OLYMPIA, Wash. — October 19, 2026 — The Evergreen State College is celebrating its fifth consecutive year of enrollment growth, welcoming 2,725 students for fall 2026 and its largest incoming first-year class since 2017.

Evergreen welcomed 813 new undergraduate students this fall, including 384 first-year students. The incoming first-year class is the college’s largest in nine years, marking another significant milestone in Evergreen’s sustained enrollment growth.

The continued growth reflects the appeal of Evergreen's distinctive educational model, which emphasizes interdisciplinary study, hands-on learning and the ability for students to help shape their own academic experiences.

"Five years of consistent enrollment growth is a real marker of the college's strength," said Evergreen President John Carmichael. "The kind of teaching that Evergreen does right now is something that students and families want right now."

Carmichael noted that Evergreen's approach develops graduates who can think independently, collaborate across differences and apply their learning to real-world challenges. These qualities, he explained, are especially valuable as students navigate a changing economy and increasingly complex social and environmental issues.

"When a student graduates from Evergreen, they can think independently, they can work collaboratively across significant differences, they can put values into action, theory into practice," Carmichael said.

The college's five-year growth trajectory reflects not only the strength of its academic model, but also sustained investments in recruitment, student retention and expanding educational opportunities.

"Five years tells me that this is intentional work on the part of the college," said Executive Vice President Dr. Dexter Gordon. "We have strategically deployed our resources to focus on recruitment, to focus on retention, so that we can have this kind of sustained growth."

Gordon emphasized that Evergreen's success is the result of a collegewide effort to connect prospective students with an education that prioritizes flexibility, collaboration and student engagement.

That commitment extends to students whose educational journeys may not follow a traditional path. Through its inclusive mission and personalized approach, Evergreen continues to create opportunities for first-generation college students, returning learners and individuals seeking an education that reflects their experiences and aspirations, while also equipping them for a post-college working like that demands knowledge across many varied disciplines.  

"I'm thrilled to wake up in the morning and go to work for a place that says interdisciplinary learning is not just an outstanding minor, but it is the way education should be done,” Gordon said.  

The college has also expanded its academic offerings and pathways to enrollment in recent years. These efforts include one-year undergraduate certificates, expanded faculty involvement in recruitment, collegiate wrestling, the Evergreen Prison Education Program and new graduate-level opportunities such as the Sustainability Master of Business Administration program.

Additionally, Evergreen's Shelton Promise initiative represents another effort to strengthen college access. According to Carmichael, enrollment from Shelton High School grew from three students in 2024 to 53 in 2025. The 2026 cohort stands strong at 61 students from the Shelton area. 

As the college looks ahead, its leaders remain focused on sustaining enrollment growth while building on the educational philosophy that has distinguished Evergreen for more than five decades.

"We expect and intend to continue growing, to continue offering innovative, interesting programs to students so that they can pursue the education that they want and need in the world," Carmichael said.

With five consecutive years of enrollment growth, a decade-high incoming first-year class and an expanding range of educational pathways, Evergreen enters the 2026–27 academic year with continued momentum and a commitment to making its distinctive approach to learning available to more students.