At the Robinson Center, our mission is to admit and support motivated, highly-capable students seeking early entrance to the UW, and we welcome applications from international students who fit this profile. But because of the unique nature of the early entrance programs housed in the Robinson Center, only students with particular types of international visas will qualify to apply. Since our students enter the university in a non-traditional way, we are, in some cases, restricted by law and are unable to admit students who are supported by particular visa types. Please consult the following criteria to determine if you are qualified to apply.
International Student Eligibility
Students who require F-1 or J-1 student visas are not eligible to apply for Robinson Center programs.
These student visas require an 1-20 or DS-2019 form, which cannot be issued unless the student has successfully completed their College Academic Distribution Requirements (CADRs). Since EEP and the UW Academy only admit students who haven’t completed their CADRs, students seeking F-1 or J-1 visas cannot apply.
Students who are in the country on an F-2 visa are not eligible to apply for Robinson Center Programs.
Those with an F-2 visa may only engage in full-time elementary or secondary school study. Students with this visa are ineligible for university study and cannot apply.
Students who are eligible for college application under the auspices of their parents’ visas or whose visa eligibility is not dependent on their independent students status (including, but not limited to J2, H4, TD, L2, and E2 visas) are eligible for as long as the visa remains valid.
If you do not see your visa type represented here or have a question about whether your specific visa makes you eligible, please contact us at rcys@uw.edu.
International student applicants who qualify will be considered for admission in our regular application pool. There is no separate admission process for international students.
English Proficiency
All international students applying to Robinson Center programs must submit English proficiency test scores in order to be considered for admission. Exams must be taken prior to applying and with enough time for the scores to be reported to our center and the UW admissions office. International applicants should follow the guidance on this page for more information about which tests and what scores are required.
Submitting your Scores:
Plan ahead! All exam scores must be sent directly from the testing agency in order to be considered valid and, in many cases, it may take several weeks for your exam to be processed and reported. Scores must be received by the Robinson Center by the application due date in order for your application to be considered. Please have your scores scores sent to BOTH the UW (school code 4854) AND the Robinson Center (school code B378).
Important Considerations for International Applicants
Due to the unique nature of our early college entrance programs, it is important that applicants consider the following before applying:
The EEP and UW Academy are not residence programs.
Applicants from outside of the Seattle area should understand that Robinson Center staff are available only during regular business hours and in the physical offices of the RC itself. We do not have residence halls specifically for our students, nor do we provide specific resources for students living away from home. Simply put, our programs are designed for students whose families are also located in the Seattle area. In the rare cases where our students do make use of the UW residence halls, they are granted the same freedom, independence, and responsibility of standard college freshmen.
Students that are here on a parent or guardian’s work visa are only eligible for application and enrollment as long as your dependent visa remains valid.
If the guardian’s visa expires, the student will also be required to return to their home country unless they have completed their CADRs (typically in the first two years of their UW career), thereby making them eligible to apply for the F-1 visa as an independent international student. The UW and the Robinson Center, however, cannot guarantee that students who apply for the F-1 visa will be granted one.
Visa permissions may affect the student experience.
While some visas qualify students to apply for admission to the UW through the Robinson Center’s early entrance programs, the specifics of the visa may prohibit students from participating in particular kinds of activities and opportunities that are typically offered to UW students. For instance, students enrolled under the auspices of a parent’s work visa are often not eligible to work in the U.S. and cannot serve as teaching assistants or participate in any formal work study. They may also face limitations in participating in certain forms of research, service learning, internships, study abroad, etc. You can read more about this here.
Non-resident fees may apply.
According to House Bill 1487, students holding H1, E3, and L visas may apply for resident status if they have been officially domiciled in Washington State for 12 months or more (read more here for information on applying for residency). All other international students must pay non-resident tuition at the UW as well as an additional non-resident fee to the Robinson Center for their first two years as UW students.
For more information about this fee, please contact us at rcys@uw.edu.
Return to the EEP Program Page.
Return to the UW Academy Program Page.