By Carlos Williams, Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions
We're often asked this question by prospective transfer students who are trying to decide whether to apply summer or autumn quarter. It is an important question to consider since applicants to the UW have to choose one or the other. They cannot apply for both quarters.
Some applicants believe summer quarter is the easier quarter because fewer students apply. It is true that fewer students apply for summer quarters. Last year, for example, 461 Washington community college students applied for summer quarter, while 2925 applied for autumn quarter. In 2010, 405 Washington community college students applied for summer quarter, while 2680 applied for autumn quarter.
However, if we look at the admit rate for each quarter as a percentage of those who applied, it tells a different story: fewer summer quarter students are admitted as a percentage than autumn quarter applicants.
Admit rate by percentage:
46.6% admitted summer 2011 vs. 57.2% admitted autumn 2011
52.1% admitted summer 2010 vs. 61.6% admitted autumn 2010
So, when is the best quarter to apply?
You should apply based on the quarter you want and not when it's the easiest to get in.