Demographics improve odds of getting into UW this year

For all of those high-school seniors waiting for a fat envelope to arrive from the college of their choice, give Mom and Dad a hug: Due to either good planning or sheer luck, they gave birth to you at the bottom of a demographic trough.

The number of high-school graduates in the state this year — indeed, across the nation — is the lowest in four years. In Washington, about 5,000 fewer are expected to get a diploma than in 2010, according to the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), which tracks demographic trends nationwide.