CWU to close Sammamish campus amid enrollment decline and rising costs
The Central Washington University (CWU) campus in Sammamish has announced its closure, impacting Running Start students on the plateau and prompting the city to plan for the site’s future.
The closure, effective June 30, 2025, was decided via an agreement between CWU and the City of Sammamish.
“The decision to close the CWU-Sammamish instructional site was a mutual decision by CWU and the City of Sammamish due to a pending rent increase on the facility,” said Kurt Kirstein, the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs at CWU.
According to Kirstein, state-allotted resources have not kept up with rising expenses. There has also been a gradual decline in CWU’s overall enrollment since 2019. After months of negotiation, the CWU administration decided that keeping the Sammamish campus open was not financially feasible.
“Like many other universities, our enrollment has been impacted by a perception that college is ‘too expensive’ or ‘not necessary’ to be successful,” Kirstein said.
The closure has impacted Running Start, a dual enrollment program where high school students take college courses at local community colleges. Running Start students are the majority of students attending classes at the CWU-Sammamish site.
“I was very surprised that such a big, nice-looking building is closing down right after spring quarter, but when I think about it, [it] does make sense. Every class was small, like three to five students,” said Dax Rogers, a 12th-grade Running Start student from Skyline High School.
CWU-Sammamish has been the nearest Running Start college for high school students in Sammamish. Next year, Eastlake and Skyline students in the program will have to choose to attend classes at Bellevue College, Lake Washington Institute of Technology, or Renton Technical College.
“[This] means a lot more driving if taking in-person classes,” Rogers said.
Hannah Lee, Regional Director for CWU-Sammamish and CWU-Lynnwood, shared the sentiment toward the closure among faculty and staff.
“We were shocked and saddened to learn about the closure of the CWU-Sammamish Center … Many of [our faculty] chose to work at the Sammamish site because it provides a unique opportunity for them to engage closely with the community and provide accessible, high-quality education for local residents,” Lee said.
With CWU vacating the city-owned facility, the City of Sammamish will assume full responsibility for the building on July 1. The City Council has directed staff to prepare the building for short-term use by existing subtenants and is planning its long-term future with community input.
The decision to close CWU-Sammamish will have no impact on the CWU sites in Yakima, Wenatchee, Moses Lake, Des Moines, Lynnwood, Pierce County, and Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
Lee said that the administration remains committed to finishing strong and continuing to offer online courses to ensure the accessibility of educational opportunities at CWU.
