State's high school students snubbing public universities

Washington's public four-year colleges are attracting fewer applications from the very people they were built to serve: the state's high school graduates.

Across the board, in-state applications are down at public colleges, from less than 2 percent at the University of Washington to 19 percent at Central Washington University.


		Grant M. Haller / P-I
	Madison Murphy applied to just one state school -- and only as a safe fallback -- and will attend Occidental College in Los Angeles.

But the reasons behind the drop -- and whether it reflects a continuing trend -- have left university officials without solid explanations. Some private colleges in the state saw a similar decline in in-state applicants, but others saw them surge.

"There are lots of reasons that could explain what's going on out there. I just don't think we have a good way yet of narrowing down which are the most likely," said Steve Hunter, associate vice president for enrollment management at The Evergreen State College, where in-state applications have fallen about 13 percent. "You can imagine there are lots of people at these institutions scratching their heads, and asked to scratch their heads, to come up with an answer."

Admissions officials cite a number of potential reasons -- the improved economy may have prompted some students to pursue a job instead of higher education, or the increase in application fees may have led some students to apply to fewer schools.

The increased selectivity of some institutions also may have deterred students from applying.

The state won't know if fewer people are actually attending college until this fall. But with the number of Washington high school students expected to graduate this summer about the same as last, admissions officials are concerned about the drop.

One of the key questions to answer: Are fewer students pursuing higher education or are they choosing to go elsewhere?

Madison Murphy is in the latter group. The Ballard High School valedictorian applied to seven schools -- only one of them in Washington.

She was accepted at the University of Washington -- her "safety" school -- but decided to attend Occidental College in Los Angeles this fall, in part because of its smaller class sizes. Murphy said she wasn't interested in any of the other Washington public schools, which don't have the prestige and urban setting of some of the other schools to which she applied.

"Of the state schools in Washington, the UW would be the only one I would consider attending," she said.

The state's schools need to keep qualified students in Washington by improving the connection between high school and college, said James Sulton Jr., executive director of the Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board. High school and college officials should take students to campuses and show them what is available locally.

"Those applying out of state and using in-state institutions as safety schools are students that we certainly want, and we want to prevent those students from overlooking the opportunities that are in Washington," he said.

The number of Washington high school students applying to the state's private institutions varied this year. While Gonzaga University and Whitman College reported decreases in in-state applications, Seattle University, Seattle Pacific University and the University of Puget Sound showed increases.

Private schools tend to draw a more significant number of out-of-state applicants.

Still, Franklin High School counselor Marla Stewart saw more of her seniors applying to Washington private schools this year because they viewed them as more cost-effective. Public school tuition is rising, and though private schools still cost more, they can offer better financial aid and scholarships, she said.

Students also have a better chance of graduating in four years from a private school than from a public school, where it may take five or more years to get a degree, she noted, adding that this year private schools improved their recruiting efforts toward her students.

"I don't think they were consciously not applying" to public institutions, Stewart said. "I think they were looking at all the benefits of the private college in the long run."

The drop in resident applications follows a banner year at some schools. Applications from residents peaked at several institutions in 2005, perhaps making this year's decrease look more extreme.

"Is it really this year is a lot down or was last year a lot up?" asked Philip Ballinger, director of admissions at the University of Washington, where residential applications dropped 1.4 percent.

The decline could mean that more students intend to attend community or technical college; those numbers won't be available until later this year. Enrollment at the state's two-year institutions has been about flat the past two years, with roughly 150,000 students enrolled.

"It's too early to tell what the numbers will look like for 2006 and whether or not these (drops in residential applications) at the four-year level will have any impact," said Erin Brown, spokeswoman for the Washington State Board of Community and Technical Colleges.

The increase in the application fee at the state's schools from $38 to $50 could have prompted some students to apply to fewer in-state schools. And the rising costs of college may be dissuading some.

"The cost of higher education keeps increasing and increasing, and at some point there's a breaking point," said Vicki McCracken, associate vice president for enrollment services at Washington State University, which saw about a 4 percent decrease in resident applications. "And maybe this is the year."

Officials also cited the demographic makeup of the state's school-age population. The number of Latino students, for instance, is increasing, but they do not have as high a college attendance rate as their Caucasian peers.

With high schools focusing on helping the current sophomores pass the Washington Assessment of Student Learning -- a high school graduation requirement for the class of 2008 -- teachers and counselors may have overlooked potential college-bound upperclassmen.

"It's sort of put in my mind to really work with next year's juniors," said Michael Reilly, associate vice president for enrollment management at Central Washington University, where in-state applications fell about 19 percent.

The drop in in-state applicants wasn't reflected in the quality of the pool at large, some said.

Despite receiving about 9 percent fewer applications from residents, Western Washington University still attracted many capable high school seniors, said Karen Copetas, director of admissions and enrollment planning. The university accepted only about two-thirds of its applicants last year, which may have made some students "select themselves out" this year, she said.

"Maybe it's not a bad thing," to see a drop in resident applications, she said. "We are certainly not disappointed with the quality of students who applied. ... In a way, it's kind of nice to not have to say 'no' to so many students."