Student Permit Waitlists Opening August 12th

Hello Western Students!

This is a notice that the waitlists for parking permits for the 2024-2025 school year will be opening soon. The availability of parking on campus is very limited and demand considerably outnumbers our available parking spots. Parking on the streets surrounding campus is also very limited. Check out the Transportation Services website to explore all the ways that you can travel without a car while you are at WWU. If you are unwilling or unable to be car free this upcoming school year and you want to park on campus, then you must add yourself to a parking permit waitlist.

Here is how to join a parking permit waitlist: 

  1. On or after August 12th, add yourself to a waitlist by logging into the Parking Portal.
  2. Click on the “Add/Edit Waitlist” button.   
  3. You can add yourself to as many as three waitlists.  
  4. Prioritize your selection with #1 being your top preference.   

Additional instructions can be found in the Waitlist Video Tutorial. Other helpful transportation related videos can be found in our Video Library.

Permits will be awarded from the waitlists based on your waitlist position and space availability beginning September 3rd. 

Waitlists are ranked based on the number of credit hours a student has on record at WWU, including all accepted transfer credits. Your ranking is not affected by when you add yourself to the waitlist. Your position on the waitlist will shift over time as other students add themselves to waitlists.

If you are awarded a permit, you will receive an email on September 3rd with instructions on how to purchase your parking permit. If you do not receive a parking permit award on September 3rd, you will remain on the waitlist. Because permit supply is very limited, our office cannot foresee whether any specific student will be offered a permit. It is highly recommended that you only bring a car to campus if you are offered a parking permit.

Please continue reading below for an explanation of which lots are available for resident (living on-campus) and non-resident (living off-campus) students.
Parking map: https://map.wwu.edu/wwu_permit_parking.pdf

Off-Campus Students

The C lot is the primary on-campus parking lot for off-campus students. The Lincoln Creek lot is an off-campus parking lot that is also available for students who commute. Lincoln Creek is a 10-minute bus ride on a Whatcom Transportation Authority (WTA) bus for convenient access to campus.

Information on using the WTA bus system to commute to campus can be found on the Transportation Services website at: https://transportation.wwu.edu/bus

On-Campus Students

Students living on-campus have multiple options for parking lot preference. Before adding yourself to a waitlist, we recommend you review the Campus Parking Map to determine which parking lots are closest to your residence hall. The resident lots are designated on the parking map with an “R” and are generally adjacent to the residence halls. 

Limited resident overflow parking is available at the Lincoln Creek Lot. This is an off-campus parking lot a 10-minute bus ride away from WWU and is designated on the parking map as “LC.” Additional information about using the WTA bus system to commute to campus can be found on the Transportation Office’s website at https://transportation.wwu.edu/bus.  
The on-campus residence halls are listed below along with the recommended parking lots and priority order for each hall. 
 
Nash: 4R, 3R 

Mathes: 4R, 3R 

Edens/Edens North: 3R, 4R 

Higginson: 3R, 4R 

The Ridge (Alma Clark Glass Hall, Alpha, Beta, Delta, Gamma, Kappa, Omega, and Sigma): 15R, 20R

Fairhaven complex: 18R, 1R 

Buchanan Towers: 1R, 18R 

Birnam Wood: 27R 

Please contact us at transportation@wwu.edu with any questions regarding this notice. 

Thank you, 

Transportation Services