About Western
Western Washington University
From atop Sehome Hill, overlooking Bellingham Bay, North Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands, Western has been ranked by U.S. News and World Report as a leading regional public university in the Pacific Northwest, and #2 in the western United States. Since the first class of 88 students entered New Whatcom Normal School in 1899, the school has grown into the third largest institution of higher education in the state. The Normal School became Western Washington College of Education in 1937, Western Washington State College in 1961, and achieved university status in 1977.
Fast Facts
Enrollment – Fall 2008
- 13,777 students; 94% undergraduates
- 2,693 new freshmen, 887 new transfers
- 55% women, 45% men
- 19.1% students of color
Faculty and Class Size
629 full-time equivalent (FTE) faculty, 89% holding the highest degree in their fields; student faculty ratio is 19:1; 77% of classes have 30 or fewer students; 4% of classes have 75 or more students
Distribution of Degrees
- Business and Economics 16%
- Education 10%
- Environmental Studies 5%
- Fairhaven College 4%
- Fine and Performing Arts 5%
- General Studies 5%
- Humanities and Social Sciences 43%
- Sciences and Technology 12%
Retention and Graduation Rates
83% of the freshman class of 2007 returned in Fall 2008, and approximately 70% of all students who begin at Western graduate.
