Note: GRE Scores are not required for your SEFS application
 

English Proficiency for Non-Native English Speakers

SEFS follows the Graduate School’s English proficiency policies. Please read through this full section if you are a Non-Native English speaker.

General UW Admissions Language Proficiency Requirements
For general admissions requirements, see Graduate School Policy 3.2 Graduate School English Language Proficiency Requirements. This policy determines what is required for a student to be admitted to the UW and to SEFS.

For anyone required to submit English Proficiency Scores, send your scores to UW as soon as possible.

Test scores will only attach to your application package once you have officially submitted it to UW/SEFS and paid the application fee. Do not wait for your English Proficiency test scores to show up as they will sit in a database on our end until you submit your application. Once your application is submitted, your official test scores will become part of your record to be considered.

Do make sure to order your scores well in advance if at all possible; details are below:

• If submitting official test scores, you must fill in the Self-Reported test scores as part of the application process. And you also need to send your Official Scores. SEFS requires both of these reports (self-reported, and official scores sent).

Language Requirements for Teaching Assistants
If you want to be able to apply for Teaching Assistantships immediately, or for us to be able to provide Teaching Assistantships as a funding assignment in your admissions package, you will need to qualify for Graduate School Policy 5.2: Conditions of Appointment for TAs who are not Native Speakers of English.  Please note the following:

• Policy 5.2 requires a higher standard of spoken English than is required for general Admissions purposes – and is something you can qualify for in advance of matriculating, or after you are on campus.
• Many non-native English speakers will try hard to qualify at the Policy 5.2 level, even as an applicant.  And a few, for various reasons may not be able to do that. For these individuals they will do the qualification after they have matriculated on campus.

SEFS graduate faculty review applications and admit students annually, with the expectation that students begin in the autumn quarter.

We begin accepting applications after August 1st.
Our application deadline is November 15th.

Provided you submit a complete application by the November 15th deadline, MS and PhD applications will be considered for SEFS fellowships, research assistantships, teaching assistantships, and other types of funding.

Note that within the online application, there are two specific questionnaires we have added for some of the SEFS programs; be sure to fill these in as well.

• Professors:
  You will find one questionnaire in the application itself, relating to the Professors you have contacted and would like to work with. This is part of the application process prior to paying the fee and fully submitting the application.
• Funding:
  You will find the second questionnaire to fill in after you have paid the fee and submitted your application with a topic regarding funding you may have obtained on your own from other organizations.

A complete application includes all the materials you are asked to submit (see list of specifics below), and your recommendation letters. Recommendation letters also have a November 15 deadline!

While we recommend that applicants hold a previous Master’s degree prior to beginning doctoral studies, we do not require it. Prospective students who have not earned a Master’s degree before the start of their UW Ph.D. program should contact the faculty you are most interested in working with and have a conversation about which degree program application to submit in your case. If you are sure you want to apply directly to the Ph.D., please proceed. If you are unsure what you wish to do, note that M.S. students at SEFS may be permitted to continue on to earn a Ph.D. with faculty approval at the end of their first academic year (or later while still an M.S. student).

We begin accepting applications after August 1. Our deadline is November 15.

MS and PhD complete applications received by November 15 will automatically be considered for admissions funding offers.

Go here to apply: Online Application for Graduate Study at the University of Washington

Application Checklist Specified by SEFS:

