Graduate School Report
Applications, Acceptance Rates, and Enrollment
Discover what’s next. It’s the Washington Way.
№
2
Table of Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Executive Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Applications / Demand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Applications / Demand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Trends in Applications / Demand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Master’s Degree Applications: UW Seattle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Doctoral Degree Applications: UW Seattle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
UW Bothell and UW Tacoma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Professional Degree Applications - DDS, JD, MD and PharmD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
2010 Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Trends in Applications, 2010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Who Is Applying: Previous Schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Acceptance Rates and Yield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Acceptance Rates by College . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
UW Bothell and UW Tacoma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Yield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Yield Rates by College . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
UW Bothell and UW Tacoma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Enrollment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Trends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
UW Seattle, Autumn Quarter Enrollment Growth by Level and College . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Trends: UW Bothell and UW Tacoma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Data Sources and Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
- 3 -
Introduction
What are the key issues and definitions?
DemandHow many people apply for graduate programs at the
University of Washington? What do they want to study? We define demand as applications to the UW.
Acceptance RatesHow rigorous are we? A 25 percent acceptance rate
means that a unit accepts 25 percent of all applicants
and rejects 75 percent.
Yield-
How successful are we in enrolling the people we admit? A 50 percent "yield" means that half of the students we
admit actually attend the UW; half do not.
Enrollment-
Which colleges and schools are growing? Which are not?
Graduate and Professional Student Enrollment
Aerospace companies need more engineers. Health care needs more nurses and therapists. Computer
software companies are recruiting developers from other countries because the United States isn’t
producing enough highly-skilled workers. Bioengineering faces a 72 percent job growth rate over the next
10 years, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Teachers and principals are eyeing retirement, which will leave shortages in classrooms. Within the next
five years, the majority of UW faculty will be older than 62. Who will take their places? Who are the next
generation of thinkers who will solve our problems and create new fields?
The lack of well-educated, innovative workers threatens our nation’s productivity – our competitive edge
in the global economy. Add to that an increased need for those providing social services and education –
things our community needs to survive and thrive. The UW plays an important role in this. Which graduate
programs we grow and how many students we admit will determine the supply of workers who fuel our
economy and make our communities better places to live.
To plan for our future, we need first to consider carefully how many people are applying to the UW, what
they want to study, how many we admit and how many actually enroll. The information in this report
will help us balance the demands of the marketplace and recovering economy with the aspirations of our
students while fulfilling the University’s mission of preserving, advancing and disseminating knowledge.
- 5 -
Executive Summary
Demand for our graduate and professional degrees is growing rapidly; we’ve had an increase of 10 percent
in enrollment since 2005. This report examines the demand for UW graduate and professional programs,
how selective we are in admitting students, how successful we are in enrolling those we admit and which
colleges and schools are growing and which ones are not.
Applications
Demand for advanced training is growing in a wide variety of fields to meet the needs of industry, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and the community at large.
ff As measured by applications for graduate study, demand has risen 38 percent since 2001 and
21 percent since 2005.
ff Applications hit new highs for 2010, running about 14 percent ahead of last year at this time.
ff Demand has been consistently high, year after year in Pharmacy, Public Affairs, Public Health, and
Social Work. UW Bothell and UW Tacoma also have seen substantial growth in applications.
ff Several large UW Seattle programs — notably Business, Engineering, and the Sciences Division of Arts &
Sciences — continue to see substantive increases in applications.
ff The creation of new master’s programs has helped boost demand. Since 2005, units have instituted 28 new programs or tracks, accounting for 2,375 additional applications.*
ff Demand is high for several master’s degrees, specifically those in Pharmacy, Medicine, Public Affairs,
Engineering, Public Health and Social Work.
Selectivity
The UW remains a highly selective institution. Master’s acceptance rates run at 49 percent, and doctoral
acceptance rates at 22 percent.
Yield
Yield, measured by the percentage of applicants admitted who actually enroll, is 63 percent for master’s
degree programs and 48 percent for doctoral degree programs.
Enrollment
Colleges and programs that have seen significant growth include Engineering, Law, Nursing, Information
and Public Affairs.
* For data on each college, school, and program, refer to the appendix: http://www.grad.washington.edu/about/reports/report2-appendix.pdf.
- 7 -
Applications / Demand
This report focus extensively on UW application trends since 2005. Some of the key questions guiding us
include:
ff How many applications are there? ff What’s the overall trend? Because we want to get a sense of trends, we focus on average annual
increases from 2005 to 2009; applications generally rise and fall from year to year, so an average
annual increase provides a good measure of whether a trend exists or not.
ff What’s the application trend for each college or school? Is there potential for growth in some areas?
ff What are the growth trends in applications for doctoral and master’s programs at UW Seattle? In
some units, demand is higher for master’s degrees than for doctoral degrees; in other areas, doctoral
programs have seen growth in demand.
ff What are the growth trends in applications at UW Bothell and UW Tacoma? Although these graduate
programs are not large, they are witnessing substantial growth. Unmet demand at UW Seattle may also
indicate areas for future growth for UW Bothell or UW Tacoma.
ff What’s happening this year in applications? Applications have not yet closed for autumn admission,
but the number of applications is higher than last year — by about 14 percent compared to last year at
this time. Some programs are seeing substantial growth in demand. ff Where do our applicants come from? What is the pipeline to graduate and professional study at the
UW? Do certain schools, or countries, provide substantial numbers of applicants?
