Washington State University

About

Washington State University (Washington State, WSU, or Wazzu) is a public research university in Pullman, Washington. Founded in 1890, WSU is one of the oldest land-grant universities in the American West. With an undergraduate enrollment of 24,470 and a total enrollment of 29,686, it is the second largest institution for higher education in Washington state behind the University of Washington. The WSU Pullman campus is perched upon a hill, characterized by open spaces, views, deep green conifers, and a restrained red brick and basalt material palette—materials originally found on site.

The university also operates campuses across Washington known as WSU Spokane, WSU Tri-Cities, and WSU Vancouver, all founded in 1989. In 2012, WSU launched an Internet-based Global Campus, which includes its online degree program, WSU Online. In 2015, WSU expanded to a sixth campus, known as WSU Everett. These campuses award primarily bachelor's and master's degrees. Freshmen and sophomores were first admitted to the Vancouver campus in 2006 and to the Tri-Cities campus in 2007. Enrollment for the four campuses and WSU Online exceeds 29,686 students. This includes 1,751 international students.

WSU's athletic teams are called the Cougars and the school colors are crimson and gray. Six men's and nine women's varsity teams compete in NCAA Division I in the Pac-12 Conference. Both men's and women's indoor track teams compete in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.

Programs

• Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences
• Arts and Sciences
• Business
• Edward R. Murrow College of Communication
• Education
• Engineering and Architecture
• Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine
• Nursing
• Pharmacy
• Veterinary Medicine

Admission Requirements

To be considered for admission to Washington State University as a freshman, a student needs to complete at least 12 years of school, culminating in an appropriate secondary certificate or external examination. (We may consider the first year or two of university in some countries to be secondary level.)

Schooling should include preparation in humanities, mathematics, basic sciences, and social sciences.

WSU requires a minimum grade point average of 2.70 (on a 4.00 scale) for admission as an international freshman.

Tuition and Fees and other expenditures for 2020-21 Academic Year

• Tuition and Fees                             $26,093
• Living Expense                               $12,114
• Books and Supplies                        $1,383
• Medical Insurance                         $1,824
• Miscellaneous/Other                   $2,192

Residence halls

A number of the residence halls are co-ed, but there are single-gender living environments as well as a variety of other living options that include age-restricted housing, a mix of domestic and international students, and a global learning community. All of the residence halls, except for McEachern, are part of the RHA (Residence Hall Association).

Residence halls on campus include:

• The Hill Halls: Community/Duncan-Dunn, Honors, McCroskey, Wilmer-Davis and Stevens
• The Northside Halls: Regents Hill, Scott-Coman, Streit-Perham, Northside, and Global Scholars (opened in fall of 2015)
• The South Central Halls: Gannon-Goldsworthy, Stimson and Waller
• The Upper Division Halls: Rogers, Orton and McEachern
• The Complex: Stephenson East, Stephenson North and Stephenson South
• Opened in Fall 2009: Olympia Avenue
• Opened in Fall 2015: Global Scholars

Each hall has its own government which organizes events, manages its budget, and acts as a forum for student involvement. These halls range in size from the exclusive Stevens Hall (approximately 70 residents), to the massive Stephenson Complex (approximately 1200 residents total). The highlight of the year for the residence halls is often Homecoming Week when the residence halls, off-campus students, and Greeks compete in various events. Events such as the chariot race determine the winner of Homecoming Week. In the past decade, the winner of Homecoming Week has most often been a residence hall team. In 2008, the Residence Halls swept Homecoming. Waller/Wilmer-Davis/Stevens took first, Scott-Coman took second and Stimson/Regents took third.

Rankings

WSU was ranked tied for 166th nationally and tied for 79th among public universities in the 2020 U.S. News & World Report rankings. It also ranked 69th overall among 343 undergraduate business schools; ranked 19th in the international business programs accredited by AACSB, and ranked 59th overall for best undergraduate engineering programs accredited by ABET. WSU's College of Veterinary Medicine ranked 14th in the nation.

The Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) in 2019 ranked WSU in the 95-116 range nationally and in the 301-400 range globally. WSU was ranked 400th in the world by the QS World University Rankings for 2020.