University includes 139 Redmond students; 716 Eastsiders overall
Higher education is important for a society and an economy to grow. The University of Washington’s Bothell campus is doing its part in that circle with steady growth since it opened in 2007. This academic year has been no different as the school’s enrollment grew a robust 12 percent.
The campus reports that enrollment stands at 4,172 students for 2012-13 — including 139 from Redmond and 716 overall from the Eastside — among a count of 3,788 full-time equivalent students (FTE). This number compares to an FTE of 3,377 during 2011-2012. Applications to the university also increased by 13 percent over the previous year.
The recent increase in enrollment at UW-Bothell now makes it the largest of the five university branch campuses in the state. The next closest branch in enrollment increase is Tacoma at just under 7 percent.
Ninety-two percent of the currently-enrolled students at the Bothell campus are from Washington.
“Our student demographics reflect the values at UW-Bothell: quality, access and diversity. We are proud to offer students a world-class University of Washington education that is known for inspiring creativity and innovation,” said Hung Dang, associate vice chancellor for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs.
But the enrollment growth, although robust in comparison to other colleges in the state, has slowed from year to year. The growth from 2010 to 2011 stayed pretty steady with only a change of 1 percent. But the growth dropped from 17 percent in 2011 to 12 percent this year.
A bigger drop of 8 percent was seen between 2009 (26 percent) and 2010 (18 percent). The school saw dramatic growth from its first year in 2007 to 2008 of 22 percent. It jumped 4 percent from year two to year three.
Campus housing has grown to meet the changes in student demand. UW-Bothell opened Campus View apartments to students this year. Together with the existing Husky Village, the campus currently houses more than 275 students.
“The good news is that we have leased an adjacent building that has 30,000 square feet,” said University of Washington Bothell spokesperson Richard Penny. “That will come on board next summer or fall.”
That building is located across from Husky Village. The space will be used to centralize student services and to make more classroom space available elsewhere on campus. Penny said that University officials hope to include a food-services facility, as well.
“We also hope to expand housing even more, but we do not have any plans yet,” said Penny.
With so many students and the rapid expansion, the school is still ahead of transportation issues.
“We still have adequate parking and encourage students to use other transportation options,” said Penny, noting rapid transit and biking is encouraged.
King County leads the way when the student population is broken up by county residence. King County has 60 percent of the student population, while Snohomish has 30 percent. A total of 39 percent of resident undergraduate students receive financial aid through UW’s Husky Promise program and 23 percent are eligible for federal aid. There are 139 students that are U.S. veterans or eligible for veterans benefits.
The incoming freshman class totals 670. Applications to UW-Bothell increased by 13 percent from the previous year. The incoming freshman are split evenly between males and females. The top feeder high schools include Kamiakin, Mariner, Juanita, Bothell and Inglemoor.
There are 651 new transfer students beginning at UW-Bothell this fall, a 3.3 percent increase from last year.
