Statewide system: Serving the region’s needs
Washington State University’s educational enterprise serves the entire state—ranging from the metropolitan Puget Sound region to the rural areas of northeastern and southeastern Washington. That enterprise has expanded in recent years to better meet the needs of Washington’s growing economy and its increasing population.
For the fall 2019 semester, WSU enrolled a record 31,607 students. Nearly 33 percent of the students are first generation college students, and 30 percent are ethnically diverse.
The Pullman campus, founded in 1890, features world-class facilities for teaching, research, the arts, and Pacific-12 Conference athletics. The campus is located on more than 620 acres among the rolling hills of southeastern Washington in a geographic region known as the Palouse.
Three additional campuses, created in 1989, are located in Spokane, the Tri-Cities, and Vancouver. WSU Everett was established in 2014 to meet the needs of the north Puget Sound area. The Global Campus, founded in 2012, offers degrees worldwide in an online environment.
The University launched a medical school in 2015 to expand access to health care in underserved areas of the state and to give more Washingtonians an opportunity to earn a medical degree without leaving the state. The Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine welcomed its third class of entering medical students to the WSU Spokane campus in August.
In addition, the University serves residents statewide through a network of extension offices (one in each county), research and extension centers, and small business development centers.
Enrollment, Fall 2019
| Pullman 20,976 students |
| Spokane 1,685 |
| Tri-Cities 1,813 |
| Vancouver 3,585 |
| Global Campus (online) 3,265 |
| Everett 283 |
Campuses
Washington State University Pullman
The Pullman campus is the oldest and largest campus in the WSU system. Most of the system’s senior administrative team, including WSU’s president and provost, are based in Pullman.
Enrollment totaled 20,976 students for the 2019 fall semester. About 1,500 faculty, supported by 1,600 graduate assistants and 2,900 administrators and staff, work on the Pullman campus.
Due to significant investments from the state as well as private and federal support, outstanding new campus facilities have been constructed and others upgraded during the past decade. Major new facilities include a digital classroom building, a plant sciences facility, a multicultural center, a veterinary and biomedical research building, and the PACCAR Environmental Technology Building.
Pullman is a dynamic center of higher education, research, and culture. Part of the Knowledge Corridor that connects WSU to the University of Idaho eight miles to the east, the city is 75 miles south of Spokane, Washington’s second-largest city.
Demographics Daily designated Pullman a “dreamtown,” reflecting the city’s exceptionally high quality of life. The city boasts one of the highest percentages of graduate degrees among U.S. micropolitan areas, and its public school system has been ranked among the top 100 in the country. World-class outdoor recreation opportunities—including golfing, skiing, hiking, and boating—are just a short drive away.
Washington State University Health Sciences Spokane
Located in the University District along the riverfront in downtown Spokane, WSU Spokane is the University’s health sciences education and research campus.
The campus is home to the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, which welcomed its third class of first-year medical students in August. The University has relocated all of its health sciences disciplines and built new facilities on the campus in recent years. Among the new construction: an $80 million Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences Building and a $34.6 million Nursing Building.
Nearly 1,700 undergraduate, professional, and graduate students pursue degrees at the 48-acre campus, which also houses programs offered by Eastern Washington University and is located just across the Spokane River from Gonzaga University.
Washington State University Tri-Cities
Located in Richland, Wash., along the banks of the Columbia River, WSU Tri-Cities plays a vital role in fulfilling WSU’s mission. More than 70 percent of the 1,800-plus students study STEM-related academic disciplines. The student body is the most diverse among WSU’s campuses.
The Ste. Michelle Wine Estates WSU Wine Science Center opened on campus in 2016. The facility—one of the most technologically advanced wine science centers in the world—represents the thriving partnership between the Pacific Northwest wine industry and WSU. The campus also benefits from its collaboration with nearby Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. In addition, WSU Tri-Cities serves as a clinical campus for the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine based at WSU Spokane.
WSU Tri-Cities was established in 1989. The campus offers 20 undergraduate and 33 graduate degrees.
Washington State University Vancouver
The only four-year university located in southwest Washington, WSU Vancouver is the second largest campus in the WSU system, enrolling more than 3,500 students. It provides access to baccalaureate-level and graduate education to benefit the people, communities, and economy of the region.
WSU Vancouver helps drive Southwest Washington’s economic growth through relationships with local businesses and industries, schools, and nonprofit organizations. It also serves as a clinical campus for the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine based at WSU Spokane.
Students choose WSU Vancouver for its big-school resources offered in a small-school environment. State-of-the-art facilities support 22 bachelor’s, 9 master’s, and 8 doctoral degrees. Notable programs include creative media and digital culture, environmental science, mechanical engineering, neuroscience, psychology, and public affairs.
Washington State University Everett
WSU Everett is student- and community-centered, bringing industry-aligned undergraduate programs with an interdisciplinary focus to the North Puget Sound region to prepare students to compete globally in the local economy.
The campus offers junior- and senior-level courses in seven high-demand bachelor’s degrees. It also serves as a clinical campus for the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine based at WSU Spokane.
WSU Everett is located in a four-story facility constructed along the waterfront in downtown Everett that opened in 2017. The campus enrolls nearly 300 students.
Global Campus
More than 3,000 students across the country and around the world are pursuing a WSU education through the Global Campus, the University’s online degree program. Students can choose from among 12 bachelor’s degrees, more than two dozen minors and certificates, and 12 master’s degrees.
The same faculty who teach at WSU campuses statewide use cutting-edge technology to offer online students a rigorous and engaging educational experience. And the Global Campus offers virtual extra-and co-curricular activities such as online career fairs, live-streamed cultural events, and interactive faculty web presentations to build community.