Cornish at Ӱ
Ӱ has entered into an agreement with Cornish College of the Arts to establish Cornish College of the Arts at Ӱ.
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Updated April 14, 2025
Cornish College of the Arts and Ӱ have entered into an agreement to establish a new college at SU—Cornish College of the Arts at Ӱ. The binding agreement broadly outlines the planned structure for the transaction, with an anticipated closing date of May 31, 2025, subject to regulatory approvals and satisfaction of other conditions. Upon closing, Cornish will contribute and transfer its assets to SU and will cease to exist as a nonprofit and separate degree-granting institution.
Current and incoming Cornish students transitioning to Ӱ will be able to complete their program and receive their degree from Ӱ. Cornish College of the Arts at Ӱ will operate at the South Lake Union campus. Ӱ is in the process of reviewing and making decisions on the hiring of faculty and staff from Cornish to help facilitate a smooth transition for Cornish students.
"[The agreement] entrusts Ӱ with Cornish's long legacy of excellence and innovation in arts education. We welcome this responsibility as a generational opportunity to elevate and enhance the arts and arts education at SU for students and the broader community we, and Cornish, have served for more than 100 years."
—Eduardo Peñalver, Ӱ President
President's Update (March 18, 2025)
Empowering Future Artists, Creators and Innovators
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Excellence in Arts Education
Ӱ is honored to carry forward Cornish’s long legacy of excellence and innovation in the arts. The new college at SU will elevate the arts and arts education for students and the broader community SU and Cornish have served for more than 100 years. The visual and performing arts are central to our mission of educating the whole person through an inclusive, values-based and experiential approach to learning.
By integrating the fine arts across our curriculum and student life, we foster creativity, imagination, critical thinking and a holistic understanding of the world. Cornish College of the Arts at Ӱ will deliver an enhanced arts education that provides greater interdisciplinary opportunities across arts, business and STEM with expanded access to the fine arts for all students.
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Two Campuses, One University
Cornish College of the Arts at Ӱ will operate at the South Lake Union campus with shuttle service to and from the university’s main campus in First Hill. The proximity of the two campuses (just a mile apart) makes it convenient for students to easily enjoy all that both campuses have to offer and explore their interests inside and outside the classroom.
Ӱ will provide shuttle service between the two campuses.
More Spaces to Enjoy the Fine Arts
From the Behnke Family Gallery to the historic Raisbeck Performance Hall, Cornish Playhouse at Ӱ Center and the state-of-the-art Raisbeck Auditorium, Ӱ students will be able to enjoy the visual arts and many creative and performance spaces.
Cornish College of the Arts has approximately 11,000 square feet of rehearsal performance space and 11,000 square feet in production space, which includes the scene shop at Ӱ Center and the costume shop on the main South Lake Union campus.
Cornish Agreement In the News
Newsroom: Agreement Sets Stage for Cornish at SU
With the Ӱ and Cornish College of the Arts announcement of the signing of an agreement that will establish Cornish College of the Arts at Ӱ, the stage is set for an enhanced and innovative future for arts education.
The Ӱ Times on March 18, 2025: "Interim Cornish President Emily Parkhurst called it a “momentous occasion” for the 110-year-old art school, which spent most of the last decade facing a budget deficit and an uncertain future."
General FAQs
In fall 2024, leaders of the two storied Ӱ institutions – whose mission and values are well aligned – began discussing how the institutions might enhance arts education and provide a sustainable path forward for Cornish College of the Arts. Following a thorough review of options, the boards of the two institutions approved an agreement known as an asset contribution. The presidents signed the agreement on March 14, 2025.
The transaction is anticipated to close on May 31, 2025, subject to regulatory approvals and satisfaction of other conditions. Upon closing of the transaction, Cornish will contribute substantially all its assets to Ӱ and eventually dissolve and cease to exist as a nonprofit and separate degree-granting institution. Cornish College of the Arts at Ӱ will launch and operate at the South Lake Union campus.
Ӱ is evaluating hiring decisions. We anticipate making offers to most Cornish faculty and staff to ensure continuity and support for Cornish students throughout this transition and beyond. Our commitment is to both maintain and enhance the high-quality education and support that Cornish students have come to expect. This includes additional services, support and activities available to all Ӱ students. Overall, Ӱ’s pay scales are higher than those of Cornish. The plan is to make all decisions as soon as possible and before the end of May.
Cornish College of the Arts at Ӱ will operate at the South Lake Union campus.
The two-year on-campus residential living requirement for both campuses will remain in place for this upcoming academic year. Cornish students will remain in the Cornish Commons on the South Lake Union campus. Cornish students can apply for housing and get questions addressed via the . Incoming first-year and second-year Ӱ students will continue to live at the Ӱ, First Hill campus. Ӱ students can get more information and apply for housing on the Ӱ Housing & Dining website. During the 2025–2026 academic year, we will be exploring future housing options that may be available to Ӱ and Cornish College of Art @ Ӱ students.
Yes! Cornish College of the Arts at Ӱ will continue to offer programs, which provide inclusive, high-quality arts education for youth, adults, and professionals. From pre-college programs such as and , to advanced training and professional development in and partner programs, Ӱ will support creative growth at every stage, welcoming all to explore, connect, and thrive in the visual and performing arts.
