Applications

Applications for Autumn 2025 may be submitted online at the Graduate School Application website. We ONLY accept applications for Autumn quarter. Application instructions, including how to apply electronically, are posted at Application for Graduate Admission. 

Important Dates

Applications

• Please be aware that our application system operates on the US Eastern Time Zone, which means the time displayed in your application may be 3 hours later than the current time in Seattle/Pacific Standard Time). All applications submitted by the deadline and marked as received by the following day at 2:59 a.m. Eastern Time will be considered acceptable.
• Letters of recommendation have a two-week grace period beyond the application deadline for submission. Kindly urge your recommenders to submit the letters at their earliest convenience to ensure the completeness of your application.

Other important dates

Applying as an M.S. or Ph.D. student

The following materials are required for applications to both the M.S. and Ph.D. programs:

1. Online application and payment of $90 non-refundable application fee. A limited number of waivers, typically aimed at facilitating applications from low income students, are available
2. Online submission of resume/vitae
3. Online submission of Statement of Purpose
4. Online submission of unofficial transcripts from all colleges and universities attended
5. Online submission of three letters of recommendation

The following materials are required for all international and immigrant status applicants - including transfer applicants - whose native language is not English:

6. Online submission of official TOEFL score or IELTS (7.0 minimum) score (institution code 4854). Further details of which applicants need to submit TOEFL/IELTS scores can be found under the English Language Requirements section below

The following materials are optional for all applications to both the M.S. and Ph.D. programs:

7. Optional: online submission of Personal History Statement
8. Optional: GRE Mathematics Subject Test.  Please note that the Department of Statistics does not use the GRE General Test in its admissions process.

The following materials are optional for all applications to the Ph.D. program only:

9. Optional: online submission of Funding Needs Survey, if financial assistance is desired.

ALL MATERIALS (INCLUDING TRANSCRIPTS) SHOULD BE SUBMITTED ONLINE. Please do NOT mail any materials to the department unless you are unable to submit them online.

If you would like to be considered for the Ph.D. and the full-time M.S. program, please submit separate applications by the respective application deadlines.

If you have further questions, the Stat admissions FAQ may be of help, or your questions may be answered below.

Special instructions for applicants to the part-time/concurrent M.S. program

Students interested in the part-time/concurrent M.S. should contact the department advising office at statgradadv@stat.washington.edu before submitting an application through the Graduate School portal.

Students applying to the part-time M.S. program are expected to have previously enrolled in the Graduate Non-Matriculated (GNM program),  completed STAT 512 and STAT 513, and taken the M.S. Theory Exam before their application to the M.S. program is considered. If accepted into the M.S. programs, the credits for STAT 512 and STAT 513 taken under the GNM can be transferred.

Students applying to the concurrent M.S. program are expected to have taken STAT 512, STAT 513, and the M.S. Theory Exam before their application to the M.S. program is considered.  Typically, only students whose main program is a terminal graduate degree (Ph.D. or equivalent) are considered for the concurrent Statistics M.S.

Details on the Components of an Application

Statement of Purpose

The Statement of Purpose is an opportunity to share information with the Admissions Committee that supplements and contextualizes your other application materials. The Statement of Purpose should be a concise, well-written essay briefly discussing:

1. Reasons you are interested in pursuing a graduate degree in Statistics
2. Reasons you may have for applying to our program specifically
3. Your preparation for the field of study in Statistics
4. What area(s) of research interests you
5. Any research experience you have actively participated in that has influenced your career choice
6. Your career plans
7. Any other information that may aid the selection committee in evaluating your preparation and qualifications for graduate study in our department

The information in the Statement of Purpose should supplement rather than repeat the information that is in your resume / vitae and in your transcripts. The best Statements of Purpose tell a coherent story about who you are and who you want to be as a professional.

The recommended length for the Statement of Purpose is one to two pages.

Letters of recommendation

All applicants should arrange to have three letters of recommendation submitted online.  Letters of recommendation provide insight into abilities, strengths, and weaknesses that cannot be reflected in grades and test scores alone. You should select referees who know your work well and will write a frank and detailed letter of appraisal of you and of your likely success in our graduate statistics program. Letters that speak to your mathematical or statistical abilities, any special experience that you might have (in statistical applications, for example), or your potential for research are particularly welcome.

