News and Headlines : CWU Sets Enrollment Record For The Sixth Straight Year

Ellensburg, Wash. - For the sixth year in a row, Central Washington University has enrolled a record number of students. CWU President Jerilyn S. McIntyre announced today that the university will enroll 9,636 full-time students, an increase of 238 from the same time last year and a jump of 1,703 students overall from fall quarter 2000.

McIntyre also announced the largest freshman class ever to enroll at CWU. The university welcomed 1,472 freshmen to the Ellensburg campus this year, an increase of 3 percent over fall 2005.

"CWU's excellent academic programs and beautiful campus continue to make this university a top choice for Washington students," said McIntyre, noting that about 65 percent of CWU's students come from western Washington. "Students come to CWU for degree programs that are in high demand by Washington employers."

CWU's reputation as an outstanding public regional university was reflected the 2007 survey by US News & World Report, "Americas Best Colleges." The survey ranked CWU among the top ten public master's degree-granting institutions in the West. It was the fourth consecutive year that US News & World Report ranked CWU among the top 20 such institutions.

One of the measures of student satisfaction with CWU is the high rate at which students return to CWU to complete their studies each year. The retention rate for CWU freshmen was 79.2 percent for 2005-06, well above the national average.

In addition to being one of the state's fastest growing public universities, CWU is also one of the most diverse. Nearly 19 percent of CWU undergraduates are students of color, up from 12.9 percent in 2000. CWU is the school of choice for many Hispanic undergraduate students; Hispanic students comprise 7.5 percent of CWU students.

About 1600 students attend classes at one of six CWU University Centers. The facilities, co-located with community colleges, are located in Lynnwood, Des Moines, Pierce County (Steilacoom), Wenatchee, Moses Lake, and Yakima. Students with associate's degrees may transfer to a University Center where they take classes from CWU faculty and earn a bachelors' or masters' degrees.

Contact: Becky Watson, 509-963-1117/fax 509-963-2301/e-mail: bwatson@cwu.edu