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International applicants – a minimum score of 92 on the TOEFL exam and 7.0 on the IELTS exam is required by the Master of Urban Planning program. Furthermore, the MUP program is temporarily accepting official test scores for the Duolingo English Test to assist international students with remote testing options. This policy is currently in effect through the Autumn 2024 admission cycle (i.e., students enrolling in Winter 2024 and Autumn 2024). A minimum Duolingo English Test score of 125 is required by the MUP program. Please note: the MUP program does not accept TOEFL ITP Plus For China.

Please see the Graduate School’s web page for Understanding the Application Process for further information, as well as the Graduate School English Language Proficiency Requirements.

An applicant who is not currently a student at the University of Washington must submit a separate application to and be accepted by each degree program.  UW students who are currently enrolled in one of the programs must submit an application for the second program, indicating their intent to complete both degrees concurrently.

If applying for a concurrent degree with MPA, MLA or MPH: Please indicate “Concurrent MUP/MPA program”, “Concurrent MUP/MLA program” or “Concurrent MUP/MPH program” in the Areas of Interest section of your applications for each program, as well as on the MUP Program: Supplemental Information Form.

If applying concurrently to any other degree programs: Please indicate in your statement of purpose, as well as on the MUP Program: Supplemental Information Form, to which other degree programs you are applying.

Please note that graduate degree programs at the University of Washington may charge different tuition rates. If a student enrolls in two degrees concurrently, they will pay the higher of the tuition rates per University of Washington policy. Some degree programs that are offered concurrently with the MUP, such as the MPH-COPHP program, have a different tuition structure entirely. Students enrolled in the MUP/MPH-COPHP program pay MUP tuition when enrolled in MUP courses, and the COPHP tuition when enrolled in COPHP courses.

The Supplemental Information Form provides an opportunity to include information not covered in other areas of the application.

Prepare a statement outlining career objectives, reasons for choosing to undertake graduate study in urban design and planning, and expectations from the Department. The admissions committee uses this statement to understand your personal goals and desires with respect to the field of planning. This constitutes one of the major documents in the review of your application, and you are encouraged to prepare it very carefully.

Please address the following questions in the statement:

• What are your long term career objectives?
• Describe your most substantial professional contributions or the situation which helped you define your professional objectives.
• Identify the central skills, knowledge and experiences you will bring to graduate studies.
• What factors led you to decide that the program of graduate study offered by the Department of Urban Design and Planning would be most helpful to your career development?
• Describe any special area(s) within urban design and planning in which you would like to focus, such as land use, infrastructure and transportation planning; urban design; historic preservation; real estate; environmental planning; or other.
• What issues or problems do you wish to address in the course of your graduate studies?
• Identify other academic units on campus with which you might work.

Although there is no specified format for the statement of purpose, a good guideline to follow is 2-3 pages with 1.5 spacing in-between lines.

MUP student volunteers are available to provide guidance on either the statement of purpose or the personal history statement for MUP applicants from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds (including but not limited to applicants of color, LGBTQ+, first-generation college students, low income, et cetera). For further information, please see the Peer Application Review program on the MUP Planning Student Association webpage.

U.S. applicants are invited to include a personal history statement, but one is not required. The personal history statement provides an opportunity for U.S. applicants to address educational, social, and economic experiences that have influenced and affected the development of their special interests, career plans, and future goals. Furthermore, applicants may provide information on how their individual experiences and/or academic interests will bring diversity to the scholarly perspectives and academic experiences of our graduate student community. These may include: economic and educational disadvantages, cultural awareness, overcoming personal adversity, and leadership awards and achievement.

MUP student volunteers are available to provide guidance on either the statement of purpose or the personal history statement for MUP applicants from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds (including but not limited to applicants of color, LGBTQ+, first-generation college students, low income, et cetera). For further information, please see the Peer Application Review program on the MUP Planning Student Association webpage.

Please include a resume of work and relevant experiences.

Applicants are required to submit three letters of recommendation: at least two from college instructors and, if appropriate, one from an employer. Additional letters are welcomed but not required. Applicants who have been out of school for several years may submit letters from employers or other persons in a position to evaluate their professional abilities and academic potential in place of letters from college instructors. We do strongly encourage that at least one academic recommender be used.

