FAQs

UW Youth & Teen Programs offers noncredit enrichment courses for children and teens both online and in-person at the UW Seattle campus. 

Our programs are designed for students entering grades 4 to 12. Most courses are open to all, regardless of experience; some courses, like coding or writing, may have prerequisites or English proficiency requirements. Visit the course detail page for more information.

UW Youth & Teen Programs courses are offered during the summer and in the winter and spring during the school year.

Summer courses meet Monday to Friday, 9 a.m.-noon or 1-4 p.m., for two weeks. School-year courses run eight to 10 weeks, meeting twice weekly in the evenings or on Saturdays.  Courses involve about 30 hours of class time.

Homework is minimal, if at all.

Because UW Youth & Teen Programs courses are noncredit, no transcript is available.  But high school students who successfully complete a UW Youth & Teen Programs course earn a digital badge that they can share in college applications and on social media. Learn more about digital badges.

You can register for courses on our online registration site.

When registering for a course, you’ll need to enter a Gmail address (xxxx@gmail.com) for your student. A Gmail account is needed to use our online learning management systems. If your student doesn’t already have a Gmail account, you can create one here.

For school-year courses, you should register your student for the grade they’re currently in. For our summer courses, register for the grade your student is entering in the fall.

For example, if you’re registering for a summer course, and your student is in 5^th grade but entering 6^th grade in the fall, register them for one of our middle school offerings.

Yes. You can find registration deadlines for the winter and spring quarters n the home page.

Summer courses close as they fill, or two weeks before the course start date. 

After you register, you’ll get a confirmation email. About seven to 10 days before the class begins, you’ll get another email with important details about the course, including the instructor, class location or Zoom link, any supplies you might need, and more.  In the meantime, if you have any questions, feel free to each out to us at ytp@uw.edu.

If your student is on a waitlist and a space becomes available, you'll get an email from ytp@uw.edu. To ensure that you receive waitlist emails, we recommend that you add this address to your Safe Senders List.

You'll have two business days to let us know if you'd like the space. If we don't hear back from you, we'll remove you from the waitlist and offer the space to the next student.

The cost of our courses varies. You can find the cost at the bottom of the course detail page. In addition to the course cost, there's a $50 nonrefundable registration fee each quarter you register.

Payment is due in full at the time of registration. The only form of payment we accept is credit card; we don't take third-party payments at this time. You can pay by Visa or Mastercard. 

We offer a 15% discount to current UW employees and students. You'll need to enter your UW NetID during registration to access this discount.

If you register your student for both a winter and spring course, you’ll automatically receive a 10% discount on the spring course. This offer can't be combined with any other discounts, including the UW employee and student discount.  The discount will be automatically applied at checkout.

We offer limited financial assistance every quarter to students with demonstrated financial need. Awards are made on a first-come, first-served basis until funds are exhausted. To qualify, students must meet the income criteria for the school free/reduced-price lunch program. 

Awards cover the course and registration fees for one course. Note that they don’t cover the cost of any supplies or computer access — including a high-speed internet connection and headset and webcam — for an online course. Students are eligible for one award every 12 months.

To apply, complete the  financial assistance form and rank the courses your student would like to take. If the income criteria is met, and funds are still available, we’ll offer your student their first available choice. 

You’ll be notified of an award decision by email within five business days of applying. You must confirm your student’s spot within 48 hours of receiving the award email. 

To drop a course, return to the registration system. On the course details page of the course you want to drop, click on the Cancel Registration button. Once your cancellation is complete, you’ll get a confirmation email. 

The deadline for a 100% refund for each course is listed on the course detail page. There are no refunds after this date, and the $50 registration fee is nonrefundable. Also, we’re unable to offer credit to be used to register for courses at a later date.

If your student is unable to attend a course because of physical or mental debilitation or other circumstances beyond your control, and the refund deadline has passed, you may petition for a hardship withdrawal by contacting us at ytp@uw.edu. You'll need to complete and return a hardship withdrawal form. We'll review your request and notify you in a timely manner of our decision. Refunds are not guaranteed.

UW Youth & Teen Programs reserves the right to cancel a course.  In the event of a cancellation, we'll notify you as soon as possible before the program start date, and you'll receive a full refund.

Because UW Youth & Teen Programs courses can be rigorous and move at a fast pace, they may not be the best fit for students who don’t have a high level of English language proficiency. Check the Who Should Register section of the course detail page for any English language proficiency requirements.

Our staff takes daily attendance.  If your student needs to miss a class, arrive late or leave early, please let us know at ytp@uw.edu.

The safety of students is a high priority. Our staff works hard to maintain an environment where students can safely participate in activities, including on any online platforms.

Staff have up-to-date first aid/CPR certification, and a first aid kit is available in every Youth & Teen Programs classroom. If a student suffers a serious injury, staff will call 911 and notify the parent or guardian. 

For the health of the classroom community, students who are sick should stay home. 

During registration, you’ll have the opportunity to inform us about any food or substance allergies your student has. For severe allergies that require an EpiPen, you'll need to complete an Emergency Plan for Allergic Reactions. 

You can share any information about your student’s learning needs during registration. A staff member will follow up before the start of class to gather any additional information and discuss whether we can provide any accommodations to help ensure your student’s success. We’ll share this information with the Instructor before the course begins.

The University of Washington is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation in its services, programs, activities, education and employment for individuals with disabilities.

Whenever possible, you should request accommodations before enrolling your student. For more information about requesting accommodations, contact us at ytp@uw.edu or the UW Disability Services Office at dso@uw.edu.

To help ensure that your student has a positive experience, please share information about any special needs your student has that staff should know about when you register. We’ll reach out if we need any additional information. If it would be helpful, staff can meet with a parent or guardian to discuss special needs before the program starts. We don’t require any official documentation such as IEPs or 504 plans.