Any analysis of applications – demand – comes with several caveats. These include:
ff Many applicants may not be qualified for admission, so the number of applicants alone should not
guide decisions about growth or lack of growth.
ff Many prospective graduate students apply to five schools or more; while the UW may be the top choice
for many of these applicants, it is probably not the top choice for all of them. So applications, by
themselves, are a somewhat imperfect measure of demand. ff Our analysis focuses primarily on the applications for admission in 2005 through 2009. Admissions
for 2010 have not yet closed, so we do not have full data on this year. We will report again, in autumn
2010, on these trends.
For data on each college, school, and program, refer to the appendix: http://www.grad.washington.edu/about/reports/report2-appendix.pdf.
- 9 -
Applications / Demand
Applications/Demand for Graduate and Professional Education
ff Applications rose 21 percent between 2005 and 2009.
ff Applications for 2010 (as of July 13, 2010) have risen 14 percent over 2009.
2009 Applications
FIGURE 1
UW Applicants 2009*
ff 29,213 applicants for all UW graduate and professional
programs at all three campuses.
ff UW Seattle: 20,192 applicants for 146 master’s programs
and 87 doctoral programs – a 21 percent increase over
2005 (10,942 master's applications, 9,250 doctoral
applications).
ff UW Seattle: 8,168 applicants for four professional degrees Dentistry, Law, Medicine and Pharmacy.
Masterʼs
56%
ff UW Bothell: 374 applicants for five master’s programs – a 121 percent increase over 2005.
Doctoral
44%
ff UW Tacoma: 479 applicants for six master’s programs – a 78 percent increase over 2005.
FIGURE 2
UW Applicants, Master’s and Doctoral*
NUMBER OF APPLICANTS
14,000
12,000
10,000
8,000
6,000
9,729
7,668
10,765
10,742
10,832
8,268
8,795
8,733
2006
2007
2008
11,795
9,250
4,000
2,000
0
2005
Masterʼs
Doctoral
* Figures include all three campuses (Seattle, Bothell and Tacoma).
- 10 -
2009
Trends in Applications / Demand
Demand grew steadily from 2005 to 2009. This chart shows:
ff Average annual growth of applications for each college (e.g., Public Affairs saw an average of about 15 percent
increase per year in applications, thus indicating a persistent growth in demand). ff Range: Numbers in parenthesis refer to change in number of applicants from 2005 to 2009 (e.g., Education had
680 applications in 2005 and 916 in 2009).
ff Declines: Some units report that declining application rates were offset by rising test scores among those who
did apply. For these, the applicant pool may be smaller – but stronger - than before.
ff Graph does not include DDS, JD, MD, and PharmD. See page 15 for those figures.
FIGURE 3
Average Annual Application Growth by College, 2005-2009
0%
A&S - Arts (814-780)
2%
A&S - Humanities (1,136-1,219)
4%
A&S - Sciences** (2,346-2,687)
A&S - Social Sciences (1,813-1,588)
-3%
6%
Built Environments (793-988)
4%
Business (1,445-1,666)
Dentistry (265-195)
-7%
9%
Education (680-916)
5%
Engineering (2,485-2,927)
0%
Environment* (745-730)
7%
Information School (526-672)
3%
Interdisciplinary Graduate School Programs*** (809-910)
7%
Law (269-350)
11%
Medicine (1,167-1,742)
6%
Nursing (335-342)
24%
Pharmacy (82-175)
15%
Public Affairs (379-645)
13%
Public Health (908-1,456)
9%
Social Work (545-747)
5%
Average Annual
-20%
-15%
-10%
-5%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
PERCENT GROWTH
*The College of the Environment has only existed since Autumn 2009. However, the six departments that comprise the college existed longer.
The data for those departments have been combined and presented as the College of the Environment throughout this report.
** Atmospheric Sciences and Earth and Space Sciences moved from A&S-Sciences to the College of the Environment in 2009.
***A list of programs that are categorized as Interdisciplinary Graduate School Programs is at the end of this report.
- 11 -
25%
Master’s Degree Applications: UW Seattle
Demand varies by degree program. This chart shows growth in applications for master’s degrees. ff Percentages (e.g., Engineering, 13 percent) show the average annual growth in applications. Across the five years,
2005-2009, Engineering saw an average of 13 percent increase in applications each year.
ff To provide context, we also report the range of change between 2005 and 2009 (e.g., Engineering had 936
applications for its master’s programs in 2005 and 1,520 in 2009).
ff Declines in applications are most pronounced in units that were in a state of transition (e.g., notably Arts &
Sciences-Sciences). During this period, two departments moved (from Arts & Sciences-Sciences) into the new
College of the Environment.
FIGURE 4
Average Annual Application Growth, 2005-2009, Master’s
-1%
A&S - Arts (660-611)
-5%
A&S - Humanities (846-697)
-2%
A&S - Sciences** (489-413)
A&S - Social Sciences (723-531)
-7%
6%
Built Environments (781-953)
3%
Business (1,095-1,216)
Dentistry (254-184)
-7%
8%
Education (501-672)
13%
Engineering (936-1,520)
-5%
Environment* (477-388)
7%
Information School (472-604)
10%
Interdisciplinary Graduate School Programs (101-139)
7%
Law (263-341)
41%
Medicine (131-440)
-10%
Nursing (301-107)
-8%
Pharmacy*** (36-33)
13%
Public Affairs (379-608)
14%
Public Health (657-1,080)
9%
Social Work (499-687)
5%
Average Annual
-40%
-30%
-20%
-10%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
PERCENT GROWTH
*The College of the Environment has only existed since Autumn 2009. However, the six departments that comprise the college existed longer.
