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UW TRANSFERS: A THORNY ISSUE
Source: Seattle Times
Author: Nick Perry
Date: Mar 11, 2007
The number of community-college students applying to transfer to the University of Washington has dried up so dramatically in recent years that the UW may seek changes to its 13-year-old quota agreement with the colleges.
But the community colleges aren't likely to accept any changes without a fight.
The 1994 transfer contract for the main campus guarantees 30 percent of each incoming UW class be made up of community-college transfers. But as the number of community-college applicants has declined — from 7,300 three years ago to 5,500 last school year — the quota has created some thorny issues for the UW.
While freshman slots have become more competitive in recent years, the opposite is true for transfer slots. Three years ago, only half of community-college transfer applicants were accepted — this year it's likely to be three-quarters. That has raised concerns about the quality of the transfers, especially at the highly competitive Seattle campus.
"It's a great time to apply to UW Seattle if you're a student applying from a community college," noted Philip Ballinger, the UW's director of admissions.
But not for a student applying from another four-year institution. At the UW, administrators are particularly concerned with a system that gives preference to freshmen and community-college applicants at the expense of others — for example, a student who has completed a year at a respected East Coast university and wants to finish her schooling closer to home.
"You are a bit of a star if you get admitted, for sure. It's a tough pool," Ballinger said. "When we say 'no' to those out-of-state students, it's a very difficult communication, particularly when they want to come back home."
The drop in community-college applicants represents a turnaround from four years ago, when the UW stopped guaranteeing admission for top community-college students because of concerns about overenrollment. The stricter transfer requirements implemented at the time partially explain the drop in applicants since.
Drop in applicants
The UW is not alone. The state's next-largest universities — Washington State University and Western Washington University, which also have transfer contracts — have experienced drops in transfer applicants.
Many believe the economy is contributing. Community-college enrollment has dipped from a peak four years ago. And with more job openings, some students are moving straight into the work force after finishing two-year degrees.
At the UW, one change under consideration would be to switch from requiring a quota at each campus to an overall quota for the UW system. That would likely result in more community-college transfer students being sent to the branch campuses in Tacoma and Bothell.
"We want to have a conversation and explore some options," said UW President Mark Emmert. "We don't know the answer right now. But there's capacity for more transfer students on the Bothell campus, for example."
Community colleges remain wary.
"The UW main campus is particularly attractive to many of our students, and we will not support any erosion of the transfer proportion," wrote Charlie Earl, executive director of the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, in an e-mail. "Transfer students are of the highest quality and perform as well as those who started out as freshmen at the UW. They also add diversity and value to the UW.
"Transfer students deserve to be admitted to the UW under our agreement, and we're confident the UW will fulfill its commitment."
Earl points to data that show high-school graduation rates will reach record levels over the next few years and says it's important to figure out whether the application drop represents a data fluctuation or long-term trend before overreacting. The State Board is also concerned students may not get to choose from a full range of majors at the branch campuses.
Student awaits word
At Seattle Central Community College, engineering student Jason Clemens, 27, said he applied last month to transfer to the UW but hasn't yet found out whether he's been accepted.
"My understanding is that it's pretty easy to get in because of the direct-transfer agreement," Clemens said. "But I could potentially get into the UW but not into the engineering school ... It's very rigorous."
Clemens said he decided to go back to school after getting laid off from his building-maintenance job in Colorado. He said he never could have gotten into the UW as a freshman.
"I didn't do well in high school, so I wanted to get my study skills up," he said. "Here, I could ease into it."
At WSU, community-college applications dropped from about 3,400 two years ago to 3,150 this year. And at Western, fall applications fell from about 2,400 two years ago to 2,150 this school year.
Review sought
Karen Copetas, Western's director of admissions, said she, too, wants to review quotas in light of falling applications but favors a broader approach.
"As part of a statewide system of public universities, we believe it is imperative to review the system of proportionality on a statewide level rather than for individual institutions to act independently," she wrote in an e-mail.
At the UW, both Emmert and Provost Phyllis Wise say they will analyze this year's transfer data carefully before formulating any plan for change.