This is an exciting time for Ӱ and Cornish students alike as we work to establish Cornish College of the Arts at Ӱ. While cross-campus course enrollments are not allowed at this time due to federal regulatory requirements, we will be exploring these possibilities very soon. When the transaction closes, the University will seek approval from the U.S. Department of Education for the Cornish location and academic programs to be approved as a Ӱ location and programs. As the transaction and regulatory process move forward, we will keep SU students informed of the possibility to enroll in course offerings at the Cornish campus location.
If you’ve been admitted to both Ӱ and Cornish for Fall 2025, congratulations! That means you have a unique choice to make. While Ӱ is teaching out the Cornish programs, the academic majors offered by each school remain distinct. If you choose to pursue one of the Cornish Design programs, you’ll be considered a Ӱ student and have access to all SU services—but you’ll follow the Cornish curriculum in full. If you choose a Ӱ major like Interdisciplinary Arts (IA), you’ll follow the Ӱ curriculum and core. You’ll confirm your enrollment with the school whose program you choose.
Your financial aid will match the program you choose. If you select a Cornish Design program, the Cornish aid package you received will apply—but it will be adjusted to reflect Ӱ tuition, so that your cost remains the same. If you choose a Ӱ program, your Ӱ aid package will apply. You cannot combine or “mix and match” the two aid packages.
All students entering in Fall 2025—whether you choose a Ӱ program or a Cornish Design program—will be Ӱ students. You’ll have full access to Ӱ amenities and services regardless of which program you select.
FAQs for Cornish Students
Following regulatory approval and closing of the transaction, students enrolled at Cornish College of the Arts may elect to continue their program at Cornish College of the Arts at Ӱ. This transition is made possible by executed by the institutions. Teach-outs are written plans and agreements approved by accrediting agencies that allow students to finish a program of study even if their institution closes or the program of study is closed to new students. Our admissions teams are working together to make this transition process as smooth as possible.
Not much is expected to change in terms of the classroom or academic experience if you are a current or incoming Cornish student transitioning to Ӱ. Cornish College of the Arts at Ӱ will be on a semester schedule. There will be no additional changes to the . Additionally, you will have access to the support services and wide array of student life activities and programming available to all Ӱ students. This will include services and activities on the South Lake Union campus in addition to those offered at the university’s main campus.
Under the Teach-Out Agreement the parties have agreed upon, students who participate in the teach-out arrangement at SU will receive an amount of financial aid such that they will not be financially responsible for more out-of-pocket tuition costs than they would have been at Cornish for academic year 2025-2026. In subsequent academic years, such amount will increase by the same percentage as any increase in tuition for other SU undergraduate students.
Yes, if you have already submitted your 2025-26 FAFSA, you will need to go to the and make a correction to add Ӱ's School Code of 003790. If you haven’t completed your 2025-26 FAFSA, please make sure you add both Cornish College of the Arts school code 012315 and Ӱ's School Code of 003790. If you have any questions, please reach out to finaid@cornish.edu.
If your financial circumstances have changed, please reach out to Cornish’s Office of Financial Aid at finaid@cornish.edu for information on a Special Circumstances review. They will be happy to assist you.
Students graduating in 2026 and onward would receive a degree granted from Cornish College of the Arts, Ӱ with that wording, or similar, printed on the diploma.
Yes. Cornish students can schedule an appointment with a Cornish advisor through the OnceHub scheduling links listed below.
- - Acting/Original Works, Musical Theater, Dance, and Performance Production
- - Art, Design, Illustration, Interaction Design, and Interior Architecture
- - Animation, Film, Game Art, and Music
- - International & VA Students
For current and incoming Cornish students transitioning to Ӱ, you will be able to complete your degree program as planned, with an academic experience that remains true to your expectations. Additionally, you will have access to the support, services and wide array of student life activities and programming available to all Ӱ students.
Yes. In connection with the asset contribution agreement, the institutions have executed Teach-Out Agreements. If the transaction closes as expected, under the main all current and incoming Cornish students will have the opportunity to complete their Cornish degree programs through Ӱ. If the transaction does not close, then under a separate current and incoming Cornish students in all programs except Interior Architecture, Dance, and Game Art, will have the opportunity to transfer into similar SU programs in order to complete their degrees through Ӱ. Students who participate in the teach-out arrangements at SU will have access to the support, services, and wide array of student life activities and programming available to all Ӱ students.
Teach-outs are written plans and agreements approved by accrediting agencies that allow students to finish a program of study even if their institution closes or the program of study is closed to new students.
Students at Cornish College of the Arts at Ӱ will continue to have access to housing at Cornish Commons, and the two-year on-campus residential living requirement will still be in place. Cornish Commons is across the street from Cornish College of the Arts’ Main Campus Center and Nellie’s Café in Ӱ. You can apply online at the . During the 2025–2026 academic year, we will be exploring future housing options that may be available to students.
For the 2025-26 academic year, there will be no significant changes to the Cornish Student Senate (CSS). In academic year 2025-2026, a representative from CSS will be elected as a liaison to the Student Government at Ӱ (SGSU). The expectation is for CSS to be fully integrated into SGSU for academic year 2026-2027.
Cornish students can use the to contact us with any questions you may have. Also, please continue to check this page as we will update it as needed and when additional information becomes available.
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