Update on Admissions

Many private colleges continue to offer excellent financial and merit aid for students, often making the private school choice a good alternative to the public schools which are facing cutbacks. Business Week has recently published an article that highlights various schools and their approaches to recent economic pressures. Representatives for the UC and Cal State Systems and the Washington State System have made it clear that reduced enrollments and budget cuts are moving ahead. 

While it was expected that Early Decision applications that require commitment by a student to attend if admitted would be down this year as a result of economic factors increasing the need by families to compare other offers before committing, this has not been the case. Inside Higher Education has recently summarized these application details at a number of colleges. As expected, applications to public institutions including the University of Washington are already up 20% this fall despite upcoming cuts.