Governor Bob Ferguson signed into law today the state’s 2025-27 operating budget agreement approved by the Legislature late last month. The two year budget delivers WSU a $9.9 million reduction to its base appropriation and makes reductions to certain legislatively funded initiatives as lawmakers address a multi-billion dollar budget shortfall.
While he approved the budget, the governor did veto certain clauses within it to generate additional savings. However, WSU saw no further reductions than those already included in the underlying budget. All public colleges and universities face a 1.5 percent reduction, while the state’s financial aid program remained largely whole for public institutions, rolling back from 65 percent median family income for eligibility to 60.
In addition to the general reduction, WSU saw funding for two priorities approved by the Legislature in 2023 cut in half. Funding for turfgrass research funded that year was eliminated entirely. You can read more about what the approved operating budget means for WSU here.