Washington State University

09/13/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 09/13/2024 14:21

First-year student enrollment continues to rise at Washington State University

For the second consecutive year, Washington State University welcomed more new first-year students than the prior fall semester.

After surpassing 4,200 new first-year students last fall - the highest level since 2019 - WSU further improved this semester, enrolling 4,350 new first-year students. With a 16% increase compared to fall 2023, WSU Tri-Cities led the way in new first-year student growth, followed by WSU Pullman at a 2.4% increase.

Overall enrollment across the WSU system declined by 3%, however, as record-setting first-year classes of students from just prior to the pandemic complete their studies and graduate.

In spite of the overall enrollment figures, the Tri-Cities and Everett campuses increased the number of total students by 3.3% and 11.8%, respectively.

Fall enrollment figures also show WSU continues to primarily serve the State of Washington's higher education needs, with the proportion of Washington residents enrolled systemwide eclipsing 81% this fall, with several campuses enrolling upwards of 94% students from within the state.

"Two consecutive years of growth in new first-year students shows we have momentum in spite of challenges like the rollout of a new FAFSA process," Chris Riley-Tillman, provost and executive vice president, said. "We will continue to capitalize on our strengths as a multi-campus, land grant institution to attract, retain, and graduate the next generation of Cougars."

Members of the Washington State University Board of Regents will learn more about the fall 2024 enrollment report during next Thursday's Academic and Student Affairs Committee meeting.

"As we persist in telling our story and sharing the tremendous benefits of being a part of the WSU community, I have no doubt we'll continue to see larger incoming classes each fall across the system," Riley-Tillman said.

The complete slate of Board of Regents meetings Sept. 19-20 will be available to watch in-full online.

Pullman

New first-year students at WSU Pullman grew from 3,518 in the fall of 2023 to 3,604 this semester, with slight increases in the number of new Doctor of Veterinary Medicine students.

The total number of Pullman students dipped 3.5%, from 17,050 last fall to 16,449 this year, a smaller drop than the 4.4% decrease observed last fall compared to 2022. The number of undergraduates dropped 3.4% while masters and research doctorate-seeking students dipped 6.5%.

Global Campus

Among the positive trends seen for Global Campus this fall was the number of masters and research doctorates increased by 2.3%. Overall undergraduate enrollment also remained steady year-over-year.

Though it remains WSU's second largest campus, Global Campus saw its overall enrollment drop 4.3% compared to last fall, from 3,750 to 3,590.

Media Contact:

Vancouver

Highlights for the Vancouver campus this fall include a significant increase in new professional students seeking to become Doctors of Nursing Practice, rising from 22 last fall to 34 this semester. This increase brings the total number of students pursuing DNP on the Vancouver campus to 104.

In spite of this growth, overall enrollment at WSU Vancouver dipped 2% compared to fall 2023.

Media Contact:

  • Brenda Alling, director of campus communications, Office of Marketing and Communication, 360-546-9601, [email protected]

Tri-Cities

WSU Tri-Cities saw several improvements in student enrollment this year, including a 16% increase in new first-year students and a 2.2% increase in new transfer students.

These gains bolstered the campus' total enrollment figures, which grew from 1,441 last fall to 1,489 this year. Overall undergraduate enrollment stands at 1,376, a 5.2% increase over fall 2023.

Media Contact:

  • Leslie Streeter, director of marketing and communication, 509-372-7333, [email protected]

Spokane

Overall enrollment in the Doctor of Medicine program at WSU Spokane grew 2.9%, with the campus also seeing a 4.6% increase in new professional students compared to last fall.

Total enrollment at WSU Spokane dropped 4.8% compared to a year prior, a significantly smaller dip than last year's 10% figure, which was driven by large graduating classes in recent years.

Media Contact:

  • Chantell Cosner, director of marketing and strategic communication, 509-368-6671, [email protected]

Everett

WSU's newest campus saw the largest percentage increase in overall enrollment at 11.8%. This increase was driven by a 27.6% increase in new transfer students compared to fall 2023, a high benchmark across the university system this fall.

Media contact:

  • Corrie Wilder, executive director, marketing and communications, WSU Everett, 425-405-1776, [email protected]

Media Contacts

  • Phil Weiler, vice president, University Marketing and Communications, 509-595-1708, [email protected]