On Sept. 25, faculty and staff at the University of Washington Bothell welcomed the second-largest class of incoming first-year students in its 35-year history. The occasion also marked the first time since the 2021-22 academic year that enrollment reached more than 6,000.
The incoming class includes 1,118 first-year students and 570 transfer students — the second largest in the school’s 34-year history. With returning students, UW Bothell has a total student body of 6,064 for the 2024 autumn quarter, including 5,478 undergraduates and 586 graduate students.
The average class size is 32 for undergraduates and 19 for graduate students. The University has 346 faculty members and 396 staff.
“We are proud of our small community feel and our focus on personalizing each student’s educational experience,” Kristin G. Esterberg, UW Bothell chancellor. “We prize having small class sizes that allow students and faculty to get to know each other.
“Our faculty are committed not just to being teachers and mentors but also to bringing their students — even first-year students — into their research and community projects,” she noted, adding that, as one of three UW campuses, UW Bothell also offers students access to large university resources such as a world-class library, research labs, a clean room and a makerspace.
Current students who have declared majors or are in graduate programs break out as follows: 25% are in the School of STEM, 17% in the School of Business, 15% in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences, 7% in the School of Nursing & Health Studies and 3% in the School of Educational Studies. Another 33% of UW Bothell students are first-year or pre-major students.
Some other statistics about the UW Bothell at the start of the 2024-25 academic year include:
- 31% of incoming first-year students and 43% of new incoming transfer students will be the first in their immediate families to graduate from a four-year institution.
- 32% of incoming first-year students and 38% of incoming transfer students are eligible for Pell Grants, the federal aid program for low-income families.
- 6% of students — more than 350 in total — are eligible for veteran’s benefits, a group that includes spouses and children of veterans.
The student body is known for its diversity as well. Approximately 34% of all students identify as Asian, 28% white, 10% Black or African American, 10% Hispanic or Latino, 6% two or more races, less than 1% American Indian or Alaska Native, and less than 1% Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander. Another 5% are international students here on a student visa.
“Engaging in higher education calls for all of us to listen to others with open minds and hearts,” the chancellor told incoming students last month at the annual Convocation event that marks the start of the new academic year. “It challenges us to have conversations about things that matter with people who think differently from ourselves.
“That’s what education is about — and I believe our democracy depends on it.”
Among all students at UW Bothell, 92% are Washington residents, with 59% coming from King County and 27% from Snohomish County.
The University of Washington Bothell was established by approval of the state legislature in 1989, held its first classes in fall 1990 and graduated its first class of three students in 1991.
There are now more than 32,000 UW Bothell alumni, and more than 87% live and work in the state of Washington.
