Everett Community College students who earn a transfer associate degree with at least a 2.5 GPA can skip the admissions uncertainty and walk straight into Western Washington University as juniors, with no application fee and immediate eligibility for transfer scholarships.

The guaranteed admission agreement between EvCC and WWU has been in place since October 2025. The deal resurfaced in public view Thursday, July 30, when WWU announced an identical partnership with Edmonds College, bringing the university's statewide guaranteed-transfer network to 14 community colleges.

What the agreement guarantees

EvCC students who complete a transferable associate degree and maintain a cumulative 2.5 GPA or higher are guaranteed admission to WWU in Bellingham. The application fee is waived. Admitted students enter as juniors and are immediately eligible for transfer scholarship opportunities, according to WWU's admissions office.

The fee normally runs $70.

Running Start students qualify too

High school juniors and seniors enrolled in EvCC's Running Start program can use the same pathway. Students who complete a transfer associate degree during high school can enter WWU after graduation with junior standing, cutting two years off the traditional four-year university timeline.

Part of a larger WWU push

The guaranteed transfer program is the centerpiece of WWU President Sabah Randhawa's strategic enrollment initiative, which aims to bring 1,200 new transfer students to Bellingham by fall 2026. It's working: 70% of WWU's new transfer students in fall 2025 came from Washington community and technical colleges, up from 67% the prior year, according to WWU Board of Trustees data.

Randhawa described the guaranteed-transfer partnerships as "a shared commitment to expanding access and removing barriers for transfer students" when announcing a similar deal with Whatcom Community College in October 2025, days after the EvCC agreement launched.

EvCC had 7,925 students enrolled in fall 2024. WWU has not disclosed how many are on the guaranteed transfer track.

How to apply

Students can find program details and requirements on WWU's guaranteed admissions page. EvCC's advising office can be reached at (425) 388-9100 or at everettcc.edu.

WWU also operates a campus in Everett, though the guaranteed transfer program admits students to the main Bellingham campus.