We have many reasons to celebrate the enrollment numbers recently released by Washington State University.

Our fall 2015 entering class is our largest ever, bringing enrollment system-wide to 29,686. The Pullman campus has welcomed 4,220 new freshmen, a 6.2 percent increase from 2014, and 1,149 transfer students, up 12.8 percent from last year. We have even larger percentage increases at our Tri-Cities (+11.7 percent) and Global (+13 percent) campuses, and we have 150 students now attending WSU North Puget Sound at Everett. Enrollment at our Vancouver and Spokane campuses also continues to be steady. These numbers mean that even more students will have access to a first-rate education from this Research I university, which is critical for ensuring a healthy future for the state of Washington.

Also, consistent with WSU’s land-grant mission and University goals, the diversity of the entering class has increased. Minorities now represent 30.4 percent of the undergraduate population and 16.1 percent of the graduate population. To put this in perspective, consider that in 2010, 23.9 percent of the entering freshman class were minorities versus 35.7 percent in 2015.

WSU also continues to attract a large number of first-generation college students. More than 41 percent of freshman students are first-generation college students and more than 45 percent of WSU’s transfer students are first-generation, up from 37 percent for each group in 2010. Many of our faculty and staff also were first-generation college graduates and know how transformational that degree will be for them, for their families, and for their communities.

Along with increasing enrollment and diversity, student preparedness also increased in 2015. Entering freshmen posted an average high school GPA of 3.32 and transfers posted an average GPA of 3.11.

We welcome all of our new and continuing students and know that our faculty intend to provide them with the best opportunities for success. We encourage you to visit faculty.wsu.edu/first-gen for more information and resources, and to review the flyer with information about teaching first-generation students.

Thank you for your commitment to the success of our students. Go Cougs!