PULLMAN, Wash. – Washington State University again experienced record enrollment this fall, registering a total of 29,686 students statewide. The additional 1,000 students represent a 3.5 percent increase from the previous record, set during the fall semester last year.
The enrollment increase occurred across all WSU campuses, with WSU Tri-Cities and the WSU Global campus registering the largest increases, 11.7 percent and 13 percent, respectively.
“Continued growth in our enrollments around the state is testimony to the quality of education WSU is providing,” said Interim President Dan Bernardo. “I am especially pleased that we continue to increase not only in size, but in diversity.”
Undergraduate enrollment increased at WSU Pullman, WSU Tri Cities, WSU Vancouver, WSU Global and WSU North Puget Sound at Everett. Enrollment at WSU Health Sciences Spokane remained steady. The largest growth occurred at WSU Tri-Cities where undergraduate enrollment increased by 161 students, or more than 13 percent, from the previous fall. Graduate student and professional student enrollments grew across all WSU campuses, with total graduate enrollment increasing 8.6 percent and professional enrollment increasing 6.8 percent statewide.
Once again, WSU enrolled the largest incoming freshmen class in its history this semester, recording a total freshman enrollment of 4,727 statewide, an increase of 6.1 percent from the record fall enrollment last year. And, while not a record, transfer student enrollment remained strong at 2,588 across all WSU campuses. WSU Pullman enrolled 4,220 new freshmen and 1,149 new transfers. Elsewhere, WSU Tri-Cities enrolled 177 new freshmen and 210 new transfers; WSU Vancouver enrolled 285 new freshmen and 603 new transfers; WSU Spokane enrolled 78 new transfers: WSU Global enrolled 45 new freshmen and 488 new transfers; and WSU North Puget Sound at Everett enrolled 63 new transfers.
As in recent years, WSU’s fall semester enrollment also grew increasingly diverse, with the percentage of minority students either remaining constant or increasing on every WSU campus. As a percentage of system-wide enrollment, minorities constitute 27.8 percent of overall enrollment, 35.7 percent of new freshmen enrollment, 27.7 percent of new transfer enrollment, and 17.1 percent of new graduate enrollment.
The enrollment data also show WSU is continuing to attract a large number of first generation students, who represented 41.1 percent of entering freshmen and 45.1 percent of entering transfer students.
As in years past, WSU continues primarily to serve in-state students; 85.5 percent of all current WSU undergraduate students reside in Washington.
Contact:
Robert Strenge, WSU News, 509-335-3583, rstrenge@wsu.edu