For the third year in a row, the University of Washington Bothell is set to graduate the largest class ever. The 25-year-old branch struggled to take off in early days, but now is growing fast.
Eighteen hundred UW Bothell students will don cap and gown this weekend on the main campus in Seattle. For nearly a third of those graduates, it will be a moment of pride – they’ll be the first in their family to earn a four-year degree. UW Bothell Vice Chancellor Susan Jeffords says an emphasis on small class size is attracting first-generation college attendees.
“I think a lot of students who may not be not be as familiar with college campuses feel a bit more comfortable in a smaller environment that is very much about close relationships with faculty.”
Jeffords says UW Bothell’s students are also among the most diverse of the four-year colleges in Washington. This year’s graduates hail from 17 different nations and range in age from 18 to 62. Many of those students come from immigrant families.