"I want everybody to know that we are not in any fashion interested in backing away from our commitment to community-college students," Emmert said.
But the community colleges aren't likely to accept any changes without a fight.
The 1994 transfer contract for the main campus guarantees 30 percent of each incoming UW class be made up of community-college transfers. But as the number of community-college applicants has declined — from 7,300 three years ago to 5,500 last school year — the quota has created some thorny issues for the UW.
While freshman slots have become more competitive in recent years, the opposite is true for transfer slots. Three years ago, only half of community-college transfer applicants were accepted — this year it's likely to be three-quarters. That has raised concerns about the quality of the transfers, especially at the highly competitive Seattle campus.
"It's a great time to apply to UW Seattle if you're a student applying from a community college," noted Philip Ballinger, the UW's director of admissions.
But not for a student applying from another four-year institution. At the UW, administrators are particularly concerned with a system that gives preference to freshmen and community-college applicants at the expense of others — for example, a student who has completed a year at a respected East Coast university and wants to finish her schooling closer to home.
"You are a bit of a star if you get admitted, for sure. It's a tough pool," Ballinger said. "When we say 'no' to those out-of-state students, it's a very difficult communication, particularly when they want to come back home."
The drop in community-college applicants represents a turnaround from four years ago, when the UW stopped guaranteeing admission for top community-college students because of concerns about overenrollment. The stricter transfer requirements implemented at the time partially explain the drop in applicants since.
Drop in applicants
The UW is not alone. The state's next-largest universities — Washington State University and Western Washington University, which also have transfer contracts — have experienced drops in transfer applicants.
Many believe the economy is contributing. Community-college enrollment has dipped from a peak four years ago. And with more job openings, some students are moving straight into the work force after finishing two-year degrees.
At the UW, one change under consideration would be to switch from requiring a quota at each campus to an overall quota for the UW system. That would likely result in more community-college transfer students being sent to the branch campuses in Tacoma and Bothell.
"We want to have a conversation and explore some options," said UW President Mark Emmert. "We don't know the answer right now. But there's capacity for more transfer students on the Bothell campus, for example."
Community colleges remain wary.
"The UW main campus is particularly attractive to many of our students, and we will not support any erosion of the transfer proportion," wrote Charlie Earl, executive director of the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, in an e-mail. "Transfer students are of the highest quality and perform as well as those who started out as freshmen at the UW. They also add diversity and value to the UW.
"Transfer students deserve to be admitted to the UW under our agreement, and we're confident the UW will fulfill its commitment."
Earl points to data that show high-school graduation rates will reach record levels over the next few years and says it's important to figure out whether the application drop represents a data fluctuation or long-term trend before overreacting. The State Board is also concerned students may not get to choose from a full range of majors at the branch campuses.
Student awaits word
At Seattle Central Community College, engineering student Jason Clemens, 27, said he applied last month to transfer to the UW but hasn't yet found out whether he's been accepted.
"My understanding is that it's pretty easy to get in because of the direct-transfer agreement," Clemens said. "But I could potentially get into the UW but not into the engineering school ... It's very rigorous."
Clemens said he decided to go back to school after getting laid off from his building-maintenance job in Colorado. He said he never could have gotten into the UW as a freshman.
"I didn't do well in high school, so I wanted to get my study skills up," he said. "Here, I could ease into it."
At WSU, community-college applications dropped from about 3,400 two years ago to 3,150 this year. And at Western, fall applications fell from about 2,400 two years ago to 2,150 this school year.
Review sought
Karen Copetas, Western's director of admissions, said she, too, wants to review quotas in light of falling applications but favors a broader approach.
"As part of a statewide system of public universities, we believe it is imperative to review the system of proportionality on a statewide level rather than for individual institutions to act independently," she wrote in an e-mail.
At the UW, both Emmert and Provost Phyllis Wise say they will analyze this year's transfer data carefully before formulating any plan for change.
"I want everybody to know that we are not in any fashion interested in backing away from our commitment to community-college students," Emmert said.