The data for those departments have been combined and presented as the College of the Environment throughout this report.
** Atmospheric Sciences and Earth and Space Sciences, moved from A&S-Sciences to the College of the Environment in 2009.
*** The Pharmacy master’s (fee-based) program began in 2008. Application growth is for the 2008-09 and 2009-10 academic years.
- 12 -
50%
Doctoral Degree Applications: UW Seattle
Demand varies by degree program. This chart shows growth in applications for doctoral degrees. ff Percentages (e.g., Public Health, 11 percent) show the average annual growth in applications. Across the five
years, 2005-2009, Public Health saw an average of 11 percent increase in applications each year.
ff To provide context, we also report the range of change between 2005 and 2009 (e.g., Public Health had 251
applications for its doctoral programs in 2005 and 376 in 2009).
ff The Public Affairs doctoral program was new during this period and witnessed some declines, but its 2010
applications are up significantly.
ff Graph does not include DDS, JD, MD, and PharmD. See page 15 for those figures.
FIGURE 5
Average Annual Application Growth, 2005-2009, Doctoral
A&S - Arts (154-169)
3%
17%
A&S - Humanities (290-522)
5%
A&S - Sciences** (1,857-2,274)
-1%
A&S - Social Sciences (1,090-1,057)
37%
Built Environments (12-35)
7%
Business (350-450)
Dentistry (11-11)
1%
10%
Education (179-244)
Engineering (1,549-1,407)
0%
Environment* (268-342)
7%
Information School (54-68)
7%
2%
Interdisciplinary Graduate School Programs (708-771)
99%
Law (6-9)
6%
Medicine (1,036-1,302)
67%
Nursing (34-235)
16%
Pharmacy (82-142)
-3%
Public Affairs*** (47-37)
11%
Public Health (251-376)
15%
Social Work (46-60)
4%
Average Annual
-60%
-40%
-20%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
PERCENT GROWTH
*The College of the Environment has only existed since Autumn 2009. However, the six departments that comprise the college existed longer.
The data for those departments have been combined and presented as the College of the Environment throughout this report.
** Atmospheric Sciences and Earth and Space Sciences, moved from A&S-Sciences to the College of the Environment. ***The Public Affairs doctoral program began in 2006.
- 13 -
100%
UW Bothell and UW Tacoma
Both UW Bothell and UW Tacoma were founded in 1990. Each instituted master’s programs in 1992 and has added
additional programs since then. Figures below are for master's programs only.
ff Percentages show the average annual growth in applications (e.g., UW Bothell’s Interdisciplinary Arts and
Sciences Program has seen a 24 percent average annual increase in applications; UW Tacoma’s Interdisciplinary
Arts and Sciences Program has seen a 14 percent average annual increase in applications).
ff To provide context, we also report the range of change between 2005 and 2009 (e.g., UW Bothell Education had
31 applicants in 2005 and 109 in 2009).
FIGURE 6
UW Bothell, Average Annual Application Growth, 2005-2009
Business (72-126)
19%
Computing and Software Systems* (0-40)
0%
Education (31-109)
38%
Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences (37-69)
24%
Nursing (29-30)
12%
Average Annual
-20%
-15%
-10%
-5%
22%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
PERCENT GROWTH
FIGURE 7
UW Tacoma, Average Annual Application Growth, 2005-2009
-9%
Business (48-30)
Education (54-168)
45%
Institute of Technology (25-46)
27%
Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences (30-29)
14%
Nursing (45-50)
3%
Social Work (65-156)
32%
Average Annual
-25%
-20%
-15%
-10%
-5%
0%
18%
5%
10%
15%
PERCENT GROWTH
*Computing and Software Systems program was founded in 2009.
- 14 -
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
Professional Degree Applications - DDS, JD, MD and PharmD
Percentages show the average annual growth in applications.
For example:
ff The Doctor of Dental Surgery program has seen a 4 percent average annual increase in applications.
ff To provide context, we also report the range of change between 2005 and 2009 (e.g., Medicine had 3,224
applicants in 2005 and 4,266 in 2009).
FIGURE 8
Professional Degrees, Average Annual Application Growth, 2005-2009
Dentistry-DDS* (922-1,027)
4%
0%
Law-JD (2,469-2,448)
Medicine-MD (3,224-4,266)
8%
-1%
-5%
Pharmacy-PharmD (424-396)
0%
5%
PERCENT GROWTH
*Data for Dentistry span 2006 to 2010, not 2005 to 2009.
- 15 -
10%
2010 Applications
2010 Trends
Compared to this time last year, applications are up by about 14 percent.
Figure 9 shows:
ff The number of applicants for the 2008-09 academic year as of July 13, 2008, in the light purple column.
ff The number of applicants for the 2009-10 academic year as of July 12, 2009, in the dark purple column.
ff The number of applicants, thus far, for 2010-11 academic year as of July 11, 2010, in the gold column.
For example:
ff For the 2008-09 application cycle, Arts & Sciences - Social Sciences had 1,745 applicants as of July 13; for the
2009-10 application cycle it had 1,609 applications as of July 12. Thus far this year, it has 1,754 applicants.