• Contact with Faculty:
  M.S. and Ph.D. students should contact the faculty member(s) with whom you are interested in working. In the online application process, applicants will be asked to identify at least three faculty they would like to work with. It is critical to reach out to faculty as part of your application process, and the most successful applications are those where you have engaged and begun to establish a connection with one or more faculty members. Go here for contact information, research areas and interests, etc.: Faculty Profiles.
• Questionnaire Regarding Faculty:
  You will find a questionnaire in the application itself, relating to the Professors you have contacted and would like to work with. This is part of the application process prior to paying the fee and fully submitting the application.
  • Focus on SEFS Primary Faculty members on this web page  – for the purposes of application the Affiliate Faculty or Emeritus Faculty are not really relevant for these admissions discussions.
• Research Statement:
  Submit your Research Statement, up to two pages, single-spaced, using one-inch margins and 12-point font that addresses the following:
  • Why are you interested in graduate studies at the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences?
  • What research areas are you interested in pursuing?
  • What are your plans after earning your graduate degree?
  • Describe how your graduate training at the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences will help you contribute to your profession, community, and society.
• Personal Statement:
  Submit your Personal Statement, up to one page, single spaced, using 1-inch margins and 12-point font that addresses the following:
  • What cultural, economic, educational, extracurricular, geographic, research, social, or other experiences have shaped your academic journey and decision to apply for graduate studies? If applicable, describe any barriers that you have faced in your pursuit of higher education, and how you overcame them.
  • The School of Environmental and Forest Sciences strives to create an inclusive and welcoming environment that recognizes and encourages individual differences and fosters the constructive expression of ideas. Describe how you would contribute to these efforts in diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Submit a Resume/CV:
  Submit a resume or curriculum vitae (CV) listing a summary of your education, accomplishments, and experiences including:
  • (a) awards and scholarships (prizes, honors upon graduation, honorary society membership, etc.) and dates awarded;
  • (b) research experience (description, name of advisor, and dates);
  • (c) relevant employment and professional experience (description and dates);
  • (d) special skills (computer/software, specialized instruments, etc.);
  • and (e) a list of publications (including papers that have been submitted or are in preparation), if applicable.
  • You may use any format you like.
• Designate Recommendation Providers:
  SEFS requires a minimum of three letters of recommendation. You may submit up to five letters maximum. We recommend you designate 4 or 5 recommendation providers in case one of your providers is unexpectedly unable to respond or is late responding.
  • The application system will immediately email recommendation writers after their information is entered into the application; further instructions for uploading and transmitting their recommendations will be included in that email.
  • Highly Recommended: follow up with your recommendation providers and make sure they locate the email sent from the application system. Due to spam filters, this email may end up in their spam folder. The email itself will be coming from this email address: applygrad@uw.edu
  • If it is offered in the online system, do not select the “postal mail” option; we only accept electronic recommendations.
  • Recommendations should be from faculty or scientists familiar with the applicant’s academic achievements and/or research experience.
  • Applicants who have been out of school for some time may include recommendations from employers, but all efforts should be made to include at least one letter from academic faculty.
  • Deadline to Submit: Recommendation Providers should submit their recommendations by the 11/15 deadline (the same deadline as the application deadline itself).
• Unofficial Transcripts:
  Scan and submit unofficial transcripts from all colleges or universities attended (later, official sealed copies will be required if you are accepted into the program). For admission, applicants are expected to have maintained a minimum 3.0 GPA in the 90 most recent quarter credits, or 60 most recent semester credits. Be sure to include unofficial transcripts for colleges from which you later transferred the credits to a different school.
• English Proficiency for ALL Non-Native English Speakers:
  A detailed description of this process is in the English Language Proficiency section above. SEFS uses the requirements as provided by Policy 3.2: Graduate School English Language Proficiency Requirements. Our school considers test scores valid for two years and submitted scores on your application must be valid on the date of the application deadline, Nov 15.
  • See Policy 3.2: Graduate School English Language Proficiency Requirements for instructions regarding fulfilling the basic Admissions English Proficiency requirements, and how to submit your proof of proficiency.
  • If you have questions about this procedure and policy, you will need to contact the Graduate School, and please also contact our Graduate Advisor:
    • Graduate School Email: uwgrad@uw.edu
    • Graduate Advisor for SEFS: sefsgpa@uw.edu
  • Note: If you are submitting official test scores, please be sure to submit self-reported scores as part of your admissions application!
  • If you are hoping to obtain Teaching Assistantships as part of your financial support immediately upon entry to the UW, you will need to meet the score and testing criteria of Graduate School Policy 5.2: Conditions of Appointment for TAs who are not Native Speakers of English. This is a more stringent requirement whereby you will need to meet these minimums:
    • TOEFL Overall score of 92 with a minimum TOEFL Speak score of 26.
    • IELTS Overall score of 7.0 with a minimum Speak score of 7.0.
    • Note that the University of Washington is considering increasing the speak score requirements by a one or two points. If this occurs, the Graduate School Policy 5.2 web page will reflect the correct score requirements.
    • Or one of the other methods as described in Policy 5.2.1 Requirements.
• GRE scores:
  GRE scores are not required as part of your application to SEFS.
• Post Application Submission Questionnaire – Required by SEFS:
  After paying the fee and submitting your application in the online system, your view in the system will change to a post-submission view. This new view will include an “Application Checklist” of materials received, and pending. As part of this checklist, you will find a new item to fill out called the “Post Application Question(s)”. This additional questionnaire will show up on your Application Checklist 4 to 5 hours after submitting and paying the fee. Please be sure to fill in this questionnaire once it becomes available in your Application Checklist. This is an additional questionnaire to fill out asking about any funding you might have been awarded from non-SEFS sources. Please be as thorough as possible.
  • This information will not be used to evaluate your application itself.
  • SEFS uses this financial information in evaluating post-admissions acceptance needs of our incoming accepted students.
  • If you have an award, fellowship, or scholarship, of any kind, include what the award is, the time frame the award will support, the amount, and what expenses it can cover (e.g., full tuition, book costs only, living expenses, does it have a stipend and if yes what is that stipend per month).
  • MS and PhD applicants are automatically considered for SEFS controlled, admissions related, fellowships, research assistantships, and teaching assistantships.
  • Knowing about this additional funding you may have already been awarded allows us to make sure that the funding is equal to or better than what SEFS is able to award from our resources, or if the funding will need to be supplemented in some way.  This also helps SEFS to make sure we are funding as many of our students as possible, overall.

