May 3, 2005
Backlog of community college transfers to UW is eliminated
There is currently no waiting list for community college students eligible to transfer to the University of Washington in Seattle.
During the course of the 2004-05 academic year, the UW in Seattle enrolled 2,634 new Washington community college transfer students, including 367 Running Start students with 40 or more credits, according to Tim Washburn, assistant vice president for enrollment services. This represents 34 percent of new undergraduates enrolled this year, well beyond the 30 percent level that the UW has agreed to accept each year under an agreement with the state’s community and technical colleges.
“The university’s Enrollment Policy Committee approved additional transfers to help eliminate the waiting list and smooth the way for introduction of the new admission system,” Washburn says. Approximately 337 waiting-list students enrolled for winter quarter, and an additional 208 enrolled for spring quarter.
Spring quarter transfer applicants were the first ones to be evaluated by the new comprehensive system. Admissions are not based on grades alone, although students must have a grade point average of at least 2.5 to qualify for the comprehensive review. As with students who apply for admission as freshmen, other factors in addition to grades are considered. In the case of transfer students, this includes the readiness to perform well in an academic major.
Under this new policy, 440 community college applicants applied for spring quarter. Some 230 were offered admission and 206 enrolled.
Washburn reported that autumn quarter 2005 transfer applications were down about 30 percent compared with 2004. “We don’t have one simple explanation for this, but we believe that an earlier deadline, designed to give us adequate time to review applications, was one factor,” Washburn says. “Also the application itself requires more effort to complete, and this may have discouraged some potential applicants.”
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For more information: Washburn, (206) 543-3511, timwash@u.washington.edu
