First Year Programs is now New Student & Transfer Programs (NSTP).
Background: From freshman to first-year
In August of 2025, the Office of Admissions moved away from the term freshman, replacing it with first-year. A first-year student is anyone who meets at least one of the following statements:
- I plan to enter the UW in the summer or fall after graduating from high school.
- I participate in Washington state's Running Start Program, and I plan to enter the UW right after graduating from high school. (Note: It does not matter how many college credits you have earned or will earn.)
- I have not completed nor will complete any coursework at a regionally accredited college or university after leaving high school and before enrolling at the UW (excluding the summer term immediately following high school), regardless of my age or whether I ever graduated from high school.
Our change to NSTP aligns with a University-wide shift in language; the shift from freshman to first-year promotes consistency and inclusivity. First-year is consistent with the language used at our peer colleges and universities across the U.S., including the majority of Big Ten schools, providing clarity of meaning. Compared to freshman, first-year is more inclusive, better aligning with UW's equitable-language guidelines.
Name change: From First Year to New Student & Transfer Programs
Previously, we used first-year to refer to any person enrolled in their first year at the University of Washington, including those who enrolled directly after completing high school and students who transferred from other institutions. With UW's new definition of first-year, First Year Programs no longer represents all of the work we do for both first-year and transfer students.
We sought feedback from students and staff to choose a new name, arriving at New Student & Transfer Programs. NSTP outlines our role as supporters for both first-year and transfer students. Additionally, NSTP provides more clarity and identity for transfer students, a point of emphasis in our feedback.
Our next steps
In the coming months, we will be updating our website and other resources with our new name. This includes a new website domain: nstp.uw.edu, launching in late October. Once launched, fyp.uw.edu pages will redirect to the new domain.
What do you need to do?
If you're a campus partner with references to First Year Programs in your resources, please update to New Student & Transfer Programs! Otherwise, there is nothing you need to do. This change should not affect any students or access to our website and resources
Looking forward
While our name has changed, our mission remains the same. Through campus partnerships and programs that develop learning communities and meaningful acadmic transitions, New Student & Transfer Programs creates space for students to define and build successful undergraduate experiences. We look forward to continuing to support our incoming Huskies!