All letters should be submitted online, and recommenders must be designated on the online application. Only in exceptional circumstances may the letters of recommendation be submitted in hard copy. In this instance, letters should be sent directly to the Department of Urban Design and Planning with the MUP Program Letter of Recommendation Form in envelopes sealed by the recommenders, to:

MUP Program
Department of Urban Design and Planning
University of Washington
410 Gould Hall, Box 355740
Seattle, WA 98195-5740

Applicants must list and upload unofficial transcripts for all collegiate institutions attended to their online application. Hard copies of transcripts are not required at the time of application.

If a non-U.S. college was attended, an international program transcript should be uploaded with an official English translation.

International applicants must upload one complete set of transcripts and degree statements, including the date and title of the academic degree, at the time of application. All coursework with grades issued for each year completed must be submitted for proper evaluation. All international records must be submitted in the original language accompanied by an official English translation. Translations must be literal, complete versions of original records, and the documents must be translated by a university, a government official, or an official translation service. You cannot do your own translation.

Applicants who are offered admission to the program and choose to enroll will be provided instructions on how to submit their official transcript(s) at the time of offer/acceptance.

A written statement of 500 words or fewer must be submitted to describe how you believe you are, or will be, prepared for the quantitative coursework in the MUP program, such as URBDP 520 Quantitative Methods (core course).  Applicants are encouraged to describe one or more of the following:

• Past, present and/or or future quantitative coursework in areas such as Economics, Microeconomics, Statistics, Quantitative Research Methods, Pre-Calculus, Calculus, Algebra, Chemistry, Physics or Engineering.
• Current and/or past professional work requiring quantitative and/or analytically intensive knowledge and skill (such as a finance role, or a position in which you are conducting program evaluations or making policy recommendations). Please describe the skills you have applied to this analytic work, if applicable.
• Or, if you completed an undergraduate major or minor in a quantitative field, please state what major or minor you earned. This may include fields such as Biology, Chemistry, Economics, Engineering, Math, Physics, Statistics, Engineering etc.

Proficiency in English is required for graduate study at the University of Washington. Therefore, every applicant whose native language is not English must demonstrate English language proficiency. Proficiency can be demonstrated in a number of ways; please visit the University of Washington Graduate School’s Memoranda web page to learn more.

A minimum score of 92 on the TOEFL exam and 7.0 on the IELTS exam is required by the Master of Urban Planning program. Furthermore, the MUP program is temporarily accepting official test scores for the Duolingo English Test to assist international students with remote testing options. This policy is currently in effect through the Autumn 2024 admission cycle (i.e., students enrolling in Winter 2024 and Autumn 2024). A minimum Duolingo English Test score of 125 is required by the MUP program. Please note: the MUP program does not accept TOEFL ITP Plus For China.

Applicants should request their official language scores be sent to the University of Washington by the appropriate deadline: January 15 (Autumn quarter admission; both U.S. and international applicants ), or October 15 (Winter quarter admission; both U.S. and international applicants). For further information about language exams, please visit the ETS TOEFL and Duolingo webpages.

For TOEFL, official test scores must be submitted electronically via ETS, using the University of Washington’s institution code 4854; we do not use a department code. An offer of admission cannot be extended prior to the receipt of official scores.

For IELTS, official test scores must be submitted electronically via the IELTS system (E-TRF), using the University of Washington’s organization ID 365. An offer of admission cannot be extended prior to the receipt of official scores.

Please see the Graduate School’s web page for Understanding the Application Process for further information, as well as the Graduate School English Language Proficiency Requirements.

Applicants are invited to submit an electronic portfolio or work sample with their application, though one is not required. The portfolio or work sample should illustrate their interests and abilities in areas related to urban design and planning. This can be an essay, a paper, a publication, a report, or a project for which the person applying to the program has had major responsibility.

When submitting a work sample, please keep the following in mind:

• The work sample must be submitted as a PDF file to the online application (due to security issues and size restrictions, work samples cannot be submitted via email).
• The work sample must be no larger than 30 MB and no more than 20 pages in length.
• Please add your name, the program to which you are applying and the year and quarter at the top of the document.