Note: Application numbers represent a “snapshot” of mid-cycle admissions data as of July 13, 2008, July 12, 2009,
and July 11, 2010. These data cannot be accurately compared to data in figures 3-7 since not all applications were
received as of the snapshot and decisions to defer or withdraw applications had, in many cases, not been made as of
the snapshot dates.
- 16 -
FIGURE 9
Trends in Applications, 2010
921
805
816
A&S - Arts
1,230
1,216
1,313
A&S - Humanities
A&S - Sciences
A&S - Social Sciences
900
979
1,198
Built Environments
1,745
1,609
1,754
1,331
1,113
Business
197
199
158
Dentistry
2,831
2,917
3,144
1,645
787
828
833
Education
3,279
Engineering
3,819
667
732
838
Environment*
4,291
584
707
811
Information School
912
898
935
Interdisciplinary Programs
359
396
407
Law
1,504
1,776
Medicine
Nursing
157
176
197
Pharmacy
Public Affairs
550
387
503
547
653
724
Public Health
870
753
909
Social Work
0
1,000
1,170
2,044
1,487
1,610
2,000
3,000
TOTAL APPLICATIONS RECEIVED
4,000
5,000
Total applications received, 2008-09 cycle as of July 13, 2008
Total applications received, 2009-10 cycle as of July 12, 2009
Total applications received, 2010-11 cycle as of July 11, 2010
*The College of the Environment has only existed since Autumn 2009. However, the six departments that comprise the college existed longer.
The data for those departments have been combined and presented as the College of the Environment throughout this report. The College of the
Environment is comprised of departments that were part of A&S - Sciences, Ocean & Fishery Sciences, and the College of Forest Resources. Note: Applications have not yet closed for 2010.
For data on each college, school and program, refer to the appendix: http://www.grad.washington.edu/about/reports/report2-appendix.pdf.
- 17 -
Who Is Applying: Previous Schools
FIGURE 10
Total Applications, Top 40 Previous Schools / Countries*, 2005-2009
10,507
University of Washington
5,113
China
2,699
Taiwan
India
2,263
Korea
2,260
Western Washington University
1,311
University of California, Berkeley
1,299
Washington State University
974
University of Wisconsin, Madison
855
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
819
University of California, Los Angeles
24%
784
Seattle University
763
Brigham Young University
712
University of Colorado, Boulder
of graduate applications from the top
40 schools come from the University
of Washington.
690
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
683
University of Oregon
656
University of Texas, Austin
646
University of California, San Diego
638
University of California, Davis
29%
631
Japan
604
Canada
602
Portland State University
of graduate applications come from
Asian countries, most notably China.
562
Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
559
United Kingdom
547
Cornell University
1/3
542
University of Arizona
538
The Evergreen State College
529
University of Utah
of graduate applications come from
other research intensive public
institutions.
499
Oregon State University
494
Stanford University
493
Seattle Pacific University
474
Pacific Lutheran University
457
Arizona State University
96,577
457
Iran
444
University of California, Santa Cruz
435
University of Southern California
430
The Ohio State University
418
New York University
416
University of California, Santa Barbara
415
Central Washington University
399
0
total applications
from 2005-2009
NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS RECEIVED, 2005-2009
2,000
4,000
6,000
*Applications are coded based on last school attended.
- 18 -
8,000
10,000
12,000
Acceptance Rates and Yield
Acceptance Rate
How rigorous are we? A 25 percent acceptance
rate means that a unit accepts 25 percent of all
applicants and rejects 75 percent.
Yield
How successful are we in enrolling the people we
admit? A 50 percent “yield” rate means that half of
the students we admit actually attend the UW; half
do not. Acceptance Rates
49 percent of master’s applicants 22 percent of doctoral applicants
Yield
About 63 percent of master’s applicants, who
are accepted, enroll. About 48 percent of doctoral applicants, who are
accepted, enroll.
Trend
No substantial change in these rates over the
last five years.
For data on each college, school, and program, refer to the appendix: http://www.grad.washington.edu/about/reports/report2-appendix.pdf.
Acceptance Rates
Why Acceptance Rates Change
ff Year to year fluctuations should be expected. In smaller programs, a five- or seven- percentage point
increase, for example, may result from accepting just 20 or 30 more students compared to earlier years.
ff New programs, or reconfigured programs, draw more applicants.
ff The number of faculty declines (or rises), with an impact on advising, number of courses offered, etc.
ff More (or less) space – labs, classrooms, etc.
ff The quality of applicants may rise or drop.
ff Funding (teaching assistantships, research assistantships) increases or decreases.
ff Guesswork about yields. Units regularly admit more students than they expect will actually enroll; that
estimate about yield is often imprecise.
ff Decline in yield. Units with declining yield rates may accept more students to offset potential enrollment
declines.
FIGURE 11
Acceptance Rates, 2005-2009*
PERCENT OF ACCEPTED APPLICANTS
60%
51%
47%
50%
47%
51%
49%
40%
30%
20%
27%
25%
2005
2006
23%
25%
22%
10%
0%
Masterʼs
2007
Doctoral
*Figure includes all three campuses.
- 20 -
2008
2009
Acceptance Rates by College
Acceptance rates, although steady overall, vary greatly across campus. Figure 12 shows the change in acceptance
rates between 2005 and 2009. A decline in acceptance rates means that a unit has become more selective (e.g., it
has accepted proportionately fewer applicants than before). Remember: Fluctuations in acceptance rates are the
norm and reflect a wide variety of factors (see page 20).
