state community or technical college, use the WA CC Equivalency Guide (https://admit.washington.edu/apply/transfer/equivalency-guide/) to see what CTC courses are transferable and equivalent to UW coursework.
As a public institution, the UW is dedicated to first-time degree-seeking students. Coupled with high demand for ACMS degrees among undergraduates means ACMS degrees are not available for Post-bac students through the UW Seattle.
Personal statement:
Each response has a 250 word limit (the application will not accept more than 2,000 characters).
The purpose of the prompts is for the admissions committee to gain insight into your thinking and interest in ACMS. There are no right or wrong answers.
Students may find it helpful to utilize one of the UW writing centers as they work on the prompts:
https://depts.washington.edu/owrc/
http://academicsupport.uw.edu/clue/subjects/writing-center/
REQUIRED PROMPT FOR ALL ACMS APPLICANTS
Why are you interested in ACMS and in your chosen option? How does it impact your career goals and what do you hope to achieve with this course of study? If you are planning to change your major or do a double major, explain why you wish to do so. (2,000 character limit.)
DMA/DSS/MEQF ADDITIONAL REQUIRED PROMPT
In addition to the above, DMA, DSS and MEQF applicants are required to answer the following additional prompt. 2,000 character limit.
DMA
Describe an academic concept or challenge from your college classes that has contributed to your decision to choose discrete mathematics and algorithms. Be specific.
DSS
Describe an academic concept or challenge from your college classes that has contributed to your decision to choose data sciences and statistics. Be specific.
MEQF
Mutual fund prospectuses typically include the statement “past performance is no indicator of the future” and yet we often choose investments based on their past performance. How do you resolve the contradiction between these two?
OPTIONAL PROMPT FOR ALL ACMS APPLICANTS
All ACMS applicants have the option to answer the following prompt, but it is not mandatory.
ACMS actively seeks and welcomes students with diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. If you wish to describe such things, as they relate to your interest in ACMS, please do so in this paragraph. You may also use this statement to address elements of your record that might misrepresent your potential as an ACMS major. (1,000 character limit.)
When and How to Apply
There are two admission pathways for the ACMS Major: Currently Enrolled UW Students and Entering Transfer Students
1. Currently Enrolled UW Students: A portion of each year's class is admitted after matriculating to the UW Seattle.
| Quarter of Admission to Major | Application Opens | Application Deadline | Admission Decision Notification |
| Winter | First day of Autumn Quarter, 8am Pacific Time | 2nd Friday of Autumn Quarter, 5pm Pacific Time | Late October |
| Autumn | First day of SpringQuarter, 8am Pacific Time | 2nd Friday of SpringQuarter, 5pm Pacific Time | Mid/Late April |
Only current matriculated UW students may apply to the ACMS program using this application. Prospective freshmen need to be admitted and enrolled at the UW before applying to the ACMS Program.
Prospective Transfer Students should submit an application should not use this application but see the section below.
The Autumn Quarter 2024ACMS Admissions Application will be available here and will open on Wednesday, September 25th at 8am(Pacific).
Clickhereif you are having trouble accessing the application form.
2. Entering Transfer Students: Transfer applicants must submit a separate departmental application if submiting an application to the UW Seattle for autumn quarter.For more information about the University of Washington Transfer Application, visithttps://admit.washington.edu/apply/.
What if required courses needed to apply to the ACMS Major are not completed before the Transfer Application deadline, but in-progress or projected for a future quarter?Apply as a Transfer Applicant to the University of Washington for the quarter you would like to begin your enrollment. If admitted to UW as declared major in another program or as a premajor, plan to take applicable ACMS courses at UWand once minimum requirements have been met, apply during the next ACMS application cycle. Because ACMS is a highly competitive major, premajor students should be prepared to apply to their backup major.
| Quarter of Admission to Major | Application Opens | Application Deadline | Admission Decision Notification |
| Autumn | February 1, 2024 at 8am Pacific Time | April 5 5pm Pacific Time | Late May - Early June |
Transfer students need to have appliedto the University of Washington for autumn quarterbefore applying to the ACMS Program.
This application is not for current UW students or prospective Freshmen students.
Clickhereif you are having trouble accessing the application form.
Direct Transfer Decision notification: Applicants are notified only in the case they are being offered admission directly to the major. Admissions to the major is conveyed to UW Undergraduate Admissions, who will continue the process of evaluating your application for admissions to the University of Washington. If you are admitted to UW, they will indicate the major in the offer.
If you are denied direct admission to the major, that decision is conveyed to UW Undergraduate Admissions who will continue the process of evaluating your application for admissions to the University of Washington. If you are admitted to UW, you will see you are admitted to a pre-major status (instead of directly to the Department).
ACMS does not allow direct transfer admissions appeals.
Admissions Decision for Current UW students
Admissions decisions will be sent out via email to your UW email. The date of the email will be posted at the top of this webpage. If admitted, please follow the instructions in the email. Non-responses by the deadline indicated in the email are considered a decline of the offer of admissions.
Applicants who apply to the ACMS Major and are admitted need to be registered and enrolledfor the quarter immediately following the application decision. Students who are not enrolled for the quarter following the application decision will forfeit their admissions offer and will need to reapply in a future application cycle.
All applicants have the right to petition and appeal the department’s admission decision.
If you are denied admission to the ACMS department, there is an appeals procedure if you feel that important facts were overlooked by the committee. You must submit the ACMS Admission Decision Appeal Formwithin two weeks of the date of the notification email. The form should be submitted to the Student Services Office advising@math.washington.edu. Only relevant information that was not submitted with your original application will be considered in your case for an appeal. Students who appeal will be notified one week after the appeal deadline.
To meet with an advisor, please join us for drop-in advising:https://acms.washington.edu/advising-and-applying
How Many We Admit
ACMS admits approximately 50-75 students each applicationcycle across all option areas. Because the UW admits more than 400students per year who wish to study ACMS, admissions is competitive.
