As a prominent institution of higher education with a special obligation to serve the state, region, and nation, the University of Washington seeks to provide its students the best possible educational programs and opportunities. Toward this end, the Board of Regents, through the University faculty, has adopted a selective admission process with the objective of attracting students who demonstrate the strongest prospects for success in the academic environment of a research university. Equally important, the process of admission is mindful of society's need for highly trained individuals from all sectors of the population, and of the benefits to the University's educational programs which derive from diversity in its student body; these are addressed in part through the University's affirmative action and admission programs. The overall goals of the admission program are to secure the entrance to the University of those students whose academic background and other qualifications indicate their educational promise.
To satisfy this program, the Board of Regents hereby states that it is the policy of the Board that the University of Washington admit those students deemed best able to contribute to and benefit from the educational programs and opportunities offered at the University. An important and essential component of any educational program is the exchange of information and life experiences through a diverse student body, with representatives from all cultural backgrounds given opportunity at participation. Students educate each other, in the classroom and in many informal settings; they challenge one another's assumptions, they broaden one another's range of experience, and they teach one another to see the world from varied perspectives.
We therefore direct the President, in conjunction with the Faculty of the University, to ensure that the University's undergraduate admission program supports the objectives stated in this policy, in all ways consistent with the laws of the state of Washington and the federal government.
We further direct the President, through the deans in conjunction with their college faculties, to ensure that the graduate and professional school admission programs support the objectives stated in this policy.
BR, February 9, 1979; September 21, 2001; [formerly numbered Regent Policy No. 4] July 11, 2019.
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