For example:
ff Education had a master’s acceptance rate of 65 in 2005 and 69 in 2009 – a 4 percentage point increase.
ff Engineering had a doctoral acceptance rate of 58 in 2005 and 48 in 2009 – a 9.9 percentage point decrease.
ff Nursing had a master’s acceptance rate of 66 percent in 2005 and 55 percent in 2006 – a 10.6 percentage point
decrease.
ff Social Work had a doctoral acceptance rate of 24 percent in 2005 and 18 percent in 2009 – a 5.6 percentage
point decrease.
- 21 -
FIGURE 12
Percentage Point Change in Acceptance Rate by College, 2005-2009
See ranges presented in brackets for change over time. Percentage ranges are rounded to the nearest whole number.
A&S - Arts
-3.0
-11.7
A&S - Humanities
(24-21%)
(39-27%)
0.9
-11.4
A&S - Sciences*
24.4
-8.6
A&S - Social Sciences
11.0
-2.9
-6.6
Built Environments
-11.6
Business
Dentistry
(44-37%)
(25-23%)
(59-48%)
(9-6%)
-2.8
5.6
-27.3
4.0
-9.9
Engineering
Environment**
3.8
(65-69%)
(48-57%)
9.4
(58-48%)
(24-27%)
6.0
(32-38%)
(28-32%)
-1.3
-1.6
-33.6
(78-45%)
(39-26%)
-13.7
Nursing
(84-75%)
(83-66%)
-9.0
-16.7
Medicine
(50-36%)
(24-17%)
-7.0
(66-55%)
(74-52%)
-10.6
-22.0
-12.1
Pharmacy***
(100-88%)
(18-10%)
-8.4
-19.8
Public Affairs****
(82-63%)
(13-19%)
6.1
(57-42%)
(39-27%)
-14.8
-12.5
Public Health
(54-46%)
(24-18%)
-7.4
-5.6
Social Work
(51-49%)
(27-22%)
-2.0
-5.0
Average Annual
-40
(61-60%)
(22-21%)
-12.6
Law
Masterʼs
Doctoral
(12-17%)
(73-46%)
3.0
Information School
-30
-20
(26-51%)
(27-18%)
(40-51%)
(22-19%)
-2.1
Education
Interdisciplinary Programs
(25-26%)
(29-17%)
-10
0
10
PERCENTAGE POINT CHANGE
20
30
40
More Selective | Less Selective
*Atmospheric Sciences and Earth and Space Sciences moved from A&S-Sciences to the College of the Environment in 2009.
**The College of the Environment has only existed since Autumn 2009. However, the six departments that comprise the college existed longer. The
data for those departments have been combined and presented as the College of the Environment throughout this report.
***The Pharmacy master’s (fee-based) program began in 2008. Acceptance rate change is for the 2008-09 and 2009-10 academic years.
****The PhD in Public Affairs program began in 2006. These data span 2006 to 2009.
- 22 -
UW Bothell and UW Tacoma
Figures 13 and 14 show the change in master’s program acceptance rates between 2005 and 2009 at UW Bothell and
UW Tacoma.
For example:
ff Business at UW Bothell had a 3.6 percentage point decrease in acceptance rates. In 2005, its acceptance rate was
75 percent; in 2009 it was 71 percent.
ff Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences at UW Tacoma had an acceptance rate of 76 percent in 2005 and 86 percent in
2009 – a 9.5 percentage point increase.
FIGURE 13
UW Bothell, Percentage Point Change in Acceptance Rate, 2005-2009
-3.6
Business (75-71%)
Computing and Software Systems*
0.0
-15.5
Education (94-78%)
-2.6
-25
-20
-15
Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences (84-81%)
Nursing (100-100%)
0.0
-5.5
UW Bothell Average Annual
-10
-5
0
5
10
15
20
15
20
PERCENTAGE POINT CHANGE
More Selective | Less Selective
FIGURE 14
UW Tacoma, Percentage Point Change in Acceptance Rate, 2005-2009
Business (67-70%)
3.3
Education (96-98%)
1.3
Institute of Technology (100-87%)
-13.0
Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences (77-86%)
9.5
Nursing (98-84%)
-13.8
Social Work (71-49%)
-21.4
-6.0
-25
-20
-15
-10
UW Tacoma Average Annual
-5
0
5
PERCENTAGE POINT CHANGE
More Selective | Less Selective
*Computing and Software Systems program was founded in 2009.
- 23 -
10
Yield
Applicants Who Enroll at the UW
A review of forms submitted by applicants who chose to enroll elsewhere shows:
ff Fit is the single most important factor in selecting a school. Applicants use the term “fit” in many ways – the
atmosphere of a program, or city, or even whether the UW is considered too far from home and family.
ff Finances are the second most prominent reason given for not enrolling at the UW: financial circumstances, lack
of financial support, or better financial support at another school. See the appendix for more information on yield rates.
FIGURE 15
PERCENTAGE OF ACCEPTED APPLICANTS WHO ENROLL
Yield Rates*
65%
60%
63%
63%
63%
63%
59%
55%
50%
45%
40%
49%
48%
2006
2005
Masterʼs
48%
2007
Doctoral
*Figure includes all three campuses.
- 24 -
46%
2008
48%
2009
Yield Rates by College
Yield rates vary across programs and colleges. Figure 16 shows the yield rate by college.
