University Writing Portfolio (UWP)
About the University Writing Portfolio
The University Writing Portfolio
- is a mid-career diagnostic used to determine if your writing abilities are ready for the writing demands of advanced-level courses in your major.
- is a WSU graduation requirement and is due during the term in which you have 60 credits (or before).
- recognizes the standard of writing expected of all WSU students.
- honors the effort of all students in becoming effective writers.
- identifies students who will need additional support in their writing-intensive upper-division courses.
What do I need to do? - Select two of your academic papers that best demonstrate your writing abilities and strengths as a college writer.
- Reflect on these pieces of writing in order to articulate what the texts show about your capabilities and strengths as a college writer.
- See below for more information on what to submit, how to submit it, and how it will be evaluated.
Important Links & Info:
Submit:
Announcements:
Holds for Fall 2026 have been placed on student accounts with 60+ credits for students who have not completed the requirement. Students and advisors with questions should reach out directly to the Writing Program.
Holds will be automatically released at 01:30am, 09:30am, 11:30am, 1:30pm, and 7:30pm everyday.
Reach out to writing.program@wsu.edu with questions.
Reach out to eit.helpdesk@wsu.edu if you have trouble logging in.
What about the UWP hold?
- The registration hold lets you know that it’s time for you to submit your portfolio.
- Holds are automatically released within 12 hours after submitting in Slate.
- The hold is only associated with submission; you do not need to wait for your portfolio results to see your hold removed.
- For more information, check out our Frequently Asked Questions page.
Submission Requirements & Process
Follow the instructions in this section diligently. Failing to follow these instructions will lead to delayed processing of your UWP, a delay in the removal of the registration hold in myWSU, and possible additional work for you.
Select two academic essays or papers that you’ve written for college-level courses that you think demonstrate your best writing.
Here are some traits to look for as you deliberate which essays or papers to include:
- In-depth writing: Your writing is developed well enough to capture the important aspects of your topic. This includes any detailed description, explanation, evidence, or narration.
- Analytical/Critical thinking: Your writing demonstrates your thoughtfulness in drawing connections across different ideas and experiences, explaining the way things are and why they are so, or developing a position or argument on issues or readings and supporting it with property attributed evidence.
- Organization: Your writing demonstrates that you thoughtfully placed and connected your ideas. Your organization of ideas into sentences and paragraphs seems intentional.
- Clarity: You are aware of your audience and write for your reader to understand your thoughts or what the paper is about. You deliberately establish and maintain a focus. Your writing clearly expresses your ideas through careful sentences, word choice, and punctuation.
While there is not a minimum length or any policy about what to submit, we do suggest looking for pieces of writing that are at least a full page in length or at least 500 words. If you cannot find texts of that length, make use of the reflection questions within the submission site; you could explain the document you’ve selected, discuss the document in the context of your major, or give the reader a sense of what the document shows about your writing skills. You are also welcome to add any of this information into the document that you upload as one of your selected papers.
For more information regarding the types of papers to submit, check out the Frequently Asked Questions page.
Prepare information about your papers: course info for each paper (i.e., fall 2020 Bio 106) and a summary of the assignment for each paper
Prepare your documents: Be sure the papers you are planning to upload are in .doc, .docx, or PDF format. Do not take screenshots of your papers.
Prepare to reflect on your writing: What are the strengths of these pieces of writing? What do they show about your abilities? Your responses to the reflection questions are read as additional texts within your University Writing Portfolio.
Prepare to spend enough time: Given the amount of information you’ll be asked to provide and the importance of the reflection questions, you should set aside time to complete the whole task.
When you are ready, please submit your portfolio using the link to the Submission Portal near the top of this page.
For more information about the submission process, check out the Frequently Asked Questions page.
Do not submit more than one portfolio. The Writing Program will accept only your first complete portfolio. If you enter the submission site but do not submit a complete portfolio, the Writing Program dismisses the incomplete submission. However, if you submit a complete portfolio, receive results that you disagree with, and submit a second time, we will disregard the second submission and remind you of your original results. See our Frequently Asked Questions page for information about appeals.
It can take up to 6 weeks for your results to appear in My.WSU. Typically, student milestones are updated every month and notices are sent at that time. Submissions are not evaluated as they come in; rather, the assessment team evaluates large batches of portfolio submissions every few weeks.
For more information, check out the Frequently Asked Questions page or email us. We’re happy to answer any questions you still have.
Who evaluates my portfolio?
- Portfolios are read and evaluated by the Writing Program’s UWP assessment team that includes faculty and instructors from all departments and disciplines who have been trained in the goals and purposes of this assessment.
- If readers on the assessment team have concerns about a student’s writing or readiness for upper-division writing endeavors, the Writing Program will assign a 1-credit course designed to support students with their writing-intensive courses.
- Portfolios in question are read by at least two members of the assessment team before the course is officially assigned. Results are communicated through my.WSU.
How do I find my results and what do they mean?
- Portfolio results will arrive in My.WSU in the form of a notice approximately 4 – 6 weeks after you’ve submitted your portfolio.
- Completed: The student’s writing shows a proficiency in writing suitable for upper-division work at WSU. The University Writing Portfolio requirement is fulfilled.
- In progress: The student’s writing shows a need for additional, structured writing assistance in upper-division coursework. The student will be required to take additional coursework in the form of a one-credit writing course (WRITE 302). These courses function best when taken in conjunction with a Writing in the Major [M] course. The student must complete the additional course assigned in order to satisfy the University Writing Portfolio requirement.
- If you are dissatisfied with your portfolio results, please check out the Frequently Asked Questions page.
Please note: Academic integrity is the cornerstone of the university. Any student who attempts to gain an unfair advantage over other students by cheating will have to submit a new University Writing Portfolio and will be reported to the Center for Community Standards. Cheating is further defined in the Academic Integrity Policy for students, WAC 504-26-010 (3). Read more about WAC 504-26-010. AI use in submitted papers must be aligned with the appropriate faculty/course AI policy and be transparently documented. AI use is not permitted in Reflection Question answers.