Admission Requirements

Competitive applicants to majors within the Albers School of Business and Economics must meet minimum credit requirements above and: 

• Three units of college preparatory mathematics. Pre-Calculus or equivalent is not required but encouraged. Otherwise, students must take Pre-Calculus as a business elective at Seattle University. 
• Preferably have demonstrated interest in math, business, entrepreneurship or other related topics via academics or extracurricular activities. 

If test scores are submitted, Albers requires the minimum scores below: 

• SAT: 540 
• ACT: 23 

Competitive applicants to majors within the College of Arts and Sciences must meet minimum requirements credit requirements (see the top of this page) and the following majors have additional requirements for direct entry admission: 

Competitive applicants to majors within the College of Nursing must meet minimum requirements credit requirements (see the top of this page) and:  

• Four units of college preparatory mathematics (with B grades or higher), including the equivalent of Pre-Calculus (complete or in progress). 
• One year of laboratory Biology and Laboratory Chemistry (with B grades or higher). 
• Demonstrated interest in Nursing, Diagnostic Ultrasound, Science or other related topics via coursework or extracurricular activities. 

If test scores are submitted, the minimum ranges apply: 

• SAT: 560+ in Math required 
• ACT: 24+ in Math required 

The typical middle 50% of admitted applicants who submit their scores: 

• SAT: 1210-1330 
• ACT: 25-29 

Please note these are not minimums but rather the typical range for admitted students. 

Students interested in Nursing or Diagnostic Ultrasound must indicate so on their applications. Due to the cohort nature of the program, students cannot switch into Nursing or Diagnostic Ultrasound after being admitted to a different major.

Additionally, the following majors have additional requirements for direct entry admission: 

Competitive applicants to majors within the College of Science and Engineering must meet minimum requirements credit requirements (see the top of this page) and: 

• Four units of college preparatory mathematics for admission to any of its specific majors. 
• Pre-calculus, or equivalent, is required for most programs (completed or in progress) 
• B grades or higher preferred 
• B grades preferred in relevant math/science coursework. 
• Minimally two laboratory science courses, including Chemistry. 

If test scores are submitted, all majors—with the exception of Pre-Science or Pre-Engineering—require the minimum scores below: 

• SAT: 560 
• ACT: 24 

Demonstrated interest in STEM courses and careers via academics or extracurricular activities. 

The following majors have additional requirements for direct entry admission: 

You do not need to know your major before you apply!* We have advisors who work with you to research, explore and prepare for a wide variety of majors.

If you have not yet selected a major, please contact your admissions counselor to learn more about our Undeclared (Academic Pathways), Pre-Business, Pre-Science and Pre-Engineering programs.

*Please note that—due to the cohort structure of their programs—students interested in Nursing, Diagnostic Ultrasound or Business and Law must select that major on their application for consideration.

Running Start and dual credit students who graduate from high school in the same year as you begin your course of study at Seattle University or are attending college for the first time since high school graduation will be considered first-time first-year and should follow the usual application procedures and deadlines for first-year applicants. Running Start or dual credit students who have completed prerequisite classes for Nursing have an opportunity to be considered for the transfer (2-Year) cohort. Interested applicants must follow the outlined procedures and meet the requirements to be considered.  

You will be considered first-year students for eligibility for financial aid. Please refer to the Finances section for more information. 

Seattle University has developed transfer guides as a resource for planning to transfer credits from Washington state community colleges and some colleges out of state. Please refer to the Transfer Equivalency Tool  to see how your Running Start and dual enrollment credits may apply to Seattle University. For information on how your college credits will apply to Seattle University's Core Curriculum, please refer to the Core Curriculum website. 

Seattle University is pleased to offer the opportunity for direct entry to our majors for highly qualified applicants at the time of admission. Due to the cohort nature of our Nursing program, you can elect to be reviewed for both the 4-year program and the 2-year Transfer program.

• 4-year program:  regardless of prior college credit earned, students spend their initial two years completing the Core Curriculum and Nursing prerequisite courses to begin Nursing course sequencing at the end of sophomore year.
• 2-year program:  students who have completed a  Direct Transfer Associate's degree and all prerequisite requirements through Running Start may be eligible to begin Nursing course sequencing in their first quarter on campus. 

Running Start students interested in being considered for the 2-year Program can indicate their intent on the Common Application.  

