Western Washington University Requirements for Admission

What are Western Washington University's admission requirements? While there are a lot of pieces that go into a college application, you should focus on only a few critical things:

  • GPA requirements
  • Testing requirements, including SAT and ACT requirements
  • Application requirements

In this guide we'll cover what you need to get into Western Washington University and build a strong application.

School location: Bellingham, WA

This school is also known as: Western


Admissions Rate: 91.3%

If you want to get in, the first thing to look at is the acceptance rate. This tells you how competitive the school is and how serious their requirements are.

The acceptance rate at Western Washington University is 91.3%. For every 100 applicants, 91 are admitted.

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This means the school is a nearly open admissions school. They accept nearly all students, so for the most part, you just need to submit an application to get in. But if you don't meet all their application requirements, you'll be one of the very few people who gets rejected.


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Western Washington University GPA Requirements

Many schools specify a minimum GPA requirement, but this is often just the bare minimum to submit an application without immediately getting rejected.

The GPA requirement that really matters is the GPA you need for a real chance of getting in. For this, we look at the school's average GPA for its current students.

Average GPA: 3.5

The average GPA at Western Washington University is 3.5.

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(Most schools use a weighted GPA out of 4.0, though some report an unweighted GPA.

With a GPA of 3.5, Western Washington University requires you to be around average in your high school class. You'll need a mix of A's and B's, and very few C's. If you have a lower GPA, you can compensate with harder courses like AP or IB classes. This will help boost your weighted GPA and show your ability to take college classes.


SAT and ACT Requirements

Each school has different requirements for standardized testing. Only a few schools require the SAT or ACT, but many consider your scores if you choose to submit them.

Western Washington University hasn't explicitly named a policy on SAT/ACT requirements, but because it's published average SAT or ACT scores (we'll cover this next), it's likely test flexible. Typically, these schools say, "if you feel your SAT or ACT score represents you well as a student, submit them. Otherwise, don't."

Despite this policy, the truth is that most students still take the SAT or ACT, and most applicants to Western Washington University will submit their scores. If you don't submit scores, you'll have one fewer dimension to show that you're worthy of being admitted, compared to other students. We therefore recommend that you consider taking the SAT or ACT, and doing well.

Western Washington University SAT Requirements

Many schools say they have no SAT score cutoff, but the truth is that there is a hidden SAT requirement. This is based on the school's average score.

Average SAT: 1240

The average SAT score composite at Western Washington University is a 1240 on the 1600 SAT scale.

This score makes Western Washington University Competitive for SAT test scores.

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Western Washington University SAT Score Analysis (New 1600 SAT)

The 25th percentile SAT score is 1120, and the 75th percentile SAT score is 1340. In other words, a 1120 on the SAT places you below average, while a 1340 will move you up to above average.

Here's the breakdown of SAT scores by section:

SectionAverage25th Percentile75th Percentile
Math601530660
Reading + Writing640570690
Composite124011201340

SAT Score Choice Policy

The Score Choice policy at your school is an important part of your testing strategy.

Western Washington University has the Score Choice policy of "Highest Sitting."

This means that you can choose which SAT tests you want to send to the school. Of all the scores they receive, your application readers will consider the SAT score from your single highest test date (the sum of math, reading, and writing).

This is important for your testing strategy. Because you can choose which tests to send in, and Western Washington University only considers your highest score on a single test date, you can take the SAT as many times as you want, then submit your strongest score. Your application readers will only see that one score.

Therefore, if your SAT score is currently below a 1120, we strongly recommend that you consider prepping for the SAT and retaking it. You don't have much to lose, and you can potentially raise your score and significantly boost your chances of getting in.


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Western Washington University ACT Requirements

Just like for the SAT, Western Washington University likely doesn't have a hard ACT cutoff, but if you score too low, your application will get tossed in the trash.

Average ACT: 27

The average ACT score at Western Washington University is 27. This score makes Western Washington University Moderately Competitive for ACT scores.

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The 25th percentile ACT score is 23, and the 75th percentile ACT score is 29.

ACT Score Sending Policy

If you're taking the ACT as opposed to the SAT, you have a huge advantage in how you send scores, and this dramatically affects your testing strategy.

Here it is: when you send ACT scores to colleges, you have absolute control over which tests you send. You could take 10 tests, and only send your highest one. This is unlike the SAT, where many schools require you to send all your tests ever taken.

This means that you have more chances than you think to improve your ACT score. To try to aim for the school's ACT requirement of 23 and above, you should try to take the ACT as many times as you can. When you have the final score that you're happy with, you can then send only that score to all your schools.

ACT Superscore Policy

By and large, most colleges do not superscore the ACT. (Superscore means that the school takes your best section scores from all the test dates you submit, and then combines them into the best possible composite score). Thus, most schools will just take your highest ACT score from a single sitting.

We weren't able to find the school's exact ACT policy, which most likely means that it does not Superscore. Regardless, you can choose your single best ACT score to send in to Western Washington University, so you should prep until you reach our recommended target ACT score of 23.


