Direct-to-Major Transfer Admissions
If you are at another college or university and wish to transfer to the University of Washington’s Law, Societies, and Justice undergraduate major, you can do so via the direct-to-major transfer admissions process for autumn quarter admissions. With this opportunity, students will be eligible to apply to the UW and LSJ major at the same time. When filling out an application to UW, students will be asked about their intended major as part of the application process. Applicants will be prompted to list an intention to major in LSJ and then complete the additional LSJ application.
Upcoming Direct-to-Major Information Sessions/Admissions Workshops
- Wednesday, January 22nd | 1:00pm PST | ZOOM LINK
- Tuesday, February 18th | 11:00am PST | ZOOM LINK
- Thursday, March 13th | 9:00am PST | ZOOM LINK
- Wednesday, April 2nd | 2:00pm PST | ZOOM LINK
Admission is capacity-constrained based on the following criteria:
- Evidence of general social sciences coursework**
- Minimum 2.5 Cumulative College GPA
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Preamble: Although we wish we could accept all interested students into our major, LSJ is a capacity-constrained department. In this context, we want to identify students we can best serve and who will flourish in LSJ. In order to do this, we need to learn about you and why you want to be an LSJ major.
Prompt: In a single essay of no more than 750 words, please explain why you want to major in LSJ. Be sure that your essay addresses each of the topics listed below. Please note that some of these questions may overlap and you do not need to repeat yourself or address them in any particular order.
- What makes LSJ a good fit for you given your interests?
- What do you hope to learn and/or experience as an LSJ major?
- How have your prior experiences (classes and/or personal experiences) helped you prepare to be an LSJ major and to participate in LSJ discussions and activities?
- If accepted to the major, how would you apply what you learned as an LSJ major after graduation? (This could be done in your work/career, your family, your community, your activism, or elsewhere).
- Other evidence of interest in and commitment to the major (e.g., work experience, internships, volunteer work, etc.)
*Meeting the above criteria does not guarantee admission*
**Since equivalents to LSJ coursework are uncommon, students who have transferred or will transfer to the UW can apply to the program with evidence of social science coursework.
Admittance is conditional: Accepted students must register for LSJ 200 in Autumn quarter and earn at least a 2.5 in order to continue in the major.
Admission for incoming transfer students pursuing the direct-to-major option is only available for autumn quarter admissions.
The deadline for Autumn 2025 is April 5, 2025 @ 4:00pm PST. Direct-to-Major Admission decisions will be sent out on Friday, May 2, 2025.
LSJ Direct-to-Major Transfer Application
LSJ Direct-to-Major Pilot Program - FAQs
Regular Admissions
If you are at another college or university and wish to transfer to the University of Washington’s Law, Societies, and Justice undergraduate major, the first step is to apply to the university itself. After you are admitted to UW, you can finish any of your remaining LSJ major prerequisites and then apply to the major. Students are not admitted to this major at the point of admission to the UW (unless pursuing the pilot program listed above). Most transfer students apply to this major in their second or third quarter after admission to UW.
Applying to the University of Washington
The University of Washington Admissions website has answers to most questions about application to the university. When you fill out an application to UW you will be asked about your intended major as part of the application process. Please select your intention to major in LSJ, but keep in mind that you will be applying to the major separately, after starting at the University of Washington as a student (if following the regular admissions pathway). It is also a good idea to talk in your UW application essay about the topics and ideas you want to study at UW and in the Law, Societies, and Justice major. The strongest applicants to the UW are those who not only show evidence of previous academic success, but those who have also made the case in their personal statement for their interest in specific academic fields of study offered by UW.
LSJ advisers cannot evaluate transcripts to determine how courses may transfer to UW. Transcripts are evaluated officially by the UW Admissions Office only when a student applies to the university. If you are transferring from a Washington area community college, you can determine the way your classes transfer to UW by using the Admission Office’s Transfer Equivalency Guide.
LSJ major classes are only offered at UW. It is not advised to try to take “major” coursework before you get to UW.
Vocational/ Technical Courses
There are a lot of students interested in this major as a stepping-stone to a very specific career (for instance: law enforcement officer, legal assistant, lawyer, or policy advocate), but it is important to realize what the goals of the LSJ major are and how they will be of a benefit to specific jobs and careers. LSJ is not a vocational training degree for one particular job category. Rather, it is a means to train students to think, communicate, adapt, learn, and otherwise develop skills that can be used in a broad range of careers. Our classes use the study of law, societies, and justice to train skills like: logical thinking, analysis, critical thinking, writing, research, verbal communication, and understanding of the social/political world around us. Whereas a student who focuses on education in a single vocational area will be well trained for that area, a student who focuses on a breadth of the most important skills needed in any part of the workforce will be better prepared for a wide range of employment opportunities. For students transferring from universities or colleges with heavily vocational degrees, it is important to note that transfer credits completed in administration of justice, law enforcement, and paralegal programs are accepted on a limited basis at the UW.
LSJ Major Prerequisites
For a full list of prerequisites that must be satisfied prior to applying to the LSJ major, see the “Applying to LSJ” page.