About 1,460 new students are expected at UW Tacoma in fall 2026, continuing a growth streak that is driving plans for a $115 million residence hall on campus.

The preliminary figures, released at the University of Washington's 43rd annual New Student Convocation on Sunday, Sept. 27, split evenly: 730 first-year students and 730 transfers. Official enrollment numbers will follow later in the autumn quarter.

The even split reflects UW Tacoma's role as a landing spot for community college students across the South Sound.

More than half of UW Tacoma undergraduates transfer in, with Tacoma Community College, Pierce College, Highline College, Green River College and South Puget Sound Community College sending the most students, according to the university's website.

The projections come after two years of steady growth. In autumn 2024, UW Tacoma enrolled 4,980 students, a 4% jump from 4,790 the year before. By autumn 2025, total enrollment reached 5,059, with 737 first-year students and 769 transfers in that incoming class, according to UW's official census.

The 2026 preliminary projections are slightly below those autumn 2025 figures, but the university has noted that final numbers can differ from early projections. Whether the gap narrows will not be clear until the official count.

Across the three-campus UW system, UW Seattle projects about 7,455 first-year students and 1,719 transfers for fall 2026. UW Bothell projects roughly 1,153 first-year students and 660 transfers.

Neither campus projects a similar first-year-to-transfer split. UW Seattle's incoming class skews about 81% first-year, and UW Bothell's about 64%.

The growth trajectory feeds into larger campus plans. A preapplication was filed with the City of Tacoma on July 20 for Husky Landing, a proposed six-story, 136-unit residence hall at 1745 Market St., along with a new dining hall. Estimated cost: $115 million. Construction could begin in summer or fall 2027, pending Board of Regents approval, with completion targeted for late 2029, The News Tribune reported.

When UW Tacoma crossed 5,000 students in October 2025, Chancellor Sheila Edwards Lange laid out the long view: "Our vision is to serve 10,000 students on a vibrant, growing campus that continues to drive regional prosperity."

That 10,000-student goal would roughly double the current headcount over the next 35 years. As of autumn 2025, 52% of UW Tacoma undergraduates were the first in their families to attend college, and 46% qualified for Pell grants.

The official fall 2026 enrollment count is expected later in the autumn quarter.