48th

University of Washington

Foster School of Business

Quick Stats

  • Avg. SAT Score
    1290
  • Annual Tuition
    $12,383
    $ $ $ $ $
  • Program Enrollment
    1,595
  • University Selectivity
    59%
  • University Yield
    39%
  • Job Offers
    60%
  • Average Salary
    $51,000
  • Top Industry
    Financial Services
  • School Status
    Public
  • Accreditation
    AACSB Accredited
  • B-School Founded
    1918
  • Program Length
    Two Year
Contact Information
Dempsey Hall Room 202
Box 353223
Seattle, Washington 98105-3223, United States
Website
405x225

Foster School of Business

Consistently ranked among the very best business schools in the world, the University of Washington’s Michael G. Foster School of Business is a collaborative learning environment placing a special emphasis on leadership and strategic thinking. Over 1700 undergraduate and 800 graduate students pursue a broad range of study options tailored to each person’s career goals. Our unpretentious graduates roll up their sleeves to solve complex, unstructured real-world problems in a wide array of business environments.

What Current Students Say See All 13 Comments >

We are a large public university. Yet classes are able to feel small and specialized. We have some of the best faculty from the country that have great real-world experience. As they say, it's all about location, location, location. Seattle is a great place to be to jump start your career. Our business program is cutting edge by recently adding Supply-Chain Management as a concentration.

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About University of Washington

Admissions

Admissions Selectivity
59% University of Washington 58% Average Across All Schools
Most Important Admissions Factors
  1. Secondary school record
  2. High school GPA
  3. Application essay
More Information
Total Applications
  • Applied
  • Accepted
  • Accepted Apps Enrolled
26138% 26,138
59% 59
39% 39
59% School Selectivity
39% School Yield
Demographics of Applicants
  • Male Applicants
  • Female Applicants
  • International Applicants
  • U.S. Applicants
Application Deadlines
Dec 1
Fall 2014
Sep 1
Winter 2013-14
Dec 15
Spring 2014
Required Tests
  • SAT/ACT
  • Are Interviews Required?
Additional Requirements:
Total Applications to Program
  • Applied
  • Accepted
  • Accepted Apps Enrolled
2531% 2,531
40% 40
68% 68
40% Program Selectivity
68% Program Yield
Program Requirements
  • Admissions managed by Business Program
  • Are interviews required? Not offered
Required Tests

For UW students and transfer students, the Writing Skills Assessment (WSA) is required. In a proctored setting students are required to write essays on two provided topics. Freshmen applicants are not required to take the WSA.

Transfer Requirements
  • How internal transfers are handled Separate application
  • Min college GPA for transfers 2.5
  • Other transfer requirements For internal and external transfer applicants: composition, calculus, macro- or micro-economics, managerial accounting; completion of 60 college level credits and the WSA. Minimum 2.5 GPA in all college coursework, coursework at UW and in business coursework to be considered for admission.
Freshman Requirements
  • Freshman admissions Yes
  • Percent of admitted applicants who are freshmen 27
  • Min GPA required in pre-business courses Yes
  • How freshmen are admitted Indicate interest on university application
Other Requirements for freshman

Careers

Financial Services 15%
Top Industry
  • Consulting 12%
  • Manufacturing 6%
  • Media/Entertainment 5%
Deloitte 21
Top Employer
  • Ernst & Young 21
  • Boeing 19
  • PricewaterhouseCoopers 17
Job offers within 3 months after graduation
60% Foster School of Business 75% Average Across All Schools
More Information
Job Offers Received and Accepted
  • This School
  • All Schools
By Graduation
33% 33
59% 59.267238095238085
33% Receive Offers
34% 34
56% 55.65923664122137
34% Accept Offers
After graduation, but within 3 months
27% 27
16% 16.189999999999998
27% Receive Offers
27% 27
17% 17.25698275862069
27% Accept Offers
More than 3 Months after graduation
27% 27
10% 10.193835616438358
27% Receive Offers
26% 26
13% 12.771399999999998
26% Accept Offers
79% Graduates seeking full-time employment
21% Graduates not seeking employment
84% Percentage of graduates for whom employment information is available
Salaries and Percentages of Job Accepting Graduates
Area Grads Accepting Jobs Avg. Salary 10k 50k 100k 150k 190k
Consulting
15% 15
$58,300.00
32K 75K
Finance/Accounting
43% 43
$51,300.00
24K 80K
General Management
4% 4
$42,750.00
30K 60K
Human Resources
3% 3
$45,300.00
38K 52K
Management Information Systems
7% 7
$62,100.00
30K 145K
Marketing/Sales
22% 22
$45,300.00
23K 85K
Operations/Production
3% 3
$46,400.00
31K 55K
Logistics/Transportation
1% 1
$45,000.00 Data not provided
Other
2% 2
$28,800.00
2K 40K
Area Grads Accepting Jobs Avg. Salary 10k 50k 100k 150k 190k
Accounting
17% 17
$52,600.00
28K 70K
Consumer Products/Retail
17% 17
$47,400.00
30K 80K
Consulting
12% 12
$57,350.00
32K 70K
Financial Services
15% 15
$51,100.00
30K 80K
Government/Education
2% 2
$34,500.00
25K 45K
Pharma/Biotech/Health
3% 3
$45,800.00
30K 56K
Manufacturing
6% 6
$53,100.00
38K 65K
Media/Entertainment
5% 5
$41,300.00
23K 55K
Non-Profit
4% 4
$32,800.00
20K 50K
Petroleum/Energy
1% 1
$54,800.00
42K 68K
Real Estate
2% 2
$47,300.00
36K 60K
Sports/Leisure
2% 2
$43,000.00
24K 55K
Technology/Science
11% 11
$61,200.00
31K 145K
Transportation
2% 2
$48,400.00
41K 60K
Other
1% 1
$42,500.00
23K 50K
Area Grads Accepting Jobs Avg. Salary 10k 50k 100k 150k 190k
U.S. Northeast
3% 3
$54,450.00
45K 60K
U.S. Mid-Atlantic
1% 1
$61,000.00
55K 67K
U.S. South
1% 1
$63,500.00 Data not provided
U.S. Midwest
2% 2
$60,750.00
50K 70K
U.S. West
94% 94
$50,500.00
20K 145K
Canada
1% 1
$35,000.00 Data not provided
Salaries for Most Recent Graduates
Salaries for Most Recent Graduates
Average Signing Bonus for Most Recent Graduates
Internship Employers / Interns Hired
  • Amazon 20
  • Deloitte 20
  • Ernst & Young 16
  • PricewaterhouseCoopers 14
  • KPMG 10
Internship Services
  • Companies that recruit interns on campus
  • Companies that posted internships on school message board
  • Average intern length in weeks 10
  • Percentage of internships that are paid 89
Career Services
  • Number of companies that recruited students on campus 314
  • Number of companies that posted full-time jobs on school message boards 1,430
Other activities and career services provided to undergraduate business students:
In person and advising (appts and walk-ins), career peer coaching program, job/internship postings, on-campus interviews/rooms, "Career Leader" assessment, interview clinics, company visits, employer panels, career workshops, employer mock interviews, busines career fair, employer resume reviews, employer office hours/coffee chats, recruiter-in-residence program, industry network events, diversity networking night, women's professional breakfast, employer shadowing programs

