UW News

January 19, 2011

UW Bothell, Bellevue College to jointly enroll international students

A new type of educational partnership in the state of Washington was launched Jan. 19, when the UW Bothell and Bellevue College sign a memorandum of understanding to establish a cooperative admissions process for international students studying business in the United States.

The initiative is expected to begin in the fall of 2012, when the first class of 20 students will be jointly admitted to Bellevue College and UWB. The institutions anticipate that the first international cohort of students will come from China.

The students will first complete two years of intensive study at Bellevue College, earning a two-year degree in business while also catching up with local students in their command of English and acquaintance with U.S. culture. Then they will transfer directly to UW Bothell for another two years to earn a bachelor of arts in business.

In addition to offering business programs on its main Bothell Campus, the UW Bothell offers both MBA and bachelor-level business programs at its Bellevue-based Eastside Leadership Center. Undergraduate concentrations for UW business students in Bellevue include finance, entrepreneurship and international business. The involvement of international students is intended to add depth and context to the learning experiences of native students on the international business track.

Chancellor Kenyon S. Chan of UW Bothell and President Jean Floten of Bellevue College signed the agreement in ceremonies at Bellevue Colleges boardroom.

“This new agreement offers a great model for how Washingtons community colleges and four-year universities can build effective partnerships,” Kenyon Chan pointed out. “With this agreement we are taking major steps to enhance the regions global competiveness.”

“Global awareness is an increasingly important outcome for students in todays world,” said President Jean Floten of Bellevue College. “This partnership between two leading institutions of higher education will create even more opportunities for students from Washington to learn alongside students from another part of the world.  We are pleased to join the University of Washington Bothell in this partnership.”

Planning for the collaborative project began last year, when leaders of UW Bothell and its business program invited Bellevue College to participate. Bellevue College, already the major source of transfer students into the UW Bothell business program, was selected largely because of its long experience not only in educating international students but in acquainting them with U.S. culture.