Why straight-A's may not get you into UW this year

Very similar to what happend with UCLA and UC Berkeley this year.  UCLA in 2010 was 17% out of state/foreign students, and UC Berkeley was 27% in 2010.  My guess is the numbers grew in 2010.

Excellent quotes from the article

• Valedictorians with straight-A's were denied admission, while out-of-state students with lower grades were accepted.
• The decision is based squarely on economics: Nonresident students in effect subsidize the education of Washington residents, providing a much-needed boost in revenue at a time the UW could see its funding cut by $200 million over the next biennium.
• Flagship universities have aggressively courted out-of-state students to make up for lost revenue — notably, the University of Oregon, where 47 percent of the school's freshmen were from out of state in 2010, and the University of Colorado, Boulder, where 43 percent of freshmen were from out of state.
• Some Washington parents whose children were denied admission to the UW have asked if they can pay out-of-state tuition to get their students in, Ballinger said. (The answer is no.)

Why straight-A's may not get you into UW this year - Seattle Times