Admissions
On This Page: Application Dates & Deadlines | Minimum Admission Requirements | Prerequisite Coursework | Identified Mentor | How to Apply | International Students | Nontraditional Applicants
The Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology program is designed for students who want to become speech-language pathologists. We have a holistic admissions process. Our goal is to select an intellectually capable, diverse group of students. While a high grade point average (GPA) is desirable, it's not the determining factor in admissions; we consider all information submitted.
Application Dates & Deadlines
A new cohort of the UW Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology program starts each fall. The application deadline is January 15, 2026. You’ll be notified of an admission decision in mid-March.
| Timeline | Date |
|---|---|
| Applications Open | September 15, 2025 |
| Applications Due | January 15, 2026 |
| Admission Offers Made | Mid-March 2026 |
| Classes Begin | September 30, 2026 |
Minimum Admission Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in speech and hearing sciences, communication disorders or a similarly named major from a regionally accredited college or university in the U.S. (or its equivalent from a foreign institution) OR a bachelor’s degree in another major with sufficient coursework in speech and hearing sciences, communication disorders or a similarly named major.
- A minimum 3.0 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) for the last graded 60 semester credits or 90 graded quarter credits
- Demonstrated English language proficiency (ELP) for applicants whose native language is not English. If meeting the ELP requirement via test scores, the Department of Speech & Hearing Sciences requires higher test score minimums than outlined in the UW Graduate School policy; please review our requirements below.
Note: We can’t accept applications from individuals with undergraduate or graduate degrees outside the field of speech and hearing science (e.g., linguistics, education, psychology) who don’t have the prerequisite speech and hearing sciences coursework. If you need to complete prerequisite speech and hearing sciences coursework to apply, please review these options:
- Certificate of Speech, Language & Hearing Foundations
- Postbaccalaureate Bachelor of Science program in Speech & Hearing Sciences
Prerequisite Coursework
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) requires specific undergraduate coursework as a prerequisite to graduate study and clinical certification.
Speech & Hearing Sciences Coursework
To meet the program’s prerequisite coursework requirements, you may use credits from college-level coursework completed in the last 10 years as part of a speech and hearing sciences program or a communication sciences and disorders program. We do not require an individual class in each topic, but all the listed areas must be covered somewhere in your curriculum. You should report coursework in the following ASHA-defined areas:
- Phonetics
- Anatomy and physiology of the speech mechanism
- Speech and language development
- Speech and language disorders
- Audiology and hearing disorders
- Acoustics and hearing science
- Treatment of communication disorders
- Anatomy and physiology of the swallowing mechanism
- Social-cultural aspects of communication
Basic Sciences & Statistics Coursework
To meet the basic sciences and statistics prerequisite coursework requirements, you may use credits from college-level coursework completed at any time from any accredited institution of higher education, including community colleges. Coursework should be completed outside of any speech and hearing sciences or communication sciences and disorders programs. Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate credit is also acceptable. You must complete a minimum of one course in each of the following areas:
- Biological sciences (biology)
- Physical sciences (physics or chemistry)
- Statistics (computational)
- Social sciences and behavioral sciences
Courses used to fulfill these requirements should:
- Appear by name/number on your official college transcript with a final grade.
- Consist of any number of credits.
- Be taken for a grade, credit/no credit, pass/fail or satisfactory/unsatisfactory. You must achieve a “credit,” “pass” or “satisfactory” ranking or a numeric grade of at least 0.7. Competitive applicants should have a GPA of at least 3.0 in the prerequisite undergraduate speech and hearing coursework, with no single course graded less than 2.0. We highly recommend that all prerequisite coursework grades be at 2.5 or above.
Identified Mentor (CoreSLP Applicants Only)
If you’re planning to apply to the Clinical Research Speech-Language Pathology (CoreSLP) program, you need to identify a professorial faculty mentor at the University of Washington with whom you’ll study. We can’t review your application if it’s submitted without the official support of a faculty mentor. Before applying, contact your proposed mentor directly to discuss their research interests and secure the mentor’s support for your application. Your mentor should be conducting research in the areas of speech, language, cognitive-communication or swallowing.
The best times to contact faculty about mentorships are during autumn quarter (September–November) and spring quarter (March–early June). Most faculty are not available during summer quarter (mid-June–August). Faculty research interests and contact information can be found on our departmental faculty directory page.
How to Apply
To become a licensed speech-language pathologist, graduates of an accredited master’s program must also complete a clinical fellowship, pass the national Praxis exam, and obtain both national certification and state licensure.
Before you apply to this master’s program, familiarize yourself with the requirements for becoming a practicing speech-language pathologist, including the technical standards for program participation.
- Health Sciences Immunization Program (HSIP)
- National Certification & State Licensure Requirements
- Required technical standards. To succeed in the graduate program and in clinical speech-language pathology practice, students must meet technical standards in six key areas:
Communication, Motor, Sensory, Intellectual/Cognitive, Interpersonal and Cultural Responsiveness.
These core competencies are essential for meeting academic and professional requirements set by state and national credentialing agencies.
Begin your application for admission to the UW Graduate School.
If you’re a new applicant, click the Create an account link to start building your applicant profile.
Next, select your program.
In the Program Selection tab, choose these options:
- Select your application type: Graduate
- Narrow your search: By Degree
- Filter by degree: Master’s
- Select your program by choosing one of the following tracks:
-
- EdSLP Track: Speech & Hearing Sciences – MS (Educational Speech-Language Pathology)
- MedSLP Track: Speech & Hearing Sciences – MS (Medical Speech-Language Pathology)
- CoreSLP Track: Speech & Hearing Sciences – MS (Speech-Language Pathology)
- Not sure which track to choose? Refer to our SLP program tracks.