Choose the people who will write letters of recommendation for you with care and observe the protocols of courtesy by letting them know that you will submit their contact information with their permission.  Please also remember to inform your recommenders that the department's deadline to receive supplemental materials is the same as the application deadline.  After you submit their contact information, your referees will receive an email including the recommendation deadline, information pertaining to your right of access to view recommendations, and a link for submitting a recommendation.

Personal History Statement

The University of Washington is invested in recruiting a diverse and inclusive graduate student population. The Personal History Statement is an optional opportunity to provide additional context about your experiences as they relate to diversity, inclusion, and equity. For example, this statement might discuss your experience(s) as an individual from a traditionally underrepresented group in higher education; your perspective on issues related to diversity, inclusion, and equity; or any topics related to these themes. The Personal History Statement also provides an opportunity for you to discuss any personal hardships that you might have faced and overcome during your academic journey, to explain any aspect of your application that you might wish to elucidate, and to provide any additional details about your background and interests that might help the committee evaluate your application.

Please note that the Personal History Statement is not required. Also, the Personal History Statement should not duplicate the Statement of Purpose. The Admissions Committee understands that it might be hard to separate your personal history from other factors that might affect your career plans and/or research interests that you are expected to cover in the Statement of Purpose. When writing your statements, please keep in mind that the Committee will be reading both documents in parallel and will be using the information in them to understand you as a person, as well as the context of your application. The information in the Personal History Statement may also be used in aggregate to report to funding agencies and in applications for funding opportunities for eligible students.

The recommended length for the Personal History Statement is one page.

GRE scores

The department does not require the submission of any GRE test scores.  Scores in the GRE General Test are not used at all by our department in making admission decisions to our programs.  GRE Mathematics Subject Test scores are optional, and can be used by students to demonstrate a level of skill in mathematics that exceeds what could be inferred from other application materials.  However, not submitting GRE Mathematics Subject Test scores does not have a negative effect on an applicant's chances of being admitted into our graduate programs.

Official Transcripts

International Applicants

When you receive notification that you have been recommended for admission by our graduate program, you must then submit official transcripts and additional application materials to the Graduate School.  Please refer to the Official Transcript Requirements page for details.

Domestic Applicants

When you accept your formal offer of admission, you must then provide an official final degree transcript to the Graduate School.  Please refer to the Official Transcript Requirements page for details.

English Language Requirements

To be admitted into the program, all international and immigrant status applicants - including transfer applicants - whose native language is not English are required by the Graduate School to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).  Please review the Graduate School's Policy 3.2 for more details about the UW's English language proficiency requirements.  Students who want to be considered for Teaching Assistantships (TA) also need to satisfy the requirements of the Graduate School's Policy 5.2, which are more stringent than those for admission.

Recommendation: Each year, our program can only accept an extremely limited number of Ph.D. students who do not meet the TA eligibility requirements laid out in the Graduate School's Policy 5.2 at the time of their application. A minimum score of 26 on the speaking section of the TOEFL is one of them. Therefore, to enhance your prospects of admission, it is advisable to ensure TA eligibility before applying. We recommend that those planning to apply start preparing for the TOEFL test, especially the Speaking section, at least nine months prior to the Ph.D. admissions deadline. It's also suggested to complete the TOEFL test by July of the year you intend to apply.

Application Fee Waiver

The University of Washington can waive application fees under some circumstances.  Eligibility for this waiver is determined based on financial need or by participation in the McNair Scholars or PPIA Fellows program.  Unfortunately, applicants studying on F or J visas are not eligible for these application fee waivers.

Ph.D. applicants who do not qualify for a waiver from the university can request an application fee waiver from the Department of Statistics. An application fee waiver request should be submitted to the department at least (14) days before the posted application deadline. To apply for a Ph.D. application fee waiver, please submit your request to StatPhDadv@stat.uw.edu. The request should include a brief justification, a discussion of whether a waiver request was previously submitted to the university (and its outcome), and an unofficial transcript.  Your request will be reviewed by the Statistics Graduate Program. A notification will be sent to you via email.

Contact us

If you have any further questions, or if you intend to visit the campus, please feel free to contact us. We will be happy to meet with you and to answer your questions. The Stat admissions FAQ may answer some questions you have about the application process. Otherwise please address them to the following:

• Ph.D. inquiries – statPhDadv@stat.washington.edu
• M.S. (full-time) inquiries – statMSadv@stat.washington.edu
• M.S. (part-time/concurrent) inquiries – statgradadv@stat.washington.edu