CHENEY – Eastern Washington University set another enrollment record with its largest freshmen class ever walking through the pillars outside Showalter Hall this fall.
According to a news release, 1,809 first-time freshmen are taking courses this fall, an increase of 51 over last year’s record of 1,758 — which itself was a 123 student increase over the previous record of 1,711 set in fall 2015.
“It was so inspired by the crowd of enthusiastic first-year students passing through the Herculean Pillars at our traditional welcoming event this fall,” EWU President Dr. Mary Cullinan said in the release. “EWU puts students first every day to help them succeed in college and after they graduate.”
On the flipside, Eastern’s overall student enrollment dropped for the first time in several years. As of Oct. 8 when numbers were finalized, 12,328 students were enrolled at the university, as compared with last year’s 12,635 and the 12,607 in 2017-2018. The numbers reflect students taking classes in Cheney, Spokane and other campuses statewide.
Finally, for the fourth year in a row, Eastern’s ethnic diversity topped 30 percent of the total enrollment, with more than 34 percent of the student body representing an ethnic population, up from last year’s 32 percent. Hispanic students, who make up the fastest growing population in the state of Washington, made up the largest group of underrepresented students at more than 15 percent.
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