Fully Funded PhD in Computer Science and Engineering at University of Washington
Consistently ranked among the top computer science and engineering graduate programs in the nation, the Paul G. Allen School offers our 300 full-time graduate students a collegial and supportive learning environment; research opportunities of the highest quality; and the chance to collaborate with entrepreneurial faculty who are recognized leaders in their fields.
We are proud of our record of accomplishment in mentoring student researchers who go on to positions at the very best academic departments and industry laboratories. Working together, our students and faculty drive our field forward while generating innovations with real-world impact.
PhD in Computer Science Program Requirements
The following minimum criteria must be met in order for an applicant to be admissible to a University of Washington graduate program.
1. Applicants must hold the minimum equivalent of a four-year baccalaureate degree from a regionally-accredited college or university in the United States, or its equivalent from an accredited foreign institution.
2. Alternatively, applicants may hold a master’s (MA, MSc, etc.), doctoral (Ph.D., DPhil, etc.), or professional degree (MD, JD, etc.) from a regionally-accredited college or university in the United States or its equivalent from an accredited foreign institution.
3. Applicants must have earned at least a 3.0 GPA (on a 4 point scale) for those credits earned at the institution awarding their bachelor’s degree or at least a 3.0 GPA (on a 4 point scale) for their last 90 graded quarter credits or 60 graded semester credits.
4. Most admitted grad students will have a solid background in software development, data structures, discrete math, automata thory, programming systems, computer systems and organization and advanced knowledge of one or more computing topics. A Computer Science degree is not required for consideration. A very small number of students without portions of this background but showing exceptional research promise are admitted each year.
PhD Funding Coverage
The Allen School provides every student accepted to our Ph.D. program with 3 years of guaranteed financial support in the form of teaching and research assistantships or fellowships.
In exchange for 20 hours of work per week, research and teaching assistants receive:
- Tuition waiver of all but approximately $250 per quarter in fees.
- Monthly stipend to cover living expenses.
- Health insurance (100% of premium for student, 65% of premium for dependents).
There are two types of fellowships: those that students can apply for directly, and those that require a faculty nomination. At the application stage, students are more likely to be interested in the first category.
Application Requirement
1. All PhD application materials are submitted electronically through the online application portal.
2. Research Interests & Faculty Advising: Applicants are given the opportunity to indicate up to 3 interest areas our research areas of expertise. If you are confident that you’d like to work with any particular faculty member(s), you may indicate their name(s) in the supplemental question. This question is optional but is strongly encouraged to make sure your application is reviewed by the appropriate reviewers during the admissions process.
3. Recommendation letters: Three letters are required from all applicants. The best folks to write letters of recommendation are those people who can speak to your demonstrated research potential with specific details about the work you’ve done. They are usually academic supervisors, but can come from any source. It is not recommended to use personal references that can’t speak to your demonstrated research potential.
4. Resume or CV: Upload a current copy of your CV that provides detailed descriptions of your research accomplishments and other technical skills. There are no requirements for length or formatting; you may be as descriptive as you would like and may utilize more than one page.
5. Personal statement: The purpose of the personal statement (sometimes referred to as a statement of purpose, or “the essay”) is to provide a narrative of your approach to the PhD program. This is also where applicants can share particular strengths that might not appear in their other application materials, or where they can provide context for any aspects of their academic or professional backgrounds that they feel might be of concern.
6. GRE: GRE scores are no longer required or accepted for the Ph.D. program. GRE scores will not be reviewed or considered by the Allen School, even if they are submitted to the University of Washington.
7. Proof of English proficiency: All applicants who are non-native speakers of English must enclose proof of their English proficiency in their applications.
Application Deadline
December 15, 2024
Application Fee
The UW Graduate School administers the online application portal and collects an $85, non-refundable application fee for all graduate program applications to UW.