Running Start students who would like to be considered for the 2-year Transfer Cohort must: 

• Apply to Seattle University as a first-year applicant by the November 15th Early Action Deadline  
• Complete additional application requirements found in the Redhawk Admissions Portal once they have submitted the Common Application.   

If you are not admitted to the transfer cohort, you will be automatically considered for the 4-year program and will be notified in early March. 

Seattle University is pleased to offer the opportunity for direct entry to our majors for highly qualified applicants at the time of admission. Due to the cohort nature of our Diagnostic Ultrasound program, you can elect to be considered for both the 4-year or the 2-year Transfer Program:

• 4-year program: regardless of prior college credit earned, students spend their initial two years completing the Core Curriculum and Ultrasound prerequisite courses to begin Ultrasound course sequencing at the end of sophomore year.
• 2-year program: students who have completed a Direct Transfer Associate's degree and all Transfer Ultrasound prerequisite requirements through Running Start (or another dual credit program) may be eligible to begin Ultrasound course sequencing in their first quarter on campus. 

Running Start students interested in being considered for the 2-year Program must confirm their intent in their Common Application for admission to Seattle University.  

If you would like to be considered for the 2-year Transfer Cohort, you must: 

• Apply to Seattle University as a first-year applicant by the January 15th Regular Decision Deadline  
• Complete additional application requirements found in the Redhawk Admissions Portal once they have submitted the Common Application.   

Competitive applicants will be considered for the transfer cohort. If you are not admitted to the transfer cohort, you will be automatically be considered for the 4-year program and will be notified of your admission in early March. 

The Homeschool questions on the School Report form of the Common Application completed by the homeschool supervisor (the person responsible for education plan and overseeing instruction). 

All official transcripts, including a detailed official homeschool transcript signed by the homeschool supervisor. The homeschool transcript should include detailed course descriptions, texts used and the minimum number of hours per week of instruction.  

Official transcripts are also required for any additional coursework completed or in progress in a non-home school setting, including traditional secondary schools, colleges, universities or any other type of school where credit was or will be received. Official transcripts of all completed or in-progress coursework are required from all original sources even if the homeschool transcript includes them.  

Note: This fulfills the "official transcript" requirement of first-year applicants. Please also be aware of the minimum secondary school course requirements for all first-year applicants.  

One additional letter of recommendation from a non-relative (including requirements for all first-year applicants, this means that you will be submitting a minimum of 3 letters of recommendation). This is a total of two letters from non-relatives and one School Report from the counselor. Preferably, this additional recommendation will be from a teacher who has taught you within the last three years in an academic subject.

If the homeschool supervisor is the only teacher and counselor, two additional letters of recommendation are still required from non-relative sources familiar with your academic quality, work ethic and/or character.  

Homeschool applicants are required to show additional non-home-school-setting assessments in three academic areas: English, mathematics and laboratory science.

The following options note the methods through which these assessments may be displayed.   

If you took the SAT as part of the standard admissions requirements, you must show additional assessments in English, mathematics and laboratory science (laboratory science constitutes natural sciences such as biology or chemistry but does not include social sciences such as psychology). This can be completed through one of these options:   

• ACT results (writing portion recommended).  
• AP test results in math, lab science and either English literature or English language.  
• IB test results in math, lab science and English.  
• CLEP exam results in math, lab science and either English literature or English composition.  
• At least one course in each area - math, lab science, and English - completed with an official transcript from a traditional, accredited secondary school.  
• At least one course in each area - math, lab science, and English - completed with official transcripts from a regionally accredited college or university (includes Running Start credits at Washington State community colleges).  
• A sufficient combination of options above showing assessments in English, math, and lab science. For example, an appropriate display of assessments could include an AP test score in English Language and Calc AB, and an official college transcript with credits in a 100-level Biology course.  

If you took the ACT (writing portion recommended) as part of the standard first-year admissions requirements, you must show additional assessment in English and mathematics. This can be completed through one of these options:  

• SAT results.  
• AP test results in math and either English literature or English language.  
• IB test results in math and English.  
• CLEP exam results in math and either English literature or English composition  
• At least one course in each area—math and English—completed with an official transcript from a traditional, accredited secondary school.  
• At least one course in each area—math and English—completed with an official transcript from a regionally accredited college or university (includes Running Start credits at Washington State community colleges).  
• A sufficient combination of options above showing assessments in English, math, and lab science. For example, an appropriate display of assessments could include an AP score in Calculus I and an official college transcript with credits in a 100-level English course.  

