https://president.wwu.edu/budget-update

Budget Update | President's Office | Western Washington University

In closing, our greatest focus continues to be on recovering enrollments, to attract new students and improve retention through expanding and/or introducing new retention strategies. This is important not just for Western's bottom line, but also for the health of our state. The pandemic and its aftermath have shown us that we need to increase efforts to reach new prospective students. Thanks to the continuing efforts of our colleagues in Enrollment Management, Marketing, and Advancement, the first-year applications for fall 2023 are running about 20 percent higher than at this time last year. This is a good start, but we will continue to look for ways to identify and recruit students, help them get the financial aid they need, and provide the support they need to succeed at Western. The state of Washington has a goal that 70% of our high school graduates will obtain a postsecondary credential by 2030. Right now, about 43% of students obtain a credential. It is our job to bridge that gap and make sure that everyone who wants to go to college has the opportunity to pursue an education at Western. I have charged a group to focus on enrollment growth, both through recruitment of new students and retention of current students. The bottom-line is to get us back to the pre-pandemic enrollment levels as expediently as possible.

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