For example:
ff The Humanities Division of Arts & Sciences saw a 4.9 percentage point increase in yield rates for its master’s
program between 2005 and 2009. In 2005, 51 percent of those accepted actually enrolled; in 2009, 56 percent
of those accepted actually enrolled.
ff Education saw a 9 percentage point decrease in yield rates between 2005 and 2009 for its doctoral programs. In
2005, 64 percent of those accepted actually enrolled; in 2009, 55 percent of those accepted actually enrolled.
ff Public Health had an 8.1 percentage point increase in yield rates between 2005 and 2009 for its doctoral
programs. In 2005, the yield was 43 percent; in 2009, it was 51 percent.
ff The Information School saw an 11.2 percentage point decrease in its yield rate for master’s students between
2005 and 2009. In 2005, the yield was 69 percent; in 2009, it was 58 percent.
Relatively small numbers can drive yield rate changes for many programs.
- 25 -
FIGURE 16
Percentage Point Change in Yield Rate by College, 2005-2009
See ranges presented in brackets for change over time. Percentage ranges are rounded to the nearest whole number.
A/S - Arts
3.0
-5.5
A/S - Humanities
4.9
-4.0
-14.4
A/S - Sciences
(57-43%)
(39-37%)
(42-46%)
(100-75%)
-1.2
(71-70%)
(47-62%)
14.8
-8.7
-15.0
Education
(90-81%)
(75-60%)
2.7
-9.0
(71-73%)
(64-55%)
1.3
0.1
Engineering
(59-60%)
(45-45%)
-1.8
-0.8
Environment
(65-63%)
(53-52%)
-11.2
Information School
11.2
0.3
Law
(47-58%)
(64-64%)
-0.9
-13.3
Medicine
(55-54%)
(80-67%)
-2.2
-8.1
(77-75%)
(52-44%)
Nursing
26.4
0.0
-20.7
Pharmacy
25.7
-1.5
-23.8
Average Annual
-20%
-10%
(100-79%)
(60-86%)
(68-58%)
(43-52%)
8.1
-5.5
Social Work
(70-97%)
(76-76%)
(53-51%)
(67-43%)
-9.7
Public Health
-30%
(69-58%)
(50-71%)
21.4
Interdisciplinary Programs
Masterʼs
Doctoral
(48-57%)
(38-40%)
4.0
-25.0
Dentistry
-40%
9.1
2.1
Business
Public Affairs
(51-56%)
(37-33%)
-1.9
A/S - Social Sciences
Built Environments
(51-54%)
(53-48%)
0%
0.0
(69-63%)
(64-64%)
0
0
(63-63%)
(48-48%)
10%
20%
30%
40%
PERCENTAGE POINT CHANGE
Less Yield | More Yield
*Atmospheric Sciences and Earth and Space Sciences moved from A&S-Sciences to the College of the Environment in 2009.
**The College of the Environment has only existed since Autumn 2009. However, the six departments that comprise the college existed longer.
The data for those departments have been combined and presented as the College of the Environment throughout this report.
***The Pharmacy master’s (fee-based) program began in 2008. Acceptance rate change is for the 2008-09 and 2009-10 academic years.
- 26 -
UW Bothell and UW Tacoma
Yield rates vary across programs at UW Bothell and UW Tacoma, as well. These figures show changes in yield rates
for master’s applicants.
For example:
ff Nursing at UW Bothell saw a 17.4 percentage point increase in yield rates between 2005 and 2009. In 2005, 79
percent of those accepted actually enrolled; in 2009, 97 percent of those accepted actually enrolled.
ff The Institute of Technology at UW Tacoma saw a 15 percentage point decrease in yield rates between 2005 and
2009. In 2005, 80 percent of those accepted actually enrolled; in 2009, 65 percent of those accepted actually
enrolled.
FIGURE 17
UW Bothell, Percentage Point Change in Yield Rate, 2005-2009
-0.4
Business (76-76%)
Computing and Software Systems*
0.0
-2.4
Education (100-98%)
Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences (68-82%)
14.4
Nursing (79-97%)
17.4
UW Bothell Average Annual
-20
-10
6.4
0
10
PERCENTAGE POINT CHANGE
20
Less Yield | More Yield
FIGURE 18
UW Tacoma, Percentage Point Change in Yield Rate, 2005-2009
-1.8
Business (88-86%)
Education (88-90%)
1.8
Institute of Technology (80-65%)
-15.0
Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences (74-88%)
14.1
Nursing (86-98%)
11.3
Social Work (74-69%)
-5.1
UW Tacoma Average Annual
-30
-20
-10
1.0
0
PERCENTAGE POINT CHANGE
Less Yield | More Yield
*Computing and Software Systems program was founded in 2009.
- 27 -
10
20
30
Enrollment
Enrollment rates are the product of application
trends, acceptance rates and yield rates.
Enrollment growth has varied greatly across the
UW. Enrollment in graduate and professional
degree programs has increased by 10 percent at
the UW since 2005.
Enrollment rates, or total enrollment, are
determined by the number of new and returning
students enrolled in a unit.
For data on each college, school, and program, refer to the appendix: http://www.grad.washington.edu/about/reports/report2-appendix.pdf.
Trends
Change in total enrollment varies by degree. Figure 19 shows the average annual growth in enrollment from 2005 to
2009:
ff The annual average percentage growth in enrollment was greatest in Law, Nursing, Pharmacy and Public Affairs.
ff Large programs, such as Engineering, also saw substantial enrollment growth. “Range” shows the change in number of total enrollees from 2005 to 2009 (e.g., Engineering had 1,349 enrollees in
2005 and 1,551 in 2009). All data are averaged across the number of years the college has existed if the college is
less than five years old. Percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number.
