Of course! We'd be happy to answer any questions you have about the MHA program. Schedule an advising session or contact us.

Yes! Several of our MHA students serve as student ambassadors. Check out their profiles to see who you’d like to connect with, then contact us and we’ll put you in touch. 

Yes. MHA classes meet during the day, Monday through Wednesday, on the UW Seattle campus. Contact us to arrange for you to attend a class. 

Contact us and we'll connect you with a faculty member. 

Yes. We host monthly informational webinars while applications are open. You can find dates and registration links on the home page.

Yes. We do offer a limited number of official concurrent degrees — a MHA/J.D.; MHA/M.D., MHA/MBA and MHA/MPA.  For these degrees, the MHA program has a formal agreement with the other program on how a student will complete both programs. Each concurrent degree is a little different. You can learn about them on the Concurrent Degrees page.

If you’re interested in a program that’s not part of an official concurrent degree, you’ll need to figure out on your own how to complete both programs and meet all of the requirements. We don’t recommend pursuing two degrees outside of an official concurrent degree because it's often difficult to meet all of the requirements. 

No. Due to the cohort model of the program, you must be an enrolled student to take classes.

We understand that everyone’s financial circumstances are different and that some students must work in order to pay for their education. If you need to work, keep in mind the rigor of the program, especially the first year. We don’t recommend working full time. Many students have successfully worked part time.

No. The MHA program has only one admissions cycle and one start date, which is the fall. Applications open in September and close in January for a fall start.

Our most competitive candidates have a balanced, well-rounded application. We have a holistic review process, which means that everything is considered equally; you will not be admitted or denied based on a single component. We encourage students to make their application as strong as possible in all areas.

No. The only educational requirement is your bachelor’s degree, and it can be in any area. If you don’t have a business background and you have time to take a class, it may be helpful to take a class in accounting, economics and/or Excel to prepare for the program’s business focus.

One year of full-time, professional work experience after college is preferred. Ideally, this experience would be in a health care setting — an entry-level job is fine — but any professional experience is still helpful. On average, our students have three years of professional experience when they start the program.

The application requires three letters of recommendation. Ideally, your recommendations would come from professional references (former supervisors, colleagues, institutional partners, etc.). If you don’t have three professional references, you can use an educational reference, such as a former professor.

Make sure that you’ve entered the email address of each recommender in your application. This step sends them a prompt and a link to submit their letter. If you’ve done this and they haven’t submitted their letter yet, reach out with a gentle reminder.

No. The application only requires that you submit unofficial transcripts because they're often easier to obtain. If you’re admitted to the program and choose to enroll, you’ll need to submit official transcripts.

The UW Graduate School requires that applicants have at least a 3.0 grade-point-average in their last 60 graded semester credits or 90 graded quarter credits (usually the last two years of study). But admissions decisions are ultimately up to the discretion of the MHA admissions committee. If you have questions or concerns about your GPA, please contact us.

No. The MHA program at the UW no longer requires the GRE for admissions. The application for the 2023 admissions cycle will open September 2022.

The MHA program has a pay-per-credit model for all students regardless of whether you are a Washington state resident or a nonresident. See cost information.

Yes. The MHA program offers a handful of scholarships for currently enrolled students. Applications open in October. Learn more about the scholarships.

If you’re not a native speaker of English, you’ll need to demonstrate English language proficiency as part of your application. The Graduate School’s Memo 8 identifies several ways you can demonstrate proficiency.  

Contact International Student Services for visa questions. Our program does not distribute them.

We review applications all at once after the deadline. There’s no benefit in submitting it earlier, other than for your own peace of mind.

If you’re invited to Visit Day, you’ll hear by mid-February. All applicants will get an admissions decision by mid-March at the very latest.

That’s OK! Visit Day is for our most competitive candidates. But it doesn’t mean that those who are invited are automatically admitted or those who were not are automatically declined.

On average, we admit 30 students per cohort.

Yes. You may defer to the next academic year. Email hmigradinfo@uw.edu if you wish to defer your enrollment.