Statewide Survey Finds High Regard for UW Education Quality

A large majority of Wyoming residents believe the University of Wyoming provides strong undergraduate education and is an appealing place for Wyoming students to attend college, new survey results show.

Additionally, most Wyomingites say UW does an excellent or good job of preparing graduates to participate in the state’s workforce, responding to the state’s needs and keeping tuition as low as possible, according to the biennial election-year survey conducted by the Wyoming Survey and Analysis Center at UW.

This year’s statewide telephone survey of 524 Wyoming residents was conducted Oct. 22-Nov. 7, with cellular and landline phone numbers randomly generated to ensure equal probability of selection for all Wyoming residents. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.3 percentage points.

“We’re delighted to see that the state’s university continues to be held in high regard for the quality of education we provide,” UW President Ed Seidel says. “The survey also points to areas of potential improvement in our relations with the people of Wyoming, and we are working on a number of levels to enhance our connections with and service to the state.”

UW continues to receive particularly high marks for what it offers to students.

Asked “How well do you think UW appeals to Wyoming students and their families as a desirable place to attend college?,” 17 percent responded “extremely well” and 63 percent “quite well” -- 80 percent combined. Just 9 percent said “not too well” and 2 percent “not well at all.”

Nineteen percent rated UW’s performance as excellent in “providing an excellent undergraduate education,” with 44 percent rating it good -- 63 percent combined. Thirteen percent responded “fair” and just 3 percent “poor.”

Asked to rate UW’s performance in “educating young people to participate in Wyoming’s workforce,” 16 percent said “excellent” and 39 percent “good” -- 55 percent combined.

On the issue of “being responsive to the needs of the state and its citizens,” 11 percent rated UW’s performance as excellent and 43 percent as good -- 54 percent combined.

Respondents were asked to rate UW’s performance -- excellent, good, fair, poor or “don’t know/not sure” -- on several other issues.

-- In rating UW’s performance on the topic of “keeping tuition as low as possible,” 15 percent responded “excellent” and 37 percent “good” -- 52 percent combined. Twenty percent said “fair” and 5 percent “poor.”

-- Regarding the university’s efforts to maintain a safe campus for students, employees and visitors, 18 percent rated the performance as excellent and 42 percent as good -- 60 percent combined.

-- On whether UW has “a strong level of engagement with your community,” 13 percent said “excellent” and 35 percent “good” -- 48 percent combined. Twenty-six percent said “fair,” and 11 percent responded “poor.”

-- Regarding UW’s performance in having athletic teams that are competitive nationally, 14 percent said “excellent” and 45 percent “good” -- 59 percent combined.

Complete survey results may be found here.