FIGURE 19
UW Seattle, Average Autumn Quarter Total Enrollment Growth by College, 2005-2009
A&S - Arts (321-320)
0%
1%
A&S - Humanities (440-461)
-3%
A&S - Sciences** (1,101-964)
-1%
A&S - Social Sciences (830-802)
1%
Built Environments (358-376)
Business (788-854)
2%
Dentistry (71-75)
2%
Education (756-815)
2%
4%
Engineering (1,349-1,551)
8%
Environment* (533-690)
4%
Information School (448-527)
-1%
Interdisciplinary Graduate School Programs (428-417)
5%
Law (167-204)
1%
Medicine (703-735)
5%
Nursing (366-438)
18%
Pharmacy (65-116)
5%
Public Affairs (349-420)
Public Health (743-759)
1%
Social Work (406-424)
1%
2%
Average Annual
-15%
-10%
-5%
0%
5%
10%
15%
PERCENT GROWTH
*The College of the Environment has only existed since Autumn 2009. However, the six departments that comprise the college existed longer. The data for those departments have been combined and presented as the College of the Environment throughout this report.
** Atmospheric Sciences and Earth and Space Sciences moved from A&S-Sciences to the College of the Environment in 2009. - 29 -
20%
UW Seattle, Autumn Quarter Enrollment Growth by Level and College
Total enrollment grows at different rates across programs. Figure 20 shows rates by college, in alphabetical order. To provide context, we also report the range of change between 2005 and 2009 (e.g., Business had 704 master's
students and 84 doctoral students in 2005; it had 772 master's students and 82 doctoral students in 2009).
For example:
ff Business saw an average annual enrollment increase of 2 percent between 2005 and 2009 for its MBA program. In 2005, its total enrollment was 704 students; in 2009, 772 were enrolled.
ff Engineering doctoral programs had a similar increase of 2 percent. In 2005, 690 students were enrolled in
Engineering; in 2009, 760 were enrolled.
ff Declines are most pronounced in units that were in the state of transition (e.g., Arts & Sciences-Sciences). During
this period, some units in Arts & Sciences began to move into the new College of the Environment.
ff Nursing saw an average annual enrollment increase of 28 percent between 2005 and 2009 in doctoral students. In 2005, total enrollment was 78 students; in 2009, 206 were enrolled.
ff Interdisciplinary Graduate School Programs saw an average annual enrollment decrease of 1 percent between
2005 and 2009 for its doctoral programs. In 2005, 363 students were enrolled in Interdisciplinary Programs; in
2009, 343 were enrolled.
- 30 -
FIGURE 20
UW Seattle, Average Autumn Quarter Total Enrollment Growth by Level and
College, 2005-2009
See ranges presented in brackets for change over time. Percent ranges are rounded to the nearest whole number.
A&S - Arts
A&S - Humanities
A&S - Sciences**
A&S - Social Sciences
-2%
-3%
-4%
1%
-1%
Engineering
2%
(704-772)
(84-82)
2%
0%
(59-64)
(12-11)
2%
(468-506)
(288-309)
5%
(659-791)
(690-760)
-1%
Environment*
4%
Interdisciplinary Programs
(421-487)
(27-40)
11%
(65-74)
(363-343)
3%
-1%
(153-193)
(14-11)
6%
-5%
Medicine
(277-268)
(256-422)
15%
Information School
(134-191)
(569-544)
11%
-1%
-5%
(288-232)
(78-206)
28%
Pharmacy***
(28-47)
(64-69)
68%
2%
4%
Public Affairs
76%
-10%
(362-384)
(44-40)
2%
-2%
0%
(349-401)
(4-19)
(497-516)
(246-243)
1%
0%
Public Health
Masterʼs
Doctoral
(349-356)
(9-20)
25%
3%
2%
Education
-20%
(331-280)
(499-522)
1%
Dentistry
Social Work
(189-181)
(912-783)
0%
-4%
Business
Nursing
(257-223)
(183-238)
7%
Built Environments
Law
(208-188)
(113-132)
5%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
PERCENT GROWTH
*The College of the Environment has only existed since Autumn 2009. However, the six departments that comprise the college existed longer. The
data for those departments have been combined and presented as the College of the Environment throughout this report.
** Atmospheric Sciences and Earth and Space Sciences moved from A&S-Sciences to the College of the Environment in 2009. *** The Pharmacy master’s (fee-based) program began in 2008. Enrollment growth is for the 2008-09 and 2009-10 academic years.
- 31 -
Trends: UW Bothell and UW Tacoma
Enrollment has grown at different rates at UW Bothell and UW Tacoma. These figures show enrollment rates for each
of those campuses.
For example:
ff The Education program at UW Bothell saw an average annual graduate enrollment increase of 25 percent between
2005 and 2009. In 2005, its total enrollment was 62 students; in 2009, 143 were enrolled.
ff Business at UW Tacoma saw an average annual graduate enrollment decrease of 5 percent between 2005 and
2009. In 2005, 61 students were enrolled in Business; in 2009, 49 were enrolled.
FIGURE 21
UW Bothell, Average Autumn Quarter Enrollment Growth, 2005-2009
Business (80-105)
8%
Computing and Software Systems* (28)
0%
Education (62-143)
25%
Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences (41-86)
21%
Nursing (39-78)
20%
UW Bothell Average Annual
-20%
-15%
-10%
-5%
19%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
PERCENT GROWTH
FIGURE 22
UW Tacoma, Average Autumn Quarter Enrollment Growth, 2005-2009
-5%
Business (61-49)
Education (83-203)
26%
Institute of Technology (55-35)
-10%
Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences (38-47)
7%
Nursing (75-82)
3%
Social Work (99-126)
6%
UW Tacoma Average Annual
-20%
-15%
-10%
-5%
7%
0%
5%
PERCENT GROWTH
*Computing and Software Systems program was founded in 2009.
