WSU looks for turnaround as enrollment steadies

Nickolas Geranios

The number of students attending Washington State University appears to be stabilizing after dramatic declines following the COVID pandemic, despite those students paying the highest combination of tuition and mandatory fees among the state’s public colleges.

Still, the university is at a difficult crossroads. Enrollment is down nearly 20% over the past six years across all of the university’s campuses. State and federal cuts are adding to financial pressure, and more tuition hikes could be on the way.

The WSU Board of Regents held a meeting in mid-September in which they discussed enrollment trends, costs of attending the Pullman-based university and heard new President Elizabeth Cantwell’s plans to turn the school around.

“This is the beginning of what we are callin