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SAT/ACT Writing Section Requirements

Currently, only the ACT has an optional essay section that all students can take. The SAT used to also have an optional Essay section, but since June 2021, this has been discontinued unless you are taking the test as part of school-day testing in a few states. Because of this, no school requires the SAT Essay or ACT Writing section, but some schools do recommend certain students submit their results if they have them.

Western Washington University considers the SAT Essay/ACT Writing section optional and may not include it as part of their admissions consideration. You don't need to worry too much about Writing for this school, but other schools you're applying to may require or recommend it.



Final Admissions Verdict

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This school offers nearly open admissions, which means they give almost every student an offer of admission. To be safe, you should aim for a 1120 SAT or a 23 ACT or higher. If you can achieve this, you're pretty much guaranteed a spot in the incoming class.


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Admissions Calculator

What are your chances of admission at Western Washington University?
Chances of admission with these scores:

Here's our custom admissions calculator. Plug in your numbers to see what your chances of getting in are.

Pick your test: SAT ACT

SAT Score
Your GPA

Note: Your admission decision relies not only on your GPA and SAT/ACT scores, but also on your coursework difficulty, extracurriculars, letters of recommendation, and personal statements. This tool provides only a simplistic estimate of your chances of admission. Instead of treating this tool as a crystal ball, we recommend you consider the big picture of what your chance means:
  • 80-100%: Safety school: Strong chance of getting in
  • 50-80%: More likely than not getting in
  • 20-50%: Lower but still good chance of getting in
  • 5-20%: Reach school: Unlikely to get in, but still have a shot
  • 0-5%: Hard reach school: Very difficult to get in
We recommend you apply to schools across a range of chances. Applying to some safety schools will guarantee you have a college to go to, while applying to some reach schools will give you a shot at getting into the school at the top of your range.

How would your chances improve with a better score?

Take your current SAT score and add 160 points (or take your ACT score and add 4 points) to the calculator above. See how much your chances improve?

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Application Requirements

Every school requires an application with the bare essentials - high school transcript and GPA, application form, and other core information. Many schools, as explained above, also require SAT and ACT scores, as well as letters of recommendation, application essays, and interviews. We'll cover the exact requirements of Western Washington University here.

Application Requirements Overview

  • Common Application Not accepted
  • Electronic Application Available
  • Essay or Personal Statement Required for all freshmen
  • Letters of Recommendation
  • Interview Not required
  • Application Fee $70
  • Fee Waiver Available? Available
  • Other Notes

Testing Requirements

  • SAT or ACT Considered if submitted
  • Scores Due in Office January 31

Coursework Requirements

  • Subject Required Years
  • English 4
  • Math 3
  • Science 2
  • Foreign Language 2
  • Social Studies 3
  • History
  • Electives 1

Deadlines and Early Admissions

  •  
    • Offered? Deadline Notification
  • Regular Admission
    • Yes January 31 September 15
  • Early Action
    • Yes November 1 December 31
  • Early Decision
    • No

Admissions Office Information


Other Schools For You

If you're interested in Western Washington University, you'll probably be interested in these schools as well. We've divided them into 3 categories depending on how hard they are to get into, relative to Western Washington University.


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Reach Schools: Harder to Get Into

These schools are have higher average SAT scores than Western Washington University. If you improve your SAT score, you'll be competitive for these schools.

School Name Location SAT Avg ACT Avg
United States Military Academy West Point, NY 1331 30
Drexel University Philadelphia, PA 1330 30
University of Connecticut Storrs, CT 1315 29
Seton Hall University South Orange, NJ 1310 30
Penn State University Park University Park, PA 1310 29
Auburn University Auburn, AL 1304 27
University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX 1291 28

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Same Level: Equally Hard to Get Into

If you're competitive for Western Washington University, these schools will offer you a similar chance of admission.

School Name Location SAT Avg ACT Avg
Hofstra University Hempstead, NY 1246 27
University of Arizona Tucson, AZ 1245 25
Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX 1242 28
Temple University Philadelphia, PA 1241 28
University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL 1225 26
University of Cincinnati Cincinnati, OH 1223 26
University of Oklahoma Norman, OK 1220 26

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Safety Schools: Easier to Get Into

If you're currently competitive for Western Washington University, you should have no problem getting into these schools. If Western Washington University is currently out of your reach, you might already be competitive for these schools.

School Name Location SAT Avg ACT Avg
Colorado State University Fort Collins, CO 1178 26
Ohio University Athens, OH 1174 25
Pace University New York, NY 1173 26
University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX 1160 23
California State University Long Beach Long Beach, CA 1145 23
Washington State University Pullman, WA 1130 23
University of North Texas Denton, TX 1110 23

Data on this page is sourced from Peterson's Databases © 2024 (Peterson's LLC. All rights reserved.) as well as additional publicly available sources.


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Want to build the best possible college application?

We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League.

We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools.

Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in.


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