Key Points
- Enrollment Levels: Student enrollment at colleges and universities across Spokane County has flattened or begun a slow increase over the past two years after sharp declines during the pandemic.
- Institutional Health: Leaders at several Spokane-area institutions say the region’s higher education sector remains generally healthy despite earlier enrollment declines.
- Retention Focus: Many local colleges and universities are putting greater emphasis on retaining students to support future enrollment numbers.
- Projected Stability: Spokane Community College, Spokane Falls Community College, Eastern Washington University (EWU), and Gonzaga University expect fall admissions to remain steady, matching fall 2025 levels for full-time, degree-seeking students.
- Statewide Trend: The Washington Student Achievement Council reported in January that statewide degree-seeking undergraduate enrollment fell from more than 100,391 students in 2020 to 90,939 in 2024, before rising slightly to 91,702 last fall.
- EWU Enrollment: Eastern Washington University expects enrollment to rise 1% this fall to about 10,000 students. That remains below the 12,200 students recorded annually between 2015 and 2019 and the 9,922 enrolled in fall 2025.
- International and Transfer Declines: Jens Larson, EWU’s associate vice president for enrollment management, said previous enrollment declines were linked to drops in international students nationwide and statewide, as well as fewer community college transfer students.
- EWU Response: EWU is addressing enrollment pressures through investments including $110 million in Science Building updates and the Washington Guaranteed Admissions Program. The university also serves about 25,000 early-college high school and dual-credit students.
Spokane (Evening Washington News) August 27, 2026 — Student enrollment at several prominent colleges and universities throughout Spokane County has flattened or is slowly climbing upward following steep pandemic-era declines, though administrators maintain that the broader academic ecosystem across the region is fundamentally sound.
What Is the Current State of Higher Education Admissions in Spokane County?
The landscape of higher education in the Inland Northwest is showing signs of resilience after enduring years of turbulence triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to institutional representatives, admissions are projected to remain steady, closely matching the metrics recorded in fall 2025 for full-time, degree-seeking students across major regional hubs, including Spokane Community College, Spokane Falls Community College, Eastern Washington University, and Gonzaga University.
To safeguard their long-term viability and maintain a stable admission trajectory, many local higher education institutions have shifted their strategic focus toward robust student retention initiatives designed to secure future enrollment figures.
This local stabilization mirrors a broader, cautious recovery across Washington state. As detailed by the Washington Student Achievement Council—an oversight agency for higher education—statewide degree-seeking undergraduate enrollment experienced a consistent downward spiral starting in 2020, sliding from a baseline of over 100,391 students down to a trough of 90,939 in 2024. However, the agency reported an encouraging bounce back last autumn, with statewide enrollments ticking upward to 91,702, signaling a potential long-term recovery for the sector.
How Is Eastern Washington University Navigating Enrollment Shifts?
As reported by Jens Larson, associate vice president for enrollment management at Eastern Washington University, the institution measures its student population through a dual lens of quarterly tracking and traditional semesters. Larson contends that while figures for the upcoming fall semester look relatively solid, forecasting precise numbers for the fall quarter remains a complex challenge.
Historical data provided by Larson indicates that EWU’s total headcount by semester historically hovered around a stable baseline of 12,200 students between fall semester 2015 and fall 2019. That population experienced a sharp dip to 10,846 students by fall 2021, continuing downward to 10,491 in fall 2024 before landing at 9,922 in fall 2025.
Explaining the macro-level pressures facing the university, Larson stated,
“We’ve seen fewer students enrolling in higher education generally in Washington, so college-going is down across the state in the last five years or so. All of that ends up impacting institutions differently. The way that it looks at EWU is that we’ve seen some changes in our incoming student population.”
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Why Have International and Transfer Student Numbers Dropped?
Addressing the root causes behind the downward adjustments at Eastern Washington University, Larson pointed directly to a contraction in both international and transfer student pipelines. He attributes the decreasing headcounts at EWU to a synchronized statewide and national contraction of international student enrollments.
This observation aligns closely with national data. According to an International Student Enrollment report published in November 2025 by the nonprofit Institute of International Education, new international student enrollment suffered a 17% drop nationally, with an overwhelming 57% of reporting colleges and universities confirming overall decreases in incoming international bodies.
Reflecting on the local impact of this trend, Larson noted,
“Eastern used to have a pretty sizable international community, and that has changed over time.”
In addition to international headwinds, Larson highlighted that EWU’s enrollment health historically relies heavily on incoming transfer students graduating from local community colleges who are pursuing four-year degrees. Unfortunately, the volume of students making that transition to EWU has likewise contracted over recent years.
What Strategies Are Being Deployed to Boost Future Retention and Enrollment?
Despite facing structural hurdles regarding college-going rates, institutional leadership remains optimistic about immediate departmental milestones. Looking ahead to the current fall semester, Larson shared that Eastern Washington University is anticipating a modest 1% increase in overall student enrollment, pushing numbers back up to an estimated 10,000 students.
To lock in these gains, the university is doubling down on targeted retention frameworks. Capital improvements are playing a central role in these retention efforts, most notably highlighted by a massive $110 million modernization project centered on the campus Science Building. Furthermore, administrative barriers are being systematically dismantled through participation in the Washington Guaranteed Admissions Program, an initiative designed to simplify the formal enrollment process and clear pathways for prospective students.
Beyond traditional undergraduate headcounts, Larson added that the university quietly provides vital academic footing to an estimated 25,000 early-college high school and dual-credit students spanning across Eastern Washington—an invaluable pipeline that frequently bypasses conventional institutional reporting metrics. As regional institutions continue to refine their approaches, Spokane’s higher education sector appears poised to navigate the post-pandemic era through strategic adaptation and a steadfast commitment to student success.