• Select Your Graduate Program
• Review Requirements and Deadlines
• Review Checklist of Application Materials
• Report Prior Schools and Submit Unofficial Transcripts
• Provide required materials for the SEFS Application
• Provide Recommendation Contacts
• Pay Fee and Submit Application
  • Fee Waivers are not available through SEFS.
  • Fee Waivers are implemented by the Graduate School.
  • Go to this webpage to access the Graduate School information on waivers.
  • You will need to submit your application before the November 15th deadline; see the Graduate School page for details.
• SEFS also has an additional “Post-Application Questionnaire” to be filled out regarding funding. This becomes available 4 to 5 hours after submitting your application and paying the application fee.  SEFS requires this be filled out by all M.S. and Ph.D. applicants.  See details in the previous Application Checklist section.

Every application for SEFS graduate study is reviewed by at least three faculty members, who strive to use a holistic review approach in order to recognize a broad set of achievements including academic achievement, potential for success in conducting research, and evidence of motivation, persistence, and leadership. In addition to traditional measures of academic excellence and growth (evidenced by transcript, letters of recommendation, writing quality), and relevant research experience, other considerations include:

• Strong work ethic and ability to progress toward a goal
• Perseverance in the face of academic or other life challenges
• Experience with diverse cultures/ecological/socioeconomic environments
• Potential for or demonstrated experience with positively contributing to a community that values equity, inclusion, and diversity

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Admissions is a process that takes time for SEFS to complete. Offers will come out possibly as early as February, and continue through March. All applicants will receive notification of an admission decision by April 15.

Please do not email us asking for the status of your application. Everyone will receive notification of their decision. Thank you.

Timeline

• August 1: SEFS Online application system opens.  Please note, due to the Graduate School moving to a new application software system, there might be delays.  We will do everything we can to open by 8/1.  While you are waiting for our application please prepare your materials and recommendation contacts.  You can see everything you need in our checklist (section above).
• November 15: Deadline for submission, including Recommendation Letters
• November 16 – April: Faculty members review and evaluate all applications
• February – April: all applications will receive an answer regarding your application.
• April 15: Applicant deadline to accept or decline an admission offer from SEFS

Here are key Graduate School pages regarding Admissions:

• https://grad.uw.edu/
  Note the “PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS” tab in the menu that runs across the top of the page.  Links below are only a few of the key items available at the Graduate School.
• https://grad.uw.edu/prospective-students/how-to-apply/
• https://grad.uw.edu/prospective-students/how-to-apply/apply-now/
• https://grad.uw.edu/prospective-students/how-to-apply/international-applicants/
• https://grad.uw.edu/prospective-students/how-to-apply/application-fee-waivers/

The general UW Graduate School web page has lots of other useful information, such as:

• Graduate Education: Policies, Guidelines, Goals and Initiatives
• Finances: Support, Aid, Work
• Life: UW living for TAs, Academic Student Employee Unionization, Employees, Parents
• GPSS: The Graduate and Professional Student Senate
• Career Development: Life after Graduate School