- TypeUniversities
- LocationEllensburg, The United States
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Central Washington University (CWU) is a public university whose main, residential campus is in Ellensburg, Washington, in the United States. It began in 1891 as a teachers' college, the Washington State Normal School. Besides the 380-acre Ellensburg campus, CWU has University Centers in Des Moines, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Lynnwood, Moses Lake, Pierce County, Wenatchee and Yakima, and offers online, hybrid and distance learning.
The university states that it offers more than 135 accredited undergraduate majors and 32 accredited master's degree programmes, plus minors and certificates, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 17:1. Fields range from aviation, business and computer science to education, health sciences, music, psychology and wine studies.
Students who need an F-1 visa apply as international students through the CWU portal or the Common App; according to CWU, more than 400 international students from over 60 countries attend. The Office of International Studies and Programs handles admission and visa (I-20) questions. International students are automatically considered for merit scholarships on acceptance, and first-year students are generally required to live in the residence halls.
Not available
Public University
(509) 963-1111
400 E University Way, Ellensburg, WA, The United States, 98926
More than 135 undergraduate majors, plus minors and certificates. Areas include:
- Business, accounting, finance and supply chain management, economics and business analytics
- Aviation, computer science, information technology and engineering technologies
- Biological sciences, chemistry, geological sciences, physics and mathematics
- Education, child development and teaching
- Health sciences, psychology and sport and movement studies
- Art and design, music, dance, theatre and film
- Hospitality, tourism and events; craft brewing; wine studies
- Law and justice, political science, history and world languages and cultures
- Apply online through the CWU application portal or the Common App; application fee US$60 (non-refundable)
- Official transcripts sent directly by the school; a course-by-course credential evaluation (FIS, WES or SpanTran) may be required
- Proof of English proficiency if English is not the first language
- Confidential Financial Statement and a bank statement no older than three months, needed for the I-20
- US$400 enrolment deposit for first-year international students before the I-20 is issued
Priority dates: Winter Quarter 2027, 1 November 2026; Spring Quarter 2027, 1 February 2027. Later applications are accepted on a space-available basis.
Minimum scores for undergraduate admission: TOEFL iBT 71, IELTS 6.0, Duolingo English Test 105, PTE 50, C1 Advanced 180, C2 Proficiency 200, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing 530 or ACT English 19. Test scores must be official and no more than two years old. Other ways to meet the requirement include schooling in English (with an official letter), and applicants from listed English-speaking countries are exempt.
Undergraduate tuition, 2026-2027: US$27,041 per year for non-Washington residents (the rate used for the university's non-resident merit scholarships). International merit scholarships reduce this amount (see Scholarships).
International students are automatically considered for merit scholarships upon acceptance, based on their incoming grade: US$6,979 (GPA 2.7-2.9), US$9,294 (3.0-3.6) or US$12,380 (3.7-4.0) per year; the maximum graduate award is over US$12,800, based on 2026/2027 tuition rates. Awards are renewed each year on the spring cumulative GPA. Exchange, government-sponsored and UESL (English language) students do not qualify. More than 300 scholarships are available through the Scholarship Central application.
CWU has residence halls, Living Learning Communities and on-campus apartments on the Ellensburg campus. Students apply for housing through the MyHousing portal after accepting an offer of admission. Under the Washington Administrative Code policy, students under 20 with fewer than three quarters of college credit who do not live with a relative within commuting distance, or who are unmarried, must live in the residence halls.