WSU freshman class biggest yet

Washington State University has enrolled the largest freshman class in school history, an increase of 19 percent over last fall, university officials said Tuesday.

“This is an exciting time for us,” said Bob Bates, WSU’s provost. In addition to the increase, he said, “it’s also the most highly qualified freshman class.”

Though classes started at WSU two weeks ago, enrollments don’t become official until the 10th day of classes. The University of Idaho also started classes two weeks ago, and it saw a modest increase of 1.4 percent in its freshman class – with a slight decrease in overall enrollment. Like WSU, Idaho also posted increases in minority students and graduate students.

UI Provost Doug Baker said that the freshman class “is another signal of the renewal” at the UI, which includes expanded faculty ranks this fall.

WSU’s freshman class is 3,208, up from 2,699 last year. The class also had record SAT scores for WSU – 1,111 – at a time when standardized test scores are down across the state and nation. The average GPA of entering students is about flat compared with last year – 3.42 from 3.45.

Enrollment at the Spokane campus is up 21 students, to 1,198. WSU’s other campuses saw growth as well, with the first freshman class enrolled at its Tri-Cities campus and record numbers there and in Vancouver.

Overall enrollment in all classes is up 3.1 percent throughout the WSU system, Bates said. The school also increased its enrollment of students of color by 19 percent.

WSU and UI open their academic years earlier than most schools in the region, so their enrollment numbers come out earlier. Gonzaga University has also said it expects this year’s freshman class to be its largest ever.

WSU officials said the increased enrollments stemmed in part from expanded efforts to contact students during the months that they were applying, reminding them of deadlines and providing other information.

Mike Tate, vice president of student affairs, equity and diversity, said that along with increased enrollment comes the responsibility of helping students make it to graduation. WSU’s six-year graduation rate is just over 60 percent, he said.

“We want to make that higher,” he said.

Bates said that the university hasn’t been looking for a constant expansion in the number of freshmen, and that keeping classes within a similar size range is important for the long-term management of the university – to avoid having a huge senior class one year and a tiny one the next.

He also said that increasing graduate students has been a goal at WSU. Grad school enrollments are up 3.8 percent this year after several relatively flat years, Bates said.

The UI’s freshman class stands at 1,632, and that includes 14 National Merit Scholars, as well as an increase in the number of students who qualify for other academic honors, the university said. Graduate student enrollments are up 2 percent, and minority enrollments rose by 3.8 percent.

Overall, enrollment in the UI system statewide was 11,636, down by less than 1 percent. The university said that dip was due to record graduating classes in each of the past three years.

The UI showed rapid growth at its Coeur d’Alene campus, with an increase of 19 percent to 458 students.