Welcome to the University of Washington!

While Graduate and Postbaccalaureate students are not required to attend a First Year Programs Advising & Orientation session, we encourage you to follow the steps below to help make your transition to UW as smooth as possible.

Complete Required UW Task 

  1. Check in with your department.
    • Ask questions about what you need to know before classes begin. Do you need to attend any required training or orientation sessions? How do you go about registering for classes? Each department has different requirements.
  2. Activate UW Email
  3. Upload Husky Card Photo
  4. Review Disability Accommodations Request Process (Academic Year) 
  5. Review the Student Code of Conduct
  6. Review the UW General Immunization Requirement. If you are going into a Health Sciences program, please review the Health Sciences Immunization Program's (HSIP) webpage to determine if your program requires HSIP requirements instead. 
  7. Complete UW Course - Title IX: Husky Prevention & Response
  8. Complete UW Course - Hazing Prevention
  9. Review Housing and Financial Aid
  10. International Students: Review the ISS New Student Website

Prepare for your Transition 

When preparing to start school, we suggest exploring the following resources. 

 U501 is a self-guided, online resource designed for all graduate and professional students at all three UW campuses and is intended to help prepare you for your arrival to and start at the University of Washington.

The Graduate and Professional Student Senate (GPSS) represents over 15,000 graduate and professional students at the University of Washington. GPSS hosts events and programming that provide opportunities for the engagement of all graduate students.  

Graduate Student Affairs —housed within the Office of Student & Postdoctoral Affairs in The Graduate School—supports graduate students holistically with student-centered programming, timely informational resources, and diverse university partnerships. Equity and access are core values of Graduate Student Affairs—and we engage in university collaborations and offer events that support the success of first-gen and international graduate students. Send questions to uwgsa@uw.edu. 

Center for International Relations & Cultural Leadership Exchange (CIRCLE) recognizes that it can be challenging for international students to navigate the complex university ecosystem. Therefore, we collaborate with key campus partners to curate resources that will help you make the most of your graduate experience at the UW. To help all new international students transition into their lives at the UW and Seattle, CIRCLE, in coordination with key campus partners, lead the international welcome programs for incoming students each quarter, including tailored programs for new international graduate students. Send questions to uwcircle@uw.edu. 

The Graduate Student Equity & Excellence (GSEE) has been housed in the University of Washington’s Graduate School since 1970. We take pride in focusing on graduate students of color across all disciplines and campuses. GSEE provides leadership and advocacy to achieve equitable representation, access and success for graduate students of color at the University of Washington. Send questions to uwgsee@uw.edu.

The Graduate School provides all UW graduate students access to a range of informational, consultation, and support services. Check out the tri-campus listing of graduate student success resources. This list is not intended to be exhaustive, and specific graduate program may offer additional resources. Due to student fee restrictions, some resources are available only to students enrolled at their particular UW campus.