WSU sees its best fall enrollment increases at Tri-Cities campus
Tri-City college and university campuses are bustling with students returning for fall classes.
Early headcounts show at least 10,000 students pursuing degrees, certifications and other post-secondary professional development.
Washington State University Tri-Cities returned Aug. 18 and tallied more than 1,600 students attending the Richland campus.
That’s an 8% increase when comparing the nearly 1,500 students counted in fall 2024, and marks the third consecutive year of growth.
WSU Tri-Cities Chancellor Sanda Haynes says they’re seeing a “record-breaking” number of first-year students, which grew 11% over last fall. First-time graduate students more than doubled, too.
“Our enrollment growth not only strengthens WSU Tri-Cities, but contributes to the vitality of the Tri-Cities region by preparing the next generation of professionals and leaders,” Haynes said.
The Richland campus has been strengthening its outreach to local high schools and transfer students. Initiatives including application workshops and “Instant Decision Days” at local high schools and community colleges have helped boost first-year attendance, administrators say.
Columbia Basin College in Pasco, which returned for fall quarter Sept. 15, conducted its headcount Friday. Total counts aren’t available yet, but the college was on track for another banner year of post-COVID growth.
Students are also taking more classes on average this year than in the past. But there isn’t one particular program driving the enrollment increase, officials say.
“It’s great to see the campus filled with students,” said President Rebekah Woods. “This year, we added a new bachelor of science in computer science. Continuing to expand our program and degree offerings to meet industry needs is the key to continuing CBC’s strong enrollment numbers.”
Last fall, more than 12,000 students were enrolled in classes, a 15-year high water mark. So far, they’ve counted more than 8,200.
Numbers from Heritage University, the Toppenish-based college which serves Tri-Cities students with smaller class sizes in Pasco and Kennewick, were not available. Classes started there Aug. 25.
Enrollment in the nation’s universities and colleges have for the most part rebounded following a pandemic-induced slog. A tighter job market matched with rising rates for tuition delayed many students from going back to school in the immediate years following 2020.
That’s important because student enrollment is directly tied to the amount of quarterly or semester revenue U.S. institutions of higher education receive.
But colleges still face major headwinds, including changes to the nation’s student visa policy that could mean upwards of 150,000 fewer international students on campuses as well as broader shifts in the nation’s demographics.
Those variables likely won’t impact Tri-City colleges too hard since a lion’s share of students attending are Washington residents, meaning they’ve lived within the state for the past 12 months. Just 2% of WSU Tri-Cities students are international, for example.
Across all campuses, WSU’s enrollment remains mostly flat. It fell by about 1%, year over year, to about nearly 25,500.
University of Washington enrolled nearly 63,000 students across three Puget Sound campuses last school year.
