The Sociology major is non-capacity constrained major; if you meet our admissions requirements, you will be accepted. Students in the major have priority access to the program’s upper-division seminars and many of our more popular classes. The Sociology Department welcomes applicants to the major every quarter, including Summer.
Deadlines and Requirements
Applications open the same day final grades are posted from the previous quarter and are due by 4:00 PM on the following dates:
2024-2025 Academic Year
- AUT24: Tuesday, October 1, 2024 (Opens August 21, 2024)
- WIN25: Friday, January 10, 2025
- SPR25: Friday, April 4, 2025
- SUM25: Friday, June 27, 2025
The requirements for admission to the Sociology major are as follows:
- Completion of at least one 5 credit Sociology course
- Completion of – or enrollment in – SOC 300 the quarter for which the application is filed
- Overall UW Sociology GPA 2.50
- Overall UW GPA 2.00
Applicants are usually notified of admissions decisions two to three weeks after the application deadline. New Major Orientation takes place on a Wednesday afternoon, the same week as notifications are sent out, or Wednesday of the following week. Students considering the Sociology major are encouraged to make an advising appointment to discuss their interests. Our advising team is always happy to meet with prospective majors.
Transfer Students
If you have completed or are completing Sociology courses at a community or technical college, you can see how these credits will transfer to UW by consulting the UW Equivalency Guide.
Transfer grades are considered in the admissions process to the Sociology major. Once you are admitted into the major, your transfer credits may fulfill some of the major requirements. However, transfer grades will not apply to your UW Sociology GPA. A minimum of 25 UW Sociology credits are needed to fulfill the Sociology major requirements.
How to Apply
The Sociology major application will not allow students to save their work and return to edit. Therefore, we suggest that students write their personal statement in another platform such as Word or Google docs and upload the document to application. Follow these steps to complete the application:
1. Complete a personal statement (1-2 page double-spaced, 500-750 words). Please refrain from using AI/chatGPT to write this statement. We want to get to know you, not a robot. Consider the following prompt for writing your statement:
Discuss the experiences that brought you to the sociology major, elaborate on your favorite sociological topics and/or classes that you have taken. How does majoring in sociology connect to your future career goals?
If relevant, discuss non-UW volunteer or community service activities you participate in on a regular basis and how they relate to your academic interest. This assists us in identifying candidates for the Al Black Undergraduate Community Service Award.
2. Complete and submit the major application form below. When filling out the major application form, have these three items ready as PDFs:
a) Your unofficial transcript
b) Your DARs for Sociology
c) Your personal statement
Next application cycle: Autumn 2024
*ATTENTION: Use your UW NetID login to access the new major application.