Note: While taking both the SAT and ACT fulfills the above requirement for additional assessments, taking either the SAT or ACT multiple times will not alone fulfill this requirement.  

For students who are applying test-optional to Seattle University and have been homeschooled for the majority of their high school career, we will need to see:  

• AP test results in math, laboratory science and either English literature or English language.  
• IB test results in math, lab science and English.  
• CLEP exam results in math, laboratory science and either English literature or English composition.  
• At least one course in each area—math, laboratory science and English—completed with an official transcript from a traditional, accredited secondary school.  
• At least one course in each area—math, laboratory science and English—completed with an official transcript from a regionally accredited college or university (includes Running Start credits at Washington State community colleges).  
• A sufficient combination of options above showing assessments in English, math, and lab science.  

For all students without a traditional numerical GPA, academic merit scholarship consideration will rely heavily upon other aspects of the holistic application review for the determination of merit scholarships. 

Homeschool students with grades from multiple institutions or school settings must submit official transcripts from all sources (see above). The calculated cumulative GPA will include all academic coursework.  

An undocumented student is a foreign national who: (1) entered the United States without inspection or with fraudulent documents; or (2) entered legally as a nonimmigrant but then violated the terms of his or her status and remained in the United States without authorization (as defined by the National Immigration Law Center). 

Most college-bound undocumented students: 

• have lived in the United States most of their lives
• have been brought to the United States by their parents at a young age
• have learned English - have attended elementary, middle, and high school in the United States
• have excelled academically in high school and want to pursue a college education
• currently lack a way to become legal residents or citizens in the United States 

You should complete the Common Application and may list yourself as ‘undocumented’ under the citizenship field or leave this question blank. Filling out the citizenship question is an optional field on the Common Application. 

Transfer students will complete the Seattle University Transfer application and may leave the citizenship field blank. 

At this time, you cannot legally receive any federally funded student financial aid, including loans, grants, scholarships or work-study money.

However, SB 6523 (The REAL Hope Act), has expanded eligibility for the Washington State Need Grant to low-income, non-citizen students who meet the program’s eligibility requirements and satisfy the residency criteria. Complete the Washington Application for State Financial Aid (WASFA) and find out what you may be eligible for. 

Those with questions about financial aid should email financialservices@seattleu.edu or call at 206-220-8020.

You are eligible for our Merit-Based Scholarships, and the Costco Award. We highly recommend that you search for outside scholarships to help meet the remaining gap after merit aid is awarded or state aid for Washington residents. For additional information/requirements on the above-mentioned scholarships, please see our scholarship page. 

Seattle University allows you to use college-level English composition I to satisfy English proficiency. To meet this requirement, you must meet the following criteria: 

• 45 quarter credits (or equivalent) from a regionally accredited US college or university complete at the time of application. 
• Complete college-level English composition with a 3.0 of higher grade (B) 
• Have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. 

Seattle University reserves the ability to require English proficiency testing should it be deemed necessary. 

ELS Language Center (US centers only) students who have completed level 112 with a 3.0-grade point average are considered to have the equivalent TOEFL score of 86 and will be exempt from the undergraduate English Language Learning Center. For more information on the ELS program, visit els.edu or call 1-866-748-9780. 

First-year applicants who complete their entire high school curriculum in the United States, parts of Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, Bahamas, Jamaica, Kenya, Singapore, Trinidad and Tobago, Nigeria, Belize or at American schools abroad, may have the English Proficiency requirement waived if their transcript does not include any ESL course work,, if the average in four years of English composition/literature classes is 3.0/B or higher, and if the high school cumulative grade point average is 3.0 or higher.

Post-baccalaureate applicants who have earned a bachelor's or advanced degree at Seattle University or at a recognized college or university in any of the above countries will be considered to have met the English proficiency requirement.

Exam Options

English proficiency may be met through any of the tests listed below.

The chart below outlines the English proficiency requirements for general admission as well as admission to the English Language and Cultural Bridge (ELCB) program. Both score requirements are listed below.

Nursing, Diagnostic Ultrasound, Business and Law, and Criminal Justice/Specialization in Law applicants for whom English is not their first language must demonstrate English proficiency at non-ELCB level (e.g. 86 on the TOEFL, 6.5 on the IELTS, etc.). Exceptions below may apply.

Students with TOEFL scores in the ELCB range will take a placement essay test upon arrival at Seattle University. Some students may have their ELCB requirement waived based on the results of the placement essay test.