- 32 -
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
Data Sources and Methods
ff Data Sources: Admissions data were derived from the UW SDB snapshot of UW SDB data. Total and new
enrollment data were derived from the quarterly census day (10th day) snapshots of the UW SDB database
captured in the UWSDB sr-mini-master table. ff Admissions application data correspond to the number of applications submitted, not the number of students
who submitted applications. For example, if an applicant submits applications to three programs during the
report period, three applications are counted. Applicants may submit applications to several programs for a
given academic quarter, but can only be admitted to one.
ff Application counts include all submitted applications except withdrawn, deferred and returning (ncr_code 2)
applications. Applicants and students in tuition-exempt categories (e.g. Washington employees) are included.
ff Each admissions report year includes summer through spring quarter applications, as indicated by the
applicant’s chosen quarter/year of admission. For example, 2009 includes summer quarter 2008 through spring
quarter 2009.
ff Admissions selectivity is defined as the ratio of offers to applications submitted (offers/applications). Offers are
derived by applications which have been coded with application status values >=10.
ff Admissions yield is defined as the ratio of new enrollees to offers (new/offers). New status is denoted by
applications coded with application status = 12.
ff Previous institution for applicants is derived from the “last school code” which corresponds to the most recent
four-year institution reported by the applicant.
ff Master's students are identified as those at degree level two; doctoral students include those coded in degree
levels three or four. Instructions were clarified for the classification of applications as master's or doctoral in
February, 2009. This clarification may have the effect of producing an increase in doctoral applications relative to
master's as of the change and may be visible in figures that depict growth rates in selectivity and yield. Given that
this change was late in the report range, the effect should be minimal.
ff For total and new enrollment, only students registered in graduate degree programs on census day are counted. On-leave students, graduate non-matriculated, students enrolled for graduate certificates, students enrolled for
zero credits (auditing) and students who registered but withdrew prior to census day are excluded.
ff Overall application and student enrollment counts are by application and head count respectively. However
college breakouts count formal concurrent applications and students in each school/college they have a major. See page 35 for a list of concurrent programs.
- 34 -
Interdisciplinary Graduate School Programs
ff Biology Teaching Group
ff Biomolecular Structure and Design
ff Graduate Visiting
ff Individual Ph.D. Program
ff Molecular and Cellular Biology
ff Museology
ff Near and Middle Eastern Studies Group
ff Neurobiology and Behavior
ff Quantitative Ecology and Resource Management
ff Special Program Graduate Student
ff Urban Design and Planning Group
Concurrent Programs (Double Counted)
ff Bioengineering
ff Dentistry / Oral Biology Concurrent
ff Global Health
ff Health Services / Business Administration Concurrent
ff International Studies / Business Administration Concurrent
ff International Studies / Health Services Concurrent
ff International Studies / Marine Studies Concurrent
ff International Studies / Public Affairs Concurrent
ff Nursing / CHCS / Health Services
ff Public Affairs / Environmental Health
ff Public Affairs / Forest Resources
ff Public Affairs / Health Services
ff Public Affairs / Health Administration
ff Social Work / Health Services Concurrent
ff Urban Planning / Public Administration
- 35 -
List of New Programs
College/Unit
Arts & Sciences-Humanities
Linguistics
Arts & Sciences-Sciences
Applied Mathematics
Physics
Speech and Hearing Sciences
Year New Program/Track Began
2005-2006 2006-2007 2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 x
x
Arts & Sciences-Social Sciences
x
x
International Studies, Jackson School of
x
Built Environments
Architecture
x
Urban Design and Planning
x
Education, College of
x
Education
Engineering, College of
Aeronautics and Astronautics
x
Bioengineering (established jointly with the School of Medicine)
Computer Science and Engineering
Electrical Engineering
x
Industrial and Systems Engineering
x
x
Mechanical Engineering
x
Environment, College of
Earth and Space Sciences
Information School
x
x
Information School
x
Law, School of
x
Law
Medicine, School of
Global Health (established jointly with the School of Public Health)
x
MEDEX Northwest Division of Physician Assistant Studies
x
Pharmacy, School of
Pharmacy - School of
x
Public Health, School of
Bioengineering
Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences
x
Global Health (established jointly with the School of Medicine)
x
Epidemiology
x
x
Health Services UW Bothell
Business Administration
x
x
Computing and Software Systems
Education
x
Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences
x
UW Tacoma
Social Work
x
- 36 -
x
Thanks to administrators, faculty and staff in UW colleges, schools and programs who assisted with data verification. Thanks to Graduate School staff John Drew, Ozie Goodwin, Jeff Dietz and Elizabeth Lowry.
Research Lead: Ozie Goodwin Design: Jeff Dietz
Not printed with state funds.
The Graduate School
University of Washington
G-1 Communications Building
Box 353770
Seattle, Washington 98195-3770
206.543.5900
www.grad.washington.edu