Non-Degree Enrollment

The GNM program’s primary goal is to enable students to take graduate level courses in order to explore the professional field of Urban Design and Planning.Under certain conditions, the Department may offer enrollment in its graduate courses to graduate non-matriculated students (GNM). The purpose of GNM enrollment is to allow qualified students to earn limited graduate credit in a particular area of need. Applicants who meet graduate admissions standards may be enrolled as GNM students and may apply up to a maximum of 12 credits earned while so enrolled toward graduate degree requirements if later accepted into the Master of Urban Planning degree program. Individuals interested in applying credits earned while enrolled as a GNM student in the Department of Urban Design and Planning to another department’s or institution’s graduate program must contact the respective program(s) to find out if and how those credits may be transferable.

Deadlines

Departmental deadline dates for submission of GNM application materials are as follows:

Autumn Quarter: August 15
Winter Quarter: November 15
Spring Quarter: February 15
Summer Quarter: May 1

How to Apply

GNM applicants must submit an application through the Graduate School’s Application for Admission to the Graduate School web page. Once you designate the program to which you are applying, you will be prompted for the required application materials. Click here for answers to frequently asked questions about the Graduate School’s application process. GNM applicants are advised to contact the MUP Graduate Academic Advisor to notify them of their application submission in order to facilitate a timely review of their application.

GNM Application Checklist

• Statement of Purpose – Prepare a one or two page statement as to your reasons for undertaking graduate study in the Department of Urban Design and Planning and your plans for future study; please describe portions of your background that you feel are particularly relevant to your application.
• One Letter of Recommendation – GNM applicants are required to submit one academic letter of recommendation. The letter must be submitted directly to the Department of Urban Design and Planning in an envelope sealed by the recommender. We suggest applicants provide their evaluator with a copy of the statement of purpose in order to facilitate the evaluation.
• Complete Set of Transcripts – Applicants must list and submit transcripts for all collegiate institutions they have attended, including the University of Washington. Unofficial transcripts should be uploaded to the online application.

GNM Application Review

Applications are reviewed by the Department Chair and the Master of Urban Planning Admissions Committee. You will be notified of the status of your application about two weeks after your complete application is received by the Department.

Acceptance to the GNM program is on a quarter by quarter basis; your application will be reviewed again should you wish to continue in the program for more than one quarter. All GNM courses are available on a space available basis only. If you are offered admission to the Department as a GNM student and you decline to take classes, you must then reapply for any future quarter during which you would like to be enrolled.

GNM students who decide to pursue the MUP degree must make a separate application. Admission to the 2-year MUP program is normally for Autumn quarter. Space permitting, Winter quarter applications to the MUP program are considered.

More Information

• For further information on GNM status, please visit the About Non-Degree Enrollment page on the UW Non-Degree Enrollment website at http://www.outreach.washington.edu/nondegree/about/.
• For helpful information for approved GNM applicants, please visit the Registration Steps for Graduate Nonmatriculated Students page on the UW Non-Degree Enrollment website at
• http://www.outreach.washington.edu/nondegree/register/steps_gnm.asp.

A student who wishes to enroll in the Graduate School at the University of Washington, and who intends to return to the graduate school in which he/she is carrying forward a program of study for an advanced degree, may be admitted as a Visiting Graduate Student.

Admission as a Visiting Graduate Student is contingent on available space and facilities. The applicant must have been officially admitted to another recognized graduate school and be in good standing and currently pursuing a graduate degree. The applicant must submit an Application for Admission to the Graduate School, available at https://www.grad.washington.edu/applForAdmiss/ The applicant must upload the following to their on-line application: MUP Program – Supplemental Information form; Statement of Purpose; three Letters of Recommendation; and an Unofficial Transcript(s) of prior courses taken. It is not necessary to submit an official transcript of credits.

When creating your Application for Admission to the Graduate School at https://www.grad.washington.edu/applForAdmiss/, please be sure to select your application type as “Visiting Graduate” and select your visiting graduate program as “Urban Design and Planning (M of Urban Planning).”

For more information about Visiting Graduate Student Status and graduate admissions to the University of Washington, see http://www.grad.washington.edu/admissions/prospective/index.shtml.

For more Visiting Graduate Student application information, please contact:

Diana Siembor
Graduate Academic Advisor,
Master of Urban Planning Program

udp@uw.edu