Cost

Resident
$ $ $ $ $
$23,387
Total Yearly Cost
  • Tuition $12,383
  • Expenses $11,004
Non-Resident
$ $ $ $ $
$40,942
Total Yearly Cost
  • Tuition $29,938
  • Expenses $11,004
10% Percent of Institutional Grants or Scholarships 1% Percent of Full-tuition Institutional Grants or Scholarships
Basis for Grants or Scholarships
  • Need 70%
  • Merit 30%
More Information
Financial Aid
  • Financial Aid Management No
  • Website http://www.washington.edu/students/osfa/
Scholarships
$776,000
Total aid distributed to undergrad business students last year
$790,000
Total aid distributed to undergrad business students this year
Loans
  • Loan Guarantee Policy No
  • Max Loan Guarantee Per Year

Academics

Average Class Size
  • Foster School of Business
  • All Schools
Core Business Classes
77% 71
50% 46
Elective Business Classes
84% 49
50% 29
Required Classes with a Waiting List
12 Foster School of Business 12 Average Across All Schools
* On the First Day of Enrollment
Top Areas of Study
  • Accounting
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Finance
  • Marketing
  • Operations Management
  • Certificate of International Studies in Business
More Information
Business Program Classes
7% Less than 20 Students 44% More than 50 Students
49% 21 to 50 students
49 Average number of students in non-business required electives
77 Different Elective Courses
New Electives
  • Software Entrepreneurship
  • Venture Investing
  • Innovation Strategy
  • Program length Two Year
  • Last change to curriculum 2008
Degrees Offered / Credits Required
  • Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration 180
Faculty
  • All Faculty
  • Tenured
125% 125
64% 64
Prominent Faculty
  • Terry Mitchell

    Management

  • Bruce Avolio

    Leadership

  • Jonathan Karpoff

    Finance
  • Are work study or co-ops available? No
  • Description of work study / co-ops:

  • Is study abroad available? Yes
  • Description of study abroad programs:

    Over 275 study abroad programs are offered. We have Business School-to-Business School exchanges at University of Sydney; Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile; Peking Univ; Audenica Ecole de Management; University of Mannheim; WHU; Bocconi University; Akita Int'l University; Kobe Univ; RSM Erasmus Univ; Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration; Nat'l University of Singapore; University of Navarra; Nat'l Chengchi University; and the University of Manchester.
  • Is community service or volunteering available? Yes
  • Description of community service/volunteering:

    The Business and Economic Development Center (BEDC) links Foster School students/faculty/staff with a racially and ethnically diverse business and nonprofit community to expand students’ knowledge and skills, help small businesses grow, create and retain jobs, open educational opportunities for under-represented minority students, and stimulate innovative economic development research. Students and advisors provide up to 400 hours of consulting services to small businesses annually.

Students

70% Students with High School GPA over 3.75
1360 75th Percentile Score on SAT 30 75th Percentile Score on ACT
Student Body Breakdown
  • International Students
  • U.S. Students
  • Male Students
  • Female Students
Ethnicity of Students
White
51% 51
Asian American
29% 29
Multiethnic
8% 8
* Percentages are for U.S. citizens in most recent entering class; only top three responses shown.
More Information
U.S. Regional Breakdown
94%
1%
1%
2%
1%
1%
Student Citizenship
U.S.
90% 90
Other Non-U.S. Citizenship
8% 8
Canada
2% 2
93% Freshman retention rate
Graduation Rate
  • 4 Years
  • 6 Years
91% 91
98% 98

Alumni

Alumni Donors
Total Living Alumni 30,000
Alumni Donations
$2,000 Average Gift $5,000,000 Largest Gift
Most Prominent Alumni
  • Neal Dempsey

    General Partner, Bay Partners

  • Jason Child

    CFO, Groupon

  • Marc Barros

    Co-Founder and CEO, Contour