- If you're applying to multiple programs, you'll need to submit separate applications and application fees.
You can save your application at any step and come back to it later.
Submit unofficial transcripts from each college or university attended. If you’re a former or current University of Washington student, you must include your UW transcript.
Make sure your transcript includes your prerequisite coursework and GPA.
Prepare a resume or curriculum vitae that highlights your educational background and relevant professional experience.
Be sure to list any supervised clinical observations or experiences, applicable work, internships or volunteerism in the field, and any active professional licenses or certifications you currently hold.
Write two personal statements, one statement for your Program Track Selection and one statement on your Perspectives and Experiences.
You're expected to write your personal statements independently and without the assistance of others, excluding proofreading or general feedback. Content should be original and reflect your individual writing style, communication abilities, real-life experiences and unique goals. Using artificial intelligence content generators, such as ChatGPT, to write your personal statements is expressly prohibited. Any applicant found using AI in violation of this policy will be denied admission.
Follow the instructions for writing each personal statement in the sections below.
Your Program Track Selection personal statement should describe your abilities, interests and motivations, and address why you believe you’ll be successful as a graduate student at the UW in the field of speech-language pathology. The content and format of this essay are at your discretion, but at a minimum, please address the following:
- Why do you want to attend UW for your graduate education?
- What has motivated you to pursue a career in speech-language pathology?
- Why did you select the program track you did (EdSLP, MedSLP, or CoreSLP) and why is it a good fit for you? CoreSLP applicants: Please also address the fit between your selected mentor and your research and career goals.
- What personal characteristics, abilities or strengths do you possess that make you well suited for graduate study and for clinical practice in the field of speech-language pathology?
- Share an example of a time when you effectively demonstrated initiative, perseverance, self-awareness, creativity and/or teamwork in your problem solving to achieve your goals or to benefit others.
Your uploaded document should not exceed 4,500 characters (not including spaces) and also cannot exceed 500KB.
As speech-language pathologists, we aspire to enrich and expand clinical service delivery and outreach to the diverse communities in which we live. An important component of the UW master’s program mission includes advocating for and serving underrepresented and underserved populations. These populations are diverse in terms of linguistic, cultural, ethnic and racial backgrounds, as well as their abilities/disabilities, educational experiences, economic resources and health care access.
How do your experiences, personal history and/or perspectives align with our program’s vision of responsively serving the heterogeneous needs of individuals with communication disorders?
The admissions committee is seeking insights about your preparedness to support our program’s mission. Please don’t duplicate portions of your Program Track Selection statement; however, we understand that some individuals might express overlapping ideas in both statements.
Your uploaded document should not exceed 1,500 characters (not including spaces) and cannot exceed 500KB.
Identify three people who can recommend you to the program.
Consider asking current or former employers, supervisors or instructors. Make sure you choose people who can judge your capacity to undertake graduate studies in speech-language pathology.
You’ll need the email addresses of your references for the Graduate School application. When you designate your recommenders in the application, they’ll each be sent an email directing them to a secure website where they can submit their recommendations.
Pay the nonrefundable fee and submit your application.
It’s your responsibility to verify that all required materials have been submitted and received by both the Graduate School and the Department of Speech & Hearing Sciences.
You can check the status of your application at any time by logging into the application page.
International Students
International applicants are welcome to apply to the UW Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology program. You’re considered an international applicant if you are not a U.S. citizen, immigrant or permanent resident. International applicants must meet all admission requirements for the program.
Visa Status
International students must have a visa status that allows for academic study at the University of Washington. If you’re admitted to the speech-language pathology program and plan to attend on an F-1 or J-1 visa, you must study full time — at least 10 credits per quarter — to maintain your visa status. For more information, review the citizenship and visa status section of the Graduate School application process page, and contact Graduate Enrollment Management Services at uwgrad@uw.edu if you have any questions.
English Language Proficiency
Applicants whose native language is not English must demonstrate English language proficiency. The UW Graduate School’s Policy 3.2 describes several ways you can do this. Test scores must be sent directly to the UW by the Educational Testing Service using institution code 4854. Only scores less than two years old will be accepted.
To ensure that speech-language pathology students can manage our program’s high language demands and standards, the Department of Speech & Hearing Sciences requires higher test score minimums than the UW Graduate School's Policy 3.2. The score requirements are as follows:
- TOEFL iBT® total test scores of 105 or higher AND minimum scores of 26 on both the Speaking and Listening subtests
- IELTS total test scores of 7.5 or higher AND minimum scores of 7.5 on both the Speaking and Listening segments
We also deviate from the UW Graduate School policy and will not accept the following scores as evidence of English language proficiency:
- TOEFL iBT® Superscores, also known as MyBest™ Scores
- TOEFL ITP Plus China® scores
- Duolingo English scores
More Information
International Applicant Information
Visa Information for F-1 Students and J-1 Exchange Visitors
Nontraditional Applicants
Graduate Nonmatriculated Students
We don’t accept graduate nonmatriculated students to the UW Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology program.
Visiting Graduate Student Applicants
We accept applications from students who are actively pursuing a graduate degree at another college or university to take a limited number of courses in the UW Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology program. Please review our Non-Degree Enrollment page for further details and instructions.