In a move to streamline and ease its application process, UW graduate admissions will offer online materials for the admissions process to the Graduate School and individual programs starting Oct. 9.

Unlike undergraduate admissions, which have offered online applications for years, the number of programs available complicates the process of applying to the Graduate School. Each of the hundreds of separate programs require different materials and has its own deadlines.

Graduate applications to the UW are reviewed differently from undergraduate admissions. For some programs, a single department reviews applications, while other applications are considered by a number of departments across campus.

“The entire graduate admissions process is now online. It isn’t as centralized as undergrad admissions, because graduate students apply directly into specific programs, and each programs has its own application,” said John Drew, director of computing and information resources for the Graduate School.

This is complicated by the fact that there are more than 300 graduate programs, he said.

The online service is more than applications, which have been made available by different departments/programs over the years; it’s the entire process of graduate admissions, Drew said.

Each year, the UW receives about 20,000 applications for graduate admission, according to the Graduate School’s Web site.

“The number has grown by 15 percent in just the past two years. This volume of applications generates about 300,000 separate items submitted by applicants,” according to a press release on the uweek.org Web site.

The benefits of an online admissions process are numerous. Efficiency and turnaround are increased, and the online interface saves paper. Additionally, the online process will facilitate a real-time confirmation of submission.

“We have been responsive to the general trend to have the materials online, because it is easier, and moving paper around is inefficient and a security risk,” Drew said.

It also makes it easier for applicants from other states and countries, he said, citing increased activity from China.

More than 30 applications have been submitted on the new Web site since Tuesday, Drew said.

So far everything seems to be working smoothly, and the few bugs that were caught were updated last night.

An online survey will be deployed to gain feedback from users, Drew said.

Previously, paper applications were sent to the Graduate School, which coordinated the dispersal of the applications to the appropriate program or department. Applicants were also required to send a second copy to their desired program.

“Graduate applications have been available online since 1998; however, it didn’t capture and encompass as much of the application materials as the new version does,” Drew said.

For some departments, such as English, much of the admissions process remains unchanged. Graduate English program applications have been available online for some time, said Kathy Mork, graduate programs program support supervisor.

The computer science and engineering (CSE) program exemplifies the amount of work and paper online applications save. An average of 1,000 applications received each year used to be placed into 1,000 corresponding manila folders, which would then fill six or seven long file drawers, according to a press release on the uweek.org Web site. By moving the application process online about two years ago, “CSE has eliminated all paper except for official transcripts.”

“We are eager to make the admissions process easy and transparent,” Drew said.

[Reach reporter Sonia McBride at news@thedaily.washington.edu.]