There are more students attending all three UW campuses than ever before, the UW Office of Admissions announced Oct. 9, and a new program that pays tuition and fees for low-income, resident undergraduates is covering about 5,500 students.
For the first time in its history, the Seattle campus exceeded 40,000 students. For Fall Quarter 2007, it had 40,281 students compared to last year’s 39,524. While 2007 totals from other institutions have not yet been compiled, historically the U.S. Department of Education puts the Seattle enrollment among the top 25 in the nation.
Bothell had 1,878 students, a jump of 200 from last year’s 1,678. Tacoma had 2,653 in contrast to 2,292 last year. UWB and UWT began as two-year colleges offering junior- and senior-level courses. This is the first time in these campuses’ history that they are offering a complete, four-year program.
UW officials are still trying to track the impact of Husky Promise, the new financial aid program that guarantees low-income, resident undergraduates can attend the UW without paying tuition or fees. If a family of four earned $47,000 or less last year (65 percent of the state’s median income), their son or daughter qualified, provided they met financial aid deadlines and make academic progress.
Financial Aid Associate Director Eileen Robison estimates that 5,500 undergraduates are covered by Husky Promise, but the number will change as more transfer students arrive during winter and spring quarters. The UW pays for Husky Promise through a combination of federal and state grants, tuition revenue and private giving such as the Students First scholarship program.
Ballinger says the entering freshman class is more diverse than the entering class in 1998, the year before a voter initiative banned the use of race or ethnicity in college admissions. Nearly 11 percent of new freshmen are from underrepresented ethnic groups.
The UW had a record 17,808 applications from high school seniors this year. The overall acceptance